‘The Bold Type’ Season 2: Will Freeform Show Be Canceled Or Renewed?

The first season of “The Bold Type” wrapped up Tuesday with a few cliffhangers. Jane left Scarlet, Kat went to see Adina and Sutton revealed she still loves Richard. However, fans are wondering if they’ll ever see the issues resolved in Season 2.

Freeform has not officially renewed or canceled the series yet, and it’s hard to say which way the show will go. “The Bold Type” is an “on the bubble” show, so let’s look at the evidence.

Ratings are a huge part of how networks decide to renew shows. According to TV Series Finale, “The Bold Type” is Freeform’s lowest-rated show right now with only a little over 300,000 viewers tuning in live each week. That obviously raises concerns about the dramedy getting canceled, but it seems like much of their audience might be watching the show through different avenues.

Variety notes that the ratings in the coveted 18-49 demographic increases by 200 percent after a week when live ratings are combined with DVR numbers. Freeform doesn’t released numbers from their website or Hulu, but it’s safe to assume that their ratings grow even more once those are incorporated. Freeform has to know that their young demographic might not be watching live TV in the middle of the summer, but they’ll find a way to watch when it’s convenient for them.

While “The Bold Type” isn’t a ratings juggernaut, it is a critical hit. Freeform doesn’t have too many shows that garner rave reviews, and the praise hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“We are overjoyed by the critical response, and even more so by the outpouring of love and passion from fans,” Karey Burke, Freeform’s EVP of programming and development, told Variety. “It’s humbling and inspiring to know that these characters are already touching people in a significant way.”

Showrunner Sarah Watson said she is optimistic about “The Bold Type” getting renewed for Season 2. “I feel hope. I feel like Sutton with the elevator doors closing on her,” she laughed to TVLine. “I feel a glimmer of hope, but I still don’t know what happens when the doors close.”

On the other hand, executive producer Joanna Coles tweeted that the “series finale” was airing Tuesday. With Freeform undecided, that definitely wasn’t a cancellation announcement. It isn’t clear if it’s simply a typo or a matter of Coles being British. She grew up in the U.K. where they call a season a series.

With no clear indicator of cancellation or renewal, Watson has already started thinking about Season 2. She revealed to the Hollywood Reporter that she plans to explore the supporting characters more if Freeform renews the series.

“The thing we didn’t have enough time for is doing more storylines for the men without the women. In Season 2 I would love to get to see what they do when they’re not in the women’s storylines,” Watson explained. “Another thing I really want to do in Season 2, and it’s actually very intentional that we didn’t do it in Season 1, is delve a little bit more into Jacqueline’s personal life and her life at home and also her life with the board. What happens when she has to go upstairs and she’s no longer the big boss and she has a boss?”

“The Bold Type” Season 1 is available now on Freeform and Hulu.