CBS Renews Zoo for a Third Season

The Zoo Crew is staying in action!

During the Television Critics Association press event, CBS announced that its summertime suspense thriller, surrounding an animal apocalypse, has been renewed for a third season  for broadcast during summer 2017.

Based on the best-selling book by James Patterson, Zoo centers around what would happen in the event that all of the animals in the world suddenly mutated to a higher level, and genetically changed to sit at the top of the food chain, a spot long-held by mankind.

The series stars James Wolk, as animal expert Jackson Oz, and Billy Burke as veterinary pathologist Mitch Morgan. Also starring are Kristen Connelly, as reporter Jamie Campbell, and Nonso Anozie, as Abraham Kenyata, a safari guide and Jackson’s lifelong friend.

Zoo recently underwent a major casting change as original series star Nora Arnezeder’s character, Chloe, was written off of the show. Executive producer Josh Appelbaum explained why Chloe was killed in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“In many ways, on a sort of procedural level for our team, she was the glue. Chloe was at the center of so many stories, so to do it this way allows us to shift the entire dynamic of the show, and to go a level deeper with all of these characters.”

While  Zoo may not be a ratings juggernaut, CBS confirms that “Zoo is this summer’s second most-watched original scripted broadcast,” which no doubt explains why the series continues to be renewed.

CBS also announced the renewal of Big Brother, which is currently in its 18th season. Seasons 19 and 20 will air on CBS in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

The first season of  Zoo is now available on Netflix in the United States, and Season 2 will be available Sept. 14, 2016, eight days after its 2-hour season finale on September 6.

 Zoo airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on CBS.

Christine Laskodi

Christine is guilty of watching Hart of Dixie more times than the average human will in their lifetime. She's the host of Long Live the Hart: A Hart of Dixie Podcast (available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!) as well as co-host on The Shipping Room, a podcast devoted to television's greatest relationships. You can find some of her older television reviews at TV Fanatic and IGN. Christine eagerly anticipates every cheesy holiday movie that networks can throw at her, and current favorite shows include The Good Place, The Resident, Shark Tank, and All Rise.