MTV has renewed its freshman reality series Buckwild for a second season.
The announcement that the network was renewing “the Jersey Shore of Appalachia” came one day before the series’ season finale. The show focuses on a group of young adults from Sissonville and Charleston, West Virginia, and their Jackass- like antics.
The January 4 premiere drew nearly 2.5 million viewers and a 1.4 rating. Its debut scored about one million more viewers than Jersey Shore did when it premiered in 2009. According to Deadline , the series has averaged 3 millions viewers an episode in Live+3 day ratings.
Much like its New Jersey counterpart, Buckwild hasn’t been without controversy. Before the series premiered, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin III demanded that the show be canceled. In a letter to the network, Manchin called the series a “travesty” and wrote:
“Instead of showcasing the beauty of our state, you preyed on young people, coaxed them into shameful behavior, and now you are profiting from it. That is just wrong. This show plays to ugly, inaccurate stereotypes about the people of West Virginia.”
Executive producer John Stevens defended the series and said that it “might change people’s perspectives” about West Virginians.
In its Thursday 10 pm timeslot, Buckwild is the No.1 television program among 12-34 year olds . In that demographic, it is third to ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars and fellow MTV series Catfish: The TV Show . MTV has been running back-to-back episodes of the series each week. The first season finale will air Thursday, February 7 at 10:00 pm.
Do you watch Buckwild ? Are you glad it got renewed?
