Popular show seeking renewal

AMC's popular Revolutionary War period piece TURN debuted on April 6, 2014. Since its inception, TURN was renewed for second and third seasons, and its name changed to TURN: Washington's Spies. While the initial season met a lukewarm critical reception, the sophomore season proved much more successful with an 80% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes compared to season one's 52%.

Over the course of its three-season run, TURN has transformed from a moderate hit to an incredibly popular show. A digital comic available via the AMC website launched in tandem, and several fan sites devoted to Washington's Spies have since cropped up.

Benefiting TURN is its uniqueness; while far from the only period piece on television, AMC's show serves as a wartime drama framed not through battles, but rather through exploring a spy ring in an era when espionage was in its infancy.

With hopes of a fourth season, fans have taken to social media campaigns and Change.org petitions proving that there's a demand. A planned July 11, 2016 renew TURN event encourages fans to tweet at AMC using the hashtag 'RenewTURN' until it becomes a trending topic. Such a fan response speaks to Turn's massive success, particularly in season three.

The third series entry continued and wrapped up a few story arcs from the first season, while setting up several new subplots. Further, the latest season was marked by drastic character development. The spy ring consisting of Abraham Woodhull (Jamie Bell), Anna Strong (Heather Lind), Ben Tallmadge (Seth Numrich), and Caleb Brewster (Daniel Henshall) morphed from a confident, polished whole, into a chaos-ridden group relying on improvisation rather than tactical advantage.

Samuel Roukin as the menacing Captain Simcoe lent a stellar performance, and notably Meegan Warner as Mary Woodhull blossomed into a formidable presence.

TURN features a slew of real-life historical figures, including Major John Andre (JJ Feild), Benedict Arnold (Owain Yeoman), and George Washington (Ian Kahn). Kahn's truly brought the revered Washington to life, gaining more screen time as the show progressed.

A prominent subplot focused on Arnold's love affair with Peggy Shippen (Ksenia Solo), and taut writing posited characters like the traitorous Arnold less as villains, and more as flawed individuals. Solo gave a stand-out presentation in her character's love triangle with Andre and Arnold.

Fans anxiously await news of a renewal or cancellation. AMC has dominated lately critically acclaimed series including Turn, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, and The Night Manager. Whether Washington's Spies is graced with a fourth season remains to be seen, but clearly there's an audience.
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