Pleased with the success of their effort to reboot the cult classic show Forensic Files, in which cold cases are solved in a breezy 30 minutes, HLN has decided to produce two more seasons of the criminal procedural Forensic Files II.
The next 16-episode season will be released in 2021, following the February 2020 launch of the refreshed version, with another 16-episode season to follow.
CNN executive Ken Jautz, who oversees WarnerMedia cable network HLN, said Forensic Files II “exceeded expectations and was an unequivocal hit among viewers.”
The second and third seasons will be narrated again by the new voice of the Forensic Files franchise, The Night Of actor Bill Camp, who has channeled the spirit of the show’s original longtime narrator, the late Peter Thomas.
The original Forensic Files, produced by creator Paul Dowling and his Medstar Television production company, wrapped in 2011 but has aired heavily on HLN in the intervening years, drawing a legion of celebrity fans.
In a February interview, Camp told The Hollywood Reporter that he “got immediately hooked” on Forensic Files after watching it to prepare for shooting the pilot episode of HBO’s The Night Of.
“It’s a holy grail of a job,” he said of his role as narrator. “So many documentary crime series have tried to copy it or take it to a different place or frame it in a different way, but not to the degree of success that they’ve been able to do.”
Jautz, in an interview with THR, called Forensic Files “the granddaddy of crime series” and said that HLN’s growing library of old episodes has performed well with viewers.
Forensic Files II, he said, is a “refreshing” of the original series but also a “continuation.”
Executive producer Nancy Duffy said the law enforcement community was excited about the return of Forensic Files and was eager to offer up cases for the show to focus on, some of which were turned into episodes.
“They were thrilled to actually be able to showcase their new technology,” she said. “They were thrilled to be able to share some of their investigations and stories.”
Calling Forensic Files II “great counter-programming” to the national news cycle, Duffy said, “The series has a following, and it has a reputation, and we have to live up to it.”
