Having suffered only a minor audience decline since its premiere episode three weeks ago, “Bates Motel” has earned a second season renewal from A&E.
Though not a blockbuster hit, “Bates” has attracted a solid audience and has consistently ranked as cable’s top scripted program on Mondays.
Critically, “Bates” has not been received as warmly as fare from networks like FX and AMC, but none have written it off as bad. The underlying feeling from reviewers is that “Bates Motel” has all the elements of a great series but needs to identify the tone and structure that will bring those elements together.