According to A&E Network executive vice president and general manager David McKillop, the original drama-thriller series Bates Motel has been renewed for a third season. Production of ten new episodes, which are produced by Universal Television, will commence in the fall.

Bates Motel stars Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore, and is described as being a “contemporary prequel” to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1960 film Psycho, and details the life of Norman Bates and his mother Norma prior to the events depicted in Hitchcock’s film. The series takes place in a modern day setting, in a different fictional town – Bates Motel takes place in “White Pine Bay, Oregon (with its main industry being marijuana production), as opposed to Pyscho’s setting of “Fairvale, California).

McKillop said in a statement on Monday, “The incredible writing team and talented Bates Motel cast has made this series one of the most compelling original dramas on television. The brilliant twists and turns of the past two seasons keep its loyal fanbase coming back for more. We are so proud of the show.”

Here is the trailer for the series:

Bates Motel, which is produced by Carlton Cuse of ABC’s Lost and Kerry Ehrin, is A&E’s top dramatic series of all time among adults 18-49. When season 2 premiered on March 3, 4.6 million viewers tuned in, including 2.6 million adults 18-49 and 2.2 million adults 25-54.

Cuse has cited David Lynch’s cult classic Twin Peaks as being a primary model for Bates Motel, and commented, “We pretty much ripped off Twin Peaks. If you wanted to get that confession, the answer is yes. I loved that show. They only did 30 episodes. Kerry (Ehrin) and I thought we’d do the 70 that are missing.”

Bates Motel has garnered generally favorable reviews, scoring 67% on Metacritic. Rotten Tomatoes has rated the series as being 86% “fresh.”

Image via YouTube