legion_still_1_-_publicity_-_embed.jpgLegion, the stylish but sometimes baffling superhero 3.0 Fox series, is getting renewed for 2018, THR reports. The brainchild of TV maestro Noah Hawley, the pilot episode was a revelatory exercise that had everyone raving; subsequent episodes have sometimes been a bit baffling but always intriguing. (Except for episode two; I fell asleep both times I tried to watch it.)

Legion’s ratings haven’t been as stellar as its reviews, but I’m not surprised it got picked up. Fox wants to keep its relationship with bot Hawley and Marvel strong, as fraught as the latter can sometimes be.

The Legion renewal comes as Marvel continues to rapidly expand its TV presence. In addition to its first scripted offering in ABC’s Agents of SHIELD (which remains on the bubble for next season), Marvel is teaming with Imax for ABC’s Inhumans, which was picked up straight to series for next fall with the first two episodes premiering in Imax theaters before airing on the network. The comic book powerhouse also has Matt Nix’s Fox drama pilot starring Amy Acker, Hulu’s take on beloved graphic novel The Runaways (with Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage attached), Freeform’s straight-to-series drama Cloak and Dagger as well as a host of Netflix series including Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, The Punisher, Luke Cage and mashup mini The Defenders. For FX, meanwhile, Legion joins a 2018 slate at FX that will include American Crime Story: Katrina and Versace; American Horror Story, Atlanta, Baskets, Feud: Charles and Diana and Taboo as the network has already secured the futures for its key franchises.