BattleBots is one of those shows that people were starting to remember as nostalgia from the last decade. The fact that it was run on Comedy Central showed that it probably was not meant to be taken seriously, but it lasted for five memorable seasons from 2000-2002. Considering that a lot of "disposable" shows are put on networks during the summertime, the revival of BattleBots was probably just meant to be a placeholder. However, BattleBots Season 1 (or Season 6 if you count the Comedy Central era) turned out to be quite a huge hit, and it is no surprise that ABC greenlit Season 2 of the new BattleBots, but some changes are in store.
In spite of all the hype around this show, there was doubt that new BattleBots would be renewed for a second season. The new BattleBots finished its first season last July, averaging about 4.6 million viewers with increases in both viewers of the 18 to 49-year-old demographic, according to Business Insider. Co-founder and executive producer Greg Munson was confident that there would be a second season, and he was right.
Engadget reports that BattleBots had been renewed for a second season, but there will be some changes. The plan is to continue with the single-elimination tournament, but double the number of competitors. These competitors will include some "expert roboticists" as well as "families on a mission". In other words, all types will be on this show, and past winners will more than likely show up to take on the challengers.
There could be an open invitation for the tournament, instead of the Season 1 invitation-only model that was applied. Not only will there be more competitors, but more episodes, and more matches. There could also be some changes made to the arena, so it is made very interesting.
There are also some other plans that might be in store. Executive producer and head of unscripted for Whalerock Industries, Chris Cowan, believes that BattleBots is legitimately a sport. It is something that viewers can follow like March Madness with robot warriors of 32 teams, and will be quite competitive; the producers hope that people find ways for the competitors to find loopholes in their rules of combat.
Speaking of the competition, the producers want to spend a lot more time on the technical side of BattleBots, where there would be more time focused on the builders working on the robots between rounds.
The Verge reports that BattleBots Season 2 does not have a release date as yet, but it will probably be showing up sometime in the summer of this year. This would probably make it one of ABC's summer shows, and could easily last several more seasons with some serious robot-fighting action.
