And then Fox cancelled it after two seasons. Because of course they did.
The Exorcist was too slow for the Walking Dead crowd, too Catholic for secular viewers, and too grim for network TV. It asked, "What if faith is real, but God is indifferent?" That’s not a tagline for a primetime slot.
And the demons? They quote Scripture. They offer mercy. They ask the priests: “Why do you think God lets this happen?” exorcist 2017
That’s the knife-twist. The show never gives an easy answer. Episode 5, "Through My Most Grievous Fault."
Posted on October 14, 2024
The show earned its R-rating-on-TV moments (head-turning, spider-walking, pea-soup vomit), but the real horror happens at the dinner table. You don’t need CGI for that. Most exorcism media treats the Church as a prop. The Exorcist (2017) treats it as a battlefield.
Let’s be honest: when Fox announced a television adaptation of The Exorcist in 2016, most of us rolled our eyes. A network TV sequel to the most terrifying film ever made? Starring a guy from Daredevil ? It sounded like sacrilege. And then Fox cancelled it after two seasons
But for those of us who stuck around? Season 2 (set in a group home for troubled boys) was even better. More intimate. More brutal. Featuring John Cho as a father desperate to save his son from a demon that feeds on grief. The Exorcist (2017) is not a guilty pleasure. It is a straight-up pleasure. It respects the original film while building something new: a serialized horror novel about the cost of belief.
The Rance family isn’t just fighting a demon named "Pazuzu’s lieutenant." They are fighting the lies they tell each other. The father hiding his sexuality. The mother drowning in guilt. The possessed daughter, Casey, who isn’t just a victim—she’s a mirror. It asked, "What if faith is real, but God is indifferent
Have you seen The Exorcist (2017)? Are you Team Marcus or Team Tomas? Let me know in the comments—just don’t invite any demons.