‘Under The Dome’ Season 3 Canceled or Renewed on CBS? Producers Silent as Ratings Drop

As the second season of the hit CBS sci-fi series, 'Under the Dome' is about to air its finale episode, fans are still unsure about whether or not the show will return for a third installment. As it stands, producers have not announced if they plan to make a Season 3.

During its first season, the show received some of the highest ratings that CBS had seen in years. However, with its second season, the show's ratings began to drop, wavering producers' faith in the show.

'Under the Dome' debuted with 13.5 million viewers, while the rest of the Season 1 episodes averaged an 11 million viewers. During Season 2, the viewership significantly dropped to 1.6 million.

Reports say that the show, which is based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, will most likely be renewed for its third season, since it is making a good profit despite the recent drop in ratings.

Les Moonves, CBS's CEO, said that the ratings for 'Under the Dome' do not really matter, since the series is being paid for mostly by both Amazon.com and international distributors.

"but it doesn't matter....The [financial] model is almost perfect," CBS' CEO Les Moonves said via the 'Under The Dome' fan site.

"We're in profit long before the shows see the light of day on CBS," added Moonves.

Speculation that the show would return for the third season also came about when Rachel Lefevre, one of the show's lead actresses, said that the second season finale would serve as a set up for the third season.

"What it is set up to do [in Season 3] is create the idea of a new world and a broadening of the scope of the show, and so our [Season 2] finale is designed to hint at where the show is going to go and what the new mythology is gonna be like," Lefevre told TVLine.

Lefevre also said that the Season 2 finale episode would end in a cliffhanger, therefore, drawing viewer support due to suspense.

"If we don't get a third season there will be protesting in the streets, it's not a satisfying [end to the show]," said Lefevre.