A&E renews "Bates Motel" for second season A&E's "Bates Motel" be accepting visitors for another season. The network just renewed the creeptastic drama for a 10-episode second season. The "Psycho" prequel premiered with strong ratings, pulling 3 million viewers on March 18 (now up to 4.5 million counting DVR), making it A&E's most-watched drama debut ever. The second and third remained about the same, with both nights generating 2.8 million viewers. The second season will again come from showrunners Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin, who use "Psycho" as their inspiration to tell the story of Norman Bates' (Freddie Highmore) teenage years growing up with his mother, Norma (Vera Farmiga). "Bates Motel" has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal audience in its first few weeks," said Bob DeBitetto, president and GM of A&E. "With superb writing and exceptional acting, led by the critically acclaimed performances of Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore, we're incredibly excited to see where Carlton and Kerry take Norma and Norman Bates next."