‘The Strain’ will be back for a second bloodsucking season

The vampire infection of “The Strain” is still spreading at the midway point of FX’s horror thriller series’ first season. And it looks like it will continue to spread into next year, as the cable channel announced on Tuesday that the series would return for a second season.

Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Mia Maestro and Sean Astin star in the series adapted from the trilogy of novels by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. Del Toro, Hogan and Carlton Cuse serve as executive producers of this tale of a vampiric infection that turns people into creatures that shoot 6-foot appendages out of their mouths to drink blood and further spread the infection.

The second season will debut in the summer of 2015 and will be 13 episodes.

“The Strain” had the most-watched premiere in FX history, with 12.7 million viewers. The first season has averaged 11 million total viewers per episode when VOD and online viewing is factored in.

Del Toro himself directed the pilot episode, which set up the series when an ancient (and very large) vampire creature, called The Master, arrives in New York City on a commercial flight. After infecting all passengers on board, the creature and its human conspirators, set about a plan to help spread the vampire virus through the city.

The series has received mixed reviews since its debut, with many impatient for the story to gain momentum. Others have waited patiently to find out what will happen to Stoll’s prominent hairpiece.

Twitter: @patrickkevinday