Among the hottest new shows of the summer is The Strain, the FX horror series co-created by Guillermo Del Toro based on the books he also co-wrote. So it should come to zero surprise that the show has been picked up for a second season, planning to air next summer.

As Collider covers, while the show has been expected to be coming back, this marks the first official announcement from the station, with an appropriately titled press release "The Strain to Spread Through the Summer of 2015."

Since the show's debut in July, The Strain has gone on to become the top new cable series in 2014 for adults 18-49. The show's pilot, directed by Del Toro himself, became FX's most watched premiere, with 12.7 million. Del Toro, show co-creator Chuck Hogan and producer Carlton Cuse will be given another set of 13 episodes to prepare for the upcoming year.

“We’ve never had any doubts about The Strain," said John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks and FX Productions. "Working with Guillermo del Toro, Carlton Cuse, and the brilliant cast led by Corey Stoll has been everything we had hoped it would be and more. It is thrilling when you have a show that is a creative and commercial hit, which is a rare accomplishment in this increasingly crowded marketplace. We look forward having it on FX for as long as Carlton, Guillermo and Chuck Hogan need to tell this epic tale.”

Del Toro also noted that he was "thrilled" by the show's return and said "Working with Carlton, Chuck and FX has been immensely rewarding and we have such sights to unveil in the upcoming episodes – the blood hits the fan on this one, mankind becomes an endangered species.”

As I cover in my weekly reviews, The Strain is a show that, despite its hang-ups, has been improving and building on various aspects throughout its aired six episodes. In fact, this week's episode was easily among the series best thus far, and helped tease the impending virus heading in these characters' wake. It should be fun to see what the series will do with another go around.

The Strain airs on Sundays at 10 p.m. on FX. The first season will be on DVD and Blu-Ray on December 2, just in time for the holidays.

Image courtesy of Peter West/ACE/INFphoto.com