Why isn't the power of Christ compelling more people to watch "The Exorcist"? The Fox TV series, a sequel to the 1973 horror classic, is tragically underappreciated. The fans who do watch are deep into it, but there are so few of us (only about 1.6 million) that a second season is far from guaranteed.

"The Exorcist" Season 1 is ending with a two-part finale, starting tonight (Friday, December 9) and ending on Friday, December 16. (It's possible airing the show Fridays at 9 p.m. hasn't helped the freshman series find a big audience. Just saying.)

"We have a very passionate fan base, and people are continuing to discover the show every day," series creator Jeremy Slater told io9. "I'm just trying to keep my fingers crossed and stay optimistic [for Season 2], because I have a lot more stories to tell, and it would be heartbreaking to have to stop now."

It would be heartbreaking for fans, too, since there's nothing worse as a viewer than to be sucked into a story only for it to be ripped away right when you're most engaged. This happens too often.

At any rate, we still have Season 1 to finish. Slater told io9 big things are ahead for the Rance family in the last two episodes:

"There are definitely some shocking things coming up. There hasn't been a very high body count in the show thus far, and all of that is going to change in our finale. Blood is going to be spilled, and some of our characters are going to be put through the wringer. There are some very intense, very emotional scenes.

If you're a fan of the show, there's a lot of big, satisfying character stuff coming up. But if you're just a fan of exciting television, these are by far the craziest episodes we've done out of the entire run. In the editing room, we were saying it feels more like an episode of Lost or The Leftovers than anything else. It's incredibly ambitious and we're hoping we stick the landing, because we do feel that responsibility to our fans."

He just name-dropped "Lost" and "The Leftovers" -- two of the most emotionally engaging, enigmatic, occasionally maddening shows of all time. So, at the very least, "The Exorcist" is in good company.

Here's Fox's synopsis for the Dec. 16 Season 1 finale, "Chapter Ten: Three Rooms":

"Everything has led to this moment. Forty years ago, the demon was denied its prize. Now it will stop at nothing to destroy Angela Rance (Geena Davis) and her family. Their only hope lies in two men: Marcus (Ben Daniels) and Tomas (Alfonso Herrera). But with the enemies of the church mobilizing against Pope Sebastian, time is running out for everyone."

You still have a week to catch up on the nine previous episodes leading up to the finale, and if enough of you do it, maybe Fox will give Season 2 a green light. Please?

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