LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- NBC has renewed its freshman drama "Taken" for an expanded 16-episode second season.

The news was confirmed via a network spokesperson this afternoon.

From executive producer Luc Besson ("Taken," "The Fifth Element") comes a modern-day edge-of-your-seat thriller that follows the origin story of younger, hungrier former Green Beret Bryan Mills (Clive Standen, "Vikings") as he deals with a personal tragedy that shakes his world. As he fights to overcome the trauma of the incident and exact revenge, Mills is pulled into a career as a deadly CIA operative, a job that awakens his very particular, and very dangerous, set of skills. In 30 years, this character is destined to become the Bryan Mills that we've come to love from the "Taken" films.

The cast includes Jennifer Beals, Gaius Charles, Brooklyn Sudano, Monique Gabriela Curnen, Michael Irby, James Landry Hébert and Jose Pablo Cantillo.

"Taken" has averaged a 1.3 rating in adults 18-49 and 7.0 million viewers overall in "live plus seven day" figures from Nielsen Media Research, ranking #2 among ABC, CBS and NBC in its Monday 10-11 p.m. ET slot in adults 18-49, adults 25-54, adults 18-34, total viewers and most other key measures.

[UPDATED!] Additionally, Deadline.com reports Alexander Cary has stepped down as showrunner as "the series is expected to tweak its creative direction in the second season."