‘The Cape’ snares Summer Glau
Summer Glau has been cast in a lead role in NBC’s ‘The Cape’
Alan Tudyk cast in ‘Rockford Files’
Alan Tudyk has been tapped for a role in NBC’s ‘Rockford Files’ reboot.
‘Doctor Who’ Australian airdate
Double Bonus – ‘Doctor Who’ airs here shortly after the UK and first on ABC’s ‘iView’.
January 13th, 2010 2:37 pm
ABC renews ‘Cougar Town’, ‘The Middle’, ‘Modern Family’
ABC have picked up ‘Cougar Town’, ‘The Middle’ and ‘Modern Family’ for a second season, plus a new series from ‘Jamie Oliver’ and a ‘Bachelor’ spinoff.
Julia Bowen, Courtney Cox and Patricia Heaton star in ABC's Wednesday night comedy block.
ABC Entertainment Group president Steve McPherson announced on Tuesday that the network had given early second-season orders to Wednesday night comedies ‘Cougar Town’, ‘The Middle’, ‘Modern Family’.
The three shows have helped the network to establish a much needed comedy block amongst it’s strong slate of reality and drama.
Variety reports that the news was so fresh that producers on the shows hadn’t even been informed of the renewals.
Together, ‘Cougar Town’, ‘The Middle’ and ‘Modern Family’ have been outperforming the network’s timeslot average of last season, which was home to ‘Pushing Daisies’ and ‘Private Practice’.
The network have yet to decide the fate of more challenged comedies ‘Scrubs’,
‘Better Off Ted’ and ‘Ugly Betty’.
Separately, ABC also announced the pickup of ‘Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution’ — which is set to air on Network Ten later this year. The series follows Oliver as he travels to Huntington, West Virginia, in order to change the way Americans eat and depend on fast food.
McPherson also confirmed that the network is working on a spinoff for the hugely successful reality series ‘The Bachelor’. The new show, ‘Bachelor Pad’, will similarly be hosted by Chris Harrison and will feature former ‘Bachelor’ contestants living in a house together — ‘Big Brother’ style.
The series will air mid-year, between ‘The Bachelorette’ and the new fall season.
Finally, another show which could see a late season premiere is the Alyssa Milano comedy ‘Romantically Challenged’ — which co-stars Australia’s Josh Lawson. The show is expected join the Wednesday night comedy block, at 8pm, the former timeslot of cancelled comedy ‘Hank’.
‘The Middle’ airs 8pm Mondays on Nine. ‘Cougar Town’ and ‘Modern Family’ are scheduled to premiere on Seven and Ten respectively in the coming months.
Source: Variety
