ABC Studios Ushers in Record Season with 16 Returning Series on Six Networks in 2008/09 Season

ABC Studios Ranks First Among Studios in Number Of Returning Broadcast Series, with 14

May 2008 -- ABC Studios ushers in another record season with 16 returning series, maintaining its stronghold as the No. 1 studio in returning broadcast series (14, tied with Paramount). ABC Studios productions, including five new series, are scheduled on six networks and in first-run syndication.

Highlights:
- Five New ABC Studios Series Scheduled to Premiere
- Studio in Development on 11 Additional Pilots For Consideration in the 2008/09 Season

Returning favorites include "According to Jim," "Army Wives," "Brothers & Sisters," "Criminal Minds," "Desperate Housewives," "Dirty Sexy Money," "Eli Stone," "Ghost Whisperer," "Grey's Anatomy," "Kyle XY," "Lost," "Private Practice," "Reaper," "Samantha Who?," "Scrubs" and "Ugly Betty." In addition, the studio continues to produce late night's growing sensation, "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

In the current May Sweep, ABC Studios has three shows ranked in Primetime's Top 10, more than any other studio. The studio's success is reflected in its achievement in having the greatest percentage of returning freshman series of any studio. Since 2004/05, ABC Studios averages a return rate of 48% on freshman series, which is +14 percentage points ahead of the closest studio (34% for Warner Bros.).

ABC Studios will debut five new programs, including ABC's fall drama "Life on Mars" and the comedy "Project Gary" on CBS. Premiering on cable are the Steven Bochco drama "Raising the Bar" on TNT and the female-empowering drama "Samurai Girl," premiering on ABC Family as a special event over three nights in September (beginning September 5). Marking the studio's first foray into first-run syndication is the drama series "Wizard's First Rule," from Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, and based on the bestselling novels by Terry Goodkind.

"With another record season, our proven focus on character-driven storytelling has created demand for our productions worldwide on television and digital platforms," said Mark Pedowitz, president, ABC Studios. "And the pipeline of quality programming continues with the studio's 52-week development cycle and an active summer production schedule that includes 11 pilots."

Pilots in development and production include comedies "Bad Mother's Handbook," starring Megan Mullally and Alicia Silverstone, "Never Better," "Roman's Empire" and "Single with Parents" starring Annie Potts. Drama pilots include ABC's "Castle," "Cupid," "Finnegan," "Good Behavior," "Prince of Motor City," "Untitled Penn-Karnow Project" and FOX's "Inseparable."

ABC Studios' complete series and pilot production slate by network is as follows (new shows are in bold and pilots are in italics; all times are Eastern):

ABC
Series
"According to Jim" (half-hour comedy, 8th season)
"Brothers & Sisters" (one-hour drama, Sunday, 10:00 p.m., 3rd season)
"Desperate Housewives" (one-hour comedy, Sunday, 9:00 p.m., 5th season)
"Dirty Sexy Money" (one-hour drama, Wednesday, 10:00 p.m., 2nd season)
"Eli Stone" (one-hour drama, Tuesday, 10:00 p.m., 2nd season)
"Grey's Anatomy" (one-hour drama, Thursday, 9:00 p.m., 5th season)
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" (weeknights, 5th season)
"Life on Mars" (one-hour drama, Thursday, 10:00 p.m.)
"Lost" (one-hour drama, 5th season)
"Private Practice" (one-hour drama, Wednesday, 9:00 p.m., 2nd season)
"Samantha Who?" (half-hour comedy, Monday, 9:30 p.m., 2nd season)
"Scrubs" (half-hour comedy, 8th season)
"Ugly Betty" (one-hour comedy, Thursday, 8:00 p.m., 3rd season)

Development (working titles)
"Bad Mother's Handbook" (half-hour comedy)
"Castle" (one-hour drama)
"Cupid" (one-hour drama)
"Finnegan" (one-hour drama)
"Good Behavior" (one-hour drama)
"Never Better" (half-hour comedy)
"Prince of Motor City" (one-hour drama)
"Roman's Empire" (half-hour comedy)
"Single with Parents" (half-hour comedy)
"Untitled Penn-Karnow Project" (one-hour drama)

ABC Family
"Kyle XY" (one-hour drama, Monday, 9:00 p.m.)
"Samurai Girl" (special event drama airing over three nights beginning September 5)

CBS
"Criminal Minds" (one-hour drama, Wednesday, 9:00 p.m., 4th season)
"Ghost Whisperer" (one-hour drama, Friday, 8:00 p.m., 4th season)
"Project Gary" (half-hour comedy, Wednesday, 8:30 p.m.)

CW
"Reaper" (one-hour drama, 2nd season)

FOX
"Inseparable" (one-hour drama)

LIFETIME
"Army Wives" (one-hour drama, Sunday, 10:00 p.m., 2nd season)

TNT
"Raising the Bar" (one-hour drama)

FIRST-RUN SYNDICATION
"Wizard's First Rule" (one-hour drama)

Descriptions of ABC Studios' new series follow in alphabetical order

"LIFE ON MARS" (ABC) "Life on Mars" is based on the BBC series created by Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan and Ashley Pharoah. The series revolves around Sam Tyler, a modern-day police detective who, after a car crash, mysteriously finds himself transported back to 1973 and still working as a detective.

"Life on Mars" stars Jason O'Mara ("Resident Evil: Extinction") as Sam Tyler, Rachelle LeFevre ("Boston Legal") as Annie Cartwright, Colm Meaney ("MEN IN TREES") as Gene Hunt, Stephanie Jacobsen ("Battlestar Galactica: Razo") as Maya, Lenny Clarke ("Rescue Me") as George Randall, Patrick Wenk-Wolff as Colin Raimes and Richard Benjamin as Milton Kornboll.

The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television and ABC Studios. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Scott Rosenberg, Jane Featherstone, Stephen Garrett and David E. Kelley are the executive producers. The pilot episode of "Life on Mars" was executive-produced by David E. Kelley, Tommy Schlamme, Bob Breech, Jane Featherstone and Stephen Garrett, and was produced by David E. Kelley Productions and in association with Kudos and 20th Century Fox Television.

"PROJECT GARY" (CBS) Jay Mohr ("Ghost Whisperer") and Paula Marshall ("Nip/Tuck") star in a comedy about Gary Barnes, a recently single painting contractor, and his controlling ex-wife, Allison, who face post-divorce mayhem after 15 years of marriage as they each embark on new relationships. In the pursuit of happiness, Gary juggles his eclectic world of an ex-wife, their two kids, their shrink and his gorgeous new girlfriend.

"Project Gary" stars Jay Mohr, Paula Marshall, Jaime King ("The Class"), Laura Marano ("Without a Trace") and Ryan Malgarini ("How to Eat Fried Worms").

Ed Yeager ("Still Standing") and Ric Swartzlander ("8 Simple Rules") are the executive producers for the production by ABC Studios and CBS Paramount Network Television.

"RAISING THE BAR" (TNT) The latest series from the mastermind of legal dramas, Emmy(r)-winner Steven Bochco, follows the lives and cases of young lawyers who have been friends since law school but who now work on opposing sides.

"Raising the Bar" stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar ("NYPD Blue") as Jerry Kellerman, Gloria Reuben ("ER") as Rosalind Whitman, Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm in the Middle") as Judge Trudy Kessler, Teddy Sears ("Ugly Betty") as Richard Patrick Woolsley, Melissa Sagemiller ("Sleeper Cell") as Michelle Ernhardt, Currie Graham ("Boston Legal") as Nick Balco, J. August Richards ("Conviction") as Marcus McGrath, Jonathan Scarfe ("Into the West") as Charlie Sagansky.

Steven Bochco executive-produces the series from ABC Studios.

"SAMURAI GIRL" (ABC FAMILY) Based on a series of popular young adult novels, "Samurai Girl" tells the story of a 19-year old Japanese girl named Heaven, who discovers that the wealthy businessman who adopted her as an infant is really the head of the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia, and may have had her beloved brother brutally murdered. She breaks from her family and begins training to become a samurai, and with the help of a group of new American friends, sets out to take down her father's evil empire.

"Samurai Girl" stars Jamie Chung ("Greek"), Brendan Fehr ("CSI: Miami"), Saige Thompson ("Veronica Mars"), Kyle Labine ("Reaper"), Anthony Brandon Wong ("The Unit"), Steven Brand ("Shark") and Kenneth Choi ("24").

The ABC Studios production is executive-produced by Josh Appelbaum ("October Road," "Alias"), Andre Nemec ("October Road," "Alias") and Scott Rosenberg ("October Road," "Beautiful Girls").

"Wizard's First Rule" (FIRST-RUN SYNDICATION) The one-hour weekly series is based on Terry Goodkind's bestselling epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth, which follows the extraordinary transformation of woodsman Richard Cypher into a magical leader who joins with a mysterious, beautiful woman to stop a bloodthirsty, sinister tyrant.

The ABC Studios production is executive-produced by Sam Raimi ("Spider-Man," "Spider-Man 2," "Spider-Man 3" and "The Evil Dead"), Robert Tapert ("The Grudge," "Xena: Warrior Princess," "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Cleopatra 2525"), Joshua Donen ("The Quick and the Dead"), Ned Nalle and John Shiban ("Supernatural," "X Files").

Source: ABC

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