UNDERSCORING THE STRENGTH OF ITS FALL SCHEDULE, ABC ENTERTAINMENT
PICKS UP NINE SERIES FOR NEXT SEASON
Pickups Return Fall's Most Successful Series: "Brothers & Sisters,"
"Desperate Housewives," "Dirty ***y Money," "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost,"
"Private Practice," "Pu****ng Daisies," "Samantha Who?" and "Ugly
Betty" Receive Pickups for '08-'09 Season
Today ABC Entertainment announced pickups for nine of its most popular
shows, returning broadcast television's most successful fall series.
ABC Entertainment ordered episodes of "Brothers & Sisters," "Desperate
Housewives," "Dirty ***y Money," "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost," "Private
Practice," "Pu****ng Daisies," "Samantha Who?" and "Ugly Betty."
"The strength of our schedule this fall was unprecedented and speaks
for itself," said Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment.
"We're looking forward to building on that success."
On average during Fall 2007 (10 complete weeks: 9/24-12/2/07), ABC was
the No. 1 network among Adults 18-49 (3.9/10), delivering the top
position in the key young adult sales demo on 7 of the first 10 weeks
of the season and ranking No. 1 during the November Sweep for the
third consecutive year. In addition, ABC claimed eight of the Top 20
highest-rated TV shows among young adults during the fall, including
five of the Top 10 freshman series.
"BROTHERS & SISTERS"
"Brothers & Sisters" continues to follow the California-based Walker
family through the complicated maze of American life today. The
compelling one-hour drama series is about a collection of five
enmeshed and somewhat damaged adult siblings and their strong but
passionately devoted mother, Nora Holden (Oscar and Emmy Award winner
Sally Field).
The Walkers' lives have not been without challenge; romance,
parenting, divorce, infidelity, addiction, war and even death have
pushed each of them to the limit, but they continue to work toward
living their lives as individuals, while loving each other
unconditionally and trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy
after the loss of their larger-than-life family patriarch, William
Walker.
"Brothers & Sisters" stars Dave Annable as Justin Walker, Maxwell
Perry Cotton as Cooper Whedon, Kerris Lilla Dorsey as Paige, Sally
Field as Nora Holden, Calista Flockhart as Kitty Walker, Balthazar
Getty as Thomas Walker, Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Whedon, Rob Lowe as
Senator Robert McCallister, Sarah Jane Morris as Julia Walker, Matthew
Rhys as Kevin Walker, Ron Rifkin as Saul Holden, Emily VanCamp as
Rebecca Harper and Patricia Wettig as Holly Harper.
The series is executive-produced by Ken Olin ("Alias,"
"thirtysomething"), Jon Robin Baitz ("The Substance of Fire," "The
West Wing"), Greg Berlanti ("Dirty ***y Money," "Everwood") and Mark
B. Perry ("Party of Five," "The Wonder Years"). It's produced by ABC
Studios.
"DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES"
A primetime soap with a truly contem****ary take on the "happily ever
after," "Desperate Housewives" takes a darkly comedic look at
suburbia, where the secret lives of housewives aren't always what they
seem.
"Desperate Housewives" stars Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer, Felicity
Huffman as Lynette Scavo, Marcia Cross as Bree Van De Kamp, Eva
Longoria Parker as Gabrielle Solis, Nicollette Sheridan as Edie Britt,
Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young, James Denton as Mike Delfino, Doug
Savant as Tom Scavo, Ricardo Antonio Chavira as Carlos Solis, Andrea
Bowen as Julie Mayer, Shawn Pyfrom as Andrew Van De Kamp, Joy Lauren
as Danielle Van De Kamp, Rachel Fox as Kayla Huntington, Dana Delany
as Katherine Mayfair, Lyndsy Fonseca as Dylan Mayfair, Zane Huett as
Parker Scavo and Brent and Shane Kinsman as ****ter and Preston Scavo.
Marc Cherry ("The Golden Girls") is executive producer and creator.
Sabrina Wind, George Perkins, Larry Shaw and David Grossman are
executive producers. "Desperate Housewives" is produced by ABC Studios
and is the winner of both the 2005 and 2006 Golden Globe Award for
Best Television Series Musical or Comedy.
"DIRTY ***Y MONEY"
Power, privilege and family money are a volatile cocktail. Living
proof of this are the Darlings of New York City, so absurdly wealthy,
they put the "upper" in Upper East Side. This preeminent family are
always getting mixed up with the wrong people and finding themselves
in the middle of bad situations. It'll take a miracle to take care of
the legal and sometimes illegal needs of the Darlings. That miracle
comes in the form of Nick George.
Dirty ***y Money" stars Peter Krause as Nick George, Donald Sutherland
as Tripp Darling, William Baldwin as Patrick Darling, Natalie Zea as
Karen Darling, Glenn Fitzgerald as Rev. Brian Darling, Samaire
Armstrong as Juliet Darling, Seth Gabel as Jeremy Darling, Zoe
McLellan as Lisa George, with Blair Underwood as Simon Elder and Jill
Clayburgh as Letitia Darling.
"Dirty ***y Money" was created by Emmy-nominated Craig Wright
("Brothers & Sisters," "Lost," "Six Feet Under"). Wright, Greg
Berlanti ("Brothers & Sisters," "Everwood"), Josh Reims ("Felicity,"
"Everwood"), Oscar-nominated Matthew Gross ("Day Break") and Bryan
Singer ("House," "Superman Returns," "The Usual Suspects") are
executive producers. The series is produced by ABC Studios.
"GREY'S ANATOMY"
"Grey's Anatomy" is the recipient of the 2007 Golden Globe Award for
Best Drama Television Series and multiple Emmy nominations, including
Outstanding Drama Series for the past two years.
The doctors of Seattle Grace Hospital deal with life-or-death
consequences on a daily basis it's in one another that they find
comfort, friend****p and, at times, more than friend****p. Together
they're discovering that neither medicine nor relation****ps can be
defined in black and white. Real life only comes in shades of grey.
"Grey's Anatomy" stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Patrick Dempsey
as Derek Shepherd, Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Katherine Heigl as
Isobel "Izzie" Stevens, Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, T.R. Knight as
George O'Malley, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, James Pickens, Jr.
as Richard Webber, Sara Ramirez as Callie Torres, Eric Dane as Mark
Sloan, Chyler Leigh as Lexie Grey and Brooke Smith as Erica Hahn.
"Grey's Anatomy" was created and is executive- produced by Shonda
Rhimes ("Introducing Dorothy Dandridge"). Betsy Beers ("Casanova"),
Mark Gordon ("Saving Private Ryan"), Krista Vernoff ("Law & Order"),
Rob Corn ("Chicago Hope") and Mark Wilding ("Jake: 2.0") are executive
producers. "Grey's Anatomy" is an ABC Studios production.
"LOST"
Awarded the 2005 Emmy and 2006 Golden Globe for Best Drama Series,
"Lost's" action-packed mystery and adventure continues to bring out
the very best and very worst in the people who are lost.
"Lost" stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond,
Emilie de Ravin as Claire, Michael Emerson as Ben, Matthew Fox as
Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Daniel Dae Kim
as Jin, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Elizabeth
Mitchell as Juliet, Terry O'Quinn as Locke and Harold Perrineau as
Michael.
"Lost" was created by Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof.
Abrams, Lindelof, Bryan Burk, Jack Bender and Carlton Cuse serve as
executive producers. "Lost," which is filmed entirely on location in
Hawaii and premiered on September 22, 2004, is from ABC Studios.
"PRIVATE PRACTICE"
From Shonda Rhimes, the Golden Globe-winning creator of "Grey's
Anatomy," comes a story about finding a way to begin the rest of your
life. Addison Forbes Montgomery is a renowned surgeon. Having left
behind Seattle Grace Hospital, a broken marriage with Derek "McDreamy"
Shepherd and her torn relation****p with Mark "McSteamy" Sloan, Addison
moves to Los Angeles for sunnier weather and happier possibilities.
"Private Practice" stars Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery,
Tim Daly as Dr. Pete Wilder, Audra McDonald as Dr. Naomi Bennett, Paul
Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman, KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charlotte
King, Chris Lowell as William Dell Parker, with Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam
Bennett and Amy Brenneman as Dr. Violet Turner.
"Private Practice" was created and is executive produced by Shonda
Rhimes ("Grey's Anatomy," "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge"). Betsy
Beers ("Grey's Anatomy," "Casanova"), Marti Noxon ("Grey's Anatomy,"
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), Mark Gordon ("The Hoax," "Saving Private
Ryan") and Mark Tinker ("St. Elsewhere," "NYPD Blue") are executive
producers. "Private Practice" is an ABC Studios Production.
"PU****NG DAISIES"
From Bryan Fuller ("Heroes," "Wonderfalls") and Barry Sonnenfeld ("Men
in Black") comes a new series with an unprecedented blend of romance,
fantasy and mystery, "Pu****ng Daisies," a forensic fairytale about
Ned, a young man with a very special gift. As a young boy Ned
discovers that he can return the dead briefly back to life with just
one touch. But his random gift isn't without deadly consequences as he
soon finds out.
Golden Globe nominee Lee Pace ("The Good Shepherd," "Soldier's Girl"),
Anna Friel ("Goal" film series, "Rogue Trader"), Chi McBride ("The
Nine," "Boston Public"), Tony nominee Ellen Greene ("Little Shop of
Horrors"), Emmy and Tony winner Swoosie Kurtz ("Huff," "Sisters") and
Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth ("The West Wing") star in the visually
stunning series from the Jinks/Cohen Company, in association with
Warner Bros. Television. Tony winner Jim Dale, reader of the "Harry
Potter" series of audio books, is the narrator.
In addition to Fuller and Sonnenfeld, Dan Jinks & Bruce Cohen (Academy
Award winning producers of "American Beauty") serve as executive
producers.
"SAMANTHA WHO?"
Christina Applegate returns to network television in a comedy that
offers a do-over in life.
What if you had the chance to start over, to do it all again? For
Samantha Newly (Ms. Applegate), this fantasy becomes a reality after a
hit-and-run accident leaves her in an eight-day coma. When she awakens
in the hospital, she is surrounded by family and friends. The only
problem is that she has no idea who they are or who she is. In medical
terms, Sam has retrograde amnesia, which allows her to fully function
in the world but leaves her with no personal memories. Most people
would deem this disorder a curse. But Sam may come to call it a
miracle.
"Samantha Who?" stars Christina Applegate as Samantha, Jennifer
Esposito as Andrea, Kevin Dunn as Howard, Melissa McCarthy as Dena,
Tim Russ as Frank with Barry Watson as Todd and Jean Smart as Regina.
"Samantha Who?" was created by Cecelia Ahern and Donald Todd. Todd and
Peter Traugott serve as executive producers. "Samantha Who?," which is
filmed in Los Angeles, is from ABC Studios.
"UGLY BETTY"
In the superficial world of high fa****on, image is everything. Styles
come and go, and the only constants are the super thin beauties who
wear them. How can an ordinary girl from Queens possibly fit in?
"Ugly Betty" stars America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, Eric Mabius as
Daniel Meade, Tony Plana as Ignacio, Ana Ortiz as Hilda, Ashley Jensen
as Christina, Becki Newton as Amanda, Mark Indelicato as Justin,
Michael Urie as Marc, Judith Light as Claire Meade, Christopher Gorham
as Henry Rebecca Romijn as Alexis and Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina
Slater. Freddy Rodriguez is a recurring guest star as Gio.
Based on "Yo Soy Betty La Fea," the groundbreaking Colombian
telenovela that became an international phenomenon, "Ugly Betty" is
from ABC Studios. In its fifth season the series was awarded the
Golden Globe, Peabody, NAACP, ALMA and Imagen Awards, and earned 11
Emmy nominations, the most for any comedy series on any network.
Academy Award-nominee and Emmy Award winner Salma Hayek is executive
producer, along with Silvio Horta ("Urban Legend"), Marco Pennette
("Caroline in the City"), Jose Tamez ("The Maldonado Miracle") and
James Hayman ("Joan of Arcadia").
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