Switched at Birth and Bunheads Return January 7

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ABC FAMILY ORIGINAL HIT SERIES "SWITCHED AT BIRTH" AND "BUNHEADS" RETURN WITH ALL NEW EPISODES MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 2013 AT 8:00PM ET/PT

Burbank, CA (December 5, 2012) - Monday nights on ABC Family are all new with the Season Two premiere of the award-winning family drama "Switched at Birth" and the winter premiere of the critically-acclaimed series "Bunheads" on Monday, January 7th, 2013.

First, at 8:00PM ET/PT, the fallout from the baby switch trial continues in the second season premiere of "Switched at Birth," airing Monday, January 7th at 8:00PM ET/PT on ABC Family.

After the verdict against the hospital makes Angelo a millionaire, he stuns the families with lavish gifts. But suspicions about Angelo's behavior continue when a pregnant woman shows up claiming that he is the father. John and Kathryn consider a run for public office. Meanwhile, Bay must face the Student Honor Board when she is accused of cheating, and Daphne's distraction with Chef Jeff gets her in trouble. ABC Family will air a special "Switched at Birth" marathon on Monday, January 7th, from 11:00AM - 8:00PM ET/PT, leading up to the Season Two premiere.

Then, at 9:00PM ET/PT, Michelle has returned to Las Vegas and is working as a magician's assistant in the winter premiere of ABC Family's original series "Bunheads," airing Monday, January 7th at 9:00PM ET/PT on ABC Family.

It's been several months since the Nutcracker fiasco, where Michelle accidently maced the young performers of Paradise Dance Academy. Now she's crashing on her friend's couch and working as a dancer for a small-time magician in Henderson, NV. Meanwhile in Paradise, the dance studio is closed down, leaving the students to keep busy on their own. Ginny has taken over her mother's real estate business; Melanie has been caring for her grandpa, and Boo is pulling her hair out taking care of her little brother while her pregnant mother is on bed rest. After a summer at Joffrey, Sasha returns but refuses to head back home, instead hiding out with friends.

"Switched at Birth" is executive-produced by Lizzy Weiss ("Blue Crush"), Paul Stupin ("Make It or Break It"), Becky Hartman Edwards ("Parenthood") and John Ziffren ("Melissa & Joey," "Make It or Break It"). The series stars Katie Leclerc as Daphne Vasquez; Vanessa Marano ("Gilmore Girls") as Bay Kennish; Constance Marie ("George Lopez") as Regina Vasquez; D.W. Moffett ("Friday Night Lights") as John Kennish; Lea Thompson ("Back to the Future," "Caroline in the City") as Kathryn Kennish; Lucas Grabeel ("High School Musical") as Toby Kennish; Sean Berdy as Emmett Bledsoe; and Gilles Marini ("Brothers and Sisters") as Angelo Sorrento with guest star Marlee Matlin ("The West Wing").

"Bunheads" is executive produced by Amy Sherman-Palladino. The series stars Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster, Kaitlyn Jenkins, Julia Goldani Telles, Bailey Buntain and Emma Dumont with guest star Kelly Bishop ("Gilmore Girls").

Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 97 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today's families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relatable programming about today's relationships - told with a mix of diversity, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family's programming is a combination of network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. Emmy(r) Award-winning ABCFamily.com provides a variety of interactive entertainment and community features, from rich, fan-centric programming - including blogs, viewing parties, webisodes, full episodes of the network's hit programming, along with sneak peek exclusive previews and behind-the-scenes clips. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas." ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.