ABC Renews Switched at Birth and Orders More Episodes of Fosters and Twisted

[KyL416]

ABC FAMILY ANNOUNCES THE THIRD SEASON OF "SWITCHED AT BIRTH" AND GIVES BACK-ORDER PICK-UPS TO BREAK-OUT SUMMER HITS "THE FOSTERS" AND "TWISTED"

CHARLES PRATT JR. JOINS "TWISTED" AS A WRITER AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

BURBANK, CA (July 30, 2013) - ABC Family, the Millennial-skewing network, continues its forward momentum. The network has ordered a third season of its Peabody Award winning drama, "Switched at Birth," and has given back-order pick-ups to the critically acclaimed and successful summer hits, "The Fosters," and "Twisted," it was announced today by Michael Riley, President ABC Family. The series will premiere alongside "Pretty Little Liars" in January 2014. 

"ABC Family has always been a home for groundbreaking storytelling with iconic characters and families and we're thrilled to have 'The Fosters' and 'Twisted' join our line-up as breakout summer hits," said Riley. "We are very proud of the original series we continue to foster, bringing real and relatable characters to life for our viewers and know they are destined to become part of the zeitgeist alongside "Switched at Birth" and "Pretty Little Liars."

"It's thrilling to count our two freshman series, 'The Fosters' and 'Twisted' among our stable of strong, must-see, must-tweet series," said Kate Juergens, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Development and Chief Creative Officer, ABC Family. "'Switched at Birth' is like no other show on television and we are so proud to have it as part of our family. Adding additional seasons and episodes of our returning series spotlights how well our programming resonates with our audience."

The drama pick-ups join the comedy pick-ups announced earlier this year including the fourth season of "Melissa and Joey" and the third season of "Baby Daddy."

Summer to date, powered by its most extensive array of original series, ABC Family is cable TV's #1 network in Prime in Women 18-34 and the #2 cable TV network in Females 12-34. ABC Family is home to the Top 2 new cable TV series this summer in Viewers 12-34 and Females 12-34 with "The Fosters" and "Twisted." Summer to date, "The Fosters" is summer's #1 new cable TV series in Viewers 12-34 (1.3 million/1.4 rating) and Females 12-34 (1.1 million/2.4 rating), and Monday's #1 scripted cable TV telecast at 9 o'clock in the target demos. "Twisted" is cable TV's #1 telecast on Tuesdays at 9 o'clock in Women 18-34 (523,000/1.5 rating), Viewers 12-34 (1.2 million/1.3 rating) and Females 12-34 (1.1 million/2.3 rating), and the #1 original scripted cable TV telecast Adults 18-34 (658,000/1.0 rating). Moreover, "Twisted is the #2 new cable TV series this summer in Viewers 12-34 and Females 12-34, behind only "The Fosters." Summer to date, "Switched at Birth" is cable TV's #1 scripted telecast on Mondays at 8 o'clock in Total Viewers (2.4 million) and across target Adults 18-34 (823,000/1.2 rating), Women 18-34 (681,000/1.9 rating), Adults 18-49 (1.3 million/1.0 rating), Women 18-49 (1.1 million/1.7 rating), Viewers 12-34 (1.3 million/1.4 rating) and Females 12-34 (1.1 million/2.3 rating).

"The Fosters"
"The Fosters" is a compelling, one-hour drama about a multi-ethnic family mix of foster and biological kids being raised by two moms. Stef Foster, a dedicated police officer, and her partner Lena Adams, a school Vice Principal, have built a close-knit, loving family with Stef's biological son from a previous marriage, Brandon, and their adopted twins Mariana and Jesus. Their lives are disrupted in unexpected ways when Lena meets Callie, a hardened teen with an abusive past who has spent her life in and out of foster homes. Lena and Stef warily welcome Callie, along with her younger brother Jude, into their home thinking it's just for a few weeks, until a more permanent placement can be found.

Nominated for 2013 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Summer TV Show and Choice TV Breakout Show, "The Fosters" is executive produced by Jennifer Lopez, ("American Idol," "What to Expect When You're Expecting," "The Back-Up Plan") and created by Bradley Bredeweg and Peter Paige ("Queer As Folk"), who will also serve as writers and executive producers. "The Fosters" stars Teri Polo ("Meet the Parents") as Stef Foster, Sherri Saum ("In Treatment") as Lena Adams, Jake T. Austin ("Wizards of Waverly Place") as Jesus Foster, Hayden Byerly ("Parenthood") as Jude, David Lambert ("Aaron Stone") as Brandon Foster, Maia Mitchell ("Teen Beach Movie") as Callie, Danny Nucci ("Titanic") as Mike Foster and Cierra Ramirez ("The Secret Life of the American Teenager") as Mariana Foster. Jake T. Austin and Maia Mitchell are nominated for 2013 Teen Choice Awards and Cierra Ramirez is nominated for a 2013 Imagen Award for their performances on "The Fosters." Joanna Johnson ("Make it or Break it"), Elaine Goldsmith Thomas, Benny Medina and Greg Gugliotta will also serve as executive producers of the series, which is produced by Nuyorican Productions, Inc., and Prodco, Inc.     

"Switched at Birth"
In "Switched at Birth," two families are forever altered when they discover their daughters were switched at birth. Life hasn't been easy for hard-working, single mom Regina Vasquez, but along with her mother, Adriana, Regina has provided her daughter Daphne, a typical teenager who just happens to be deaf, with a loving and secure home. Although she attends a school for the deaf and hard-of-hearing with best friend Emmett, Daphne's hearing loss does not prevent her from leading a full life. In sharp contrast to the Vasquezes, Kathryn, a stay-at-home mom and John Kennish, a state senator, lead a seemingly perfect life with their two children, Bay and Toby. But when the Kennishes' learn the hospital made a grievous error and Bay is not their biological child, their entire world is turned upside down. Regina, Kathryn and John must learn to co-exist as parents, and blend two families into one for the sake of their daughters, despite overwhelming socio-economic, ethnic and cultural differences. The award-winning series, currently airing Mondays at 8:00pm ET/PT, is the first mainstream television series to have multiple deaf and hard-of-hearing series regulars, and scenes shot entirely in American Sign Language (ASL).  A ground-breaking all-ASL episode aired in March.

"Switched at Birth" recently received a Peabody Award and is currently nominated for a Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming and an Imagen Award for Best Primetime Program, both of which it won last year.  The series is also nominated for a Teen Choice Award, and has been honored with AFTRA's (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) American Scene "Crystal Award(r)", the Producers Guild of America George Sunga Award and a Gracie Award. 

"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").

"Twisted"
"Twisted" is a one-hour mystery full of twists and turns that follows Danny Desai, a charismatic 16-year-old with a troubled past who returns to his hometown after spending five years in juvenile detention. Immediately branded an outcast, Danny attempts to reconnect with his two childhood best friends, Jo and Lacey, and smooth over tensions with his mother, Karen, whose socialite status plummeted after her son's imprisonment and the mysterious disappearance of her husband, Danny's father. When a fellow student is found dead in her home, Danny instantly becomes the prime suspect and the town spirals into a frenzy of suspicion and mystery. Jo and Lacey must decide if their childhood friend is unforgivable, or if he's really a victim being persecuted for his own twisted secrets.



Charles Pratt Jr. ("The Lying Game," "Ugly Betty," "Desperate Housewives," "All My Children," "Melrose Place") is joining the production team for this additional order of episodes as a writer and Executive Producer. He joins executive-producers Gavin Polone ("Gilmore Girls," "Zombieland," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "My Boys," "Jane By Design"), David Babcock ("Brothers & Sisters") and Adam Milch ("Greek"), who also wrote the pilot. The drama stars Avan Jogia ("Victorious") as Danny Desai, Maddie Hasson ("The Finder") as Jo Masterson, Kylie Bunbury ("Prom") as Lacey Porter, Kimberly Quinn ("Terriers") as Tess Masterson, Sam Robards ("Treme," "Gossip Girl") as Kyle Masterson, Ashton Moio as Rico and Denise Richards ("Two and a Half Men") as Karen Desai. Avan Jogia and Maddie Hasson are nominated for 2013 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Summer TV Star. The series is produced by Prodco, Inc.

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.

[KyL416]

I saw the screeners for two of the shows.

Switched at Birth is kind of open ended and can go anywhere, let's just say the hearing students that join the school are the delinquents other schools wouldn't take and relations got even more strained when they find out it was their protest that led to the other school being closed in favor of the deaf school.

The Fosters though EVERYTHING is out in the open now and everyone has to deal with the consequences. In addition to Rosie O'Donnell, Hayley Kiyoko from Lemonade Mouth and Garrett Clayton from Teen Beach Movie join the cast.