CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- The WB has set the launch date for its original drama "Summerland."

The series is scheduled to kick off with a two-hour premiere on Tuesday, June 1 at 8:00/7:00c with episodes airing regularly on Tuesdays at 9:00/8:00c beginning the following week.

Here's the network's press release touting the news:

"SUMMERLAND" PREMIERES JUNE 1 ON THE WB

FAMILY DRAMA FROM AARON SPELLING AND STARRING LORI LOUGHLIN DEBUTS WITH A TWO-HOUR EPISODE

The WB will premiere SUMMERLAND, starring Lori Loughlin ("Full House") as a career-minded, fun-loving woman thrust into parenthood after the tragic death of her sister and brother-in-law, on Tuesday, June 1 (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET).

The two-hour debut will encore on Sunday, June 6 (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET). The following week, the series will premiere in its regular time period on Tuesday, June 8 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET) with an encore on Sunday, June 13 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET). Beginning Tuesday, June 15, the series' regular pattern will be original episodes on Tuesdays (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET with encore presentations on Mondays (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET).

SUMMERLAND stars Loughlin as Ava Gregory, an ambitious woman with a close-knit circle of friends, a great house in a beautiful California beach town and a growing career as a fashion designer. The last thing on Ava's mind was settling down and starting a family. That all changed the day Ava's sister and brother-in-law were killed in an accident, leaving Ava to raise their three children.

Despite the tragedy they've endured and the sudden transition from rural Kansas to the beaches of Southern California, the kids are doing pretty well. Sixteen-year-old Bradin (Jesse McCartney, "All My Children") has his own adolescent angst to deal with, but he does his best to help his younger siblings. Twelve-year-old Nikki (Kay Panabaker, "The Brothers Garcia") has always adored her aunt but sometimes resents Ava's attempts to fill her late sister's shoes. Eight-year-old Derrick (Nick Benson, the upcoming feature film "National Treasure") has enough on his hands just trying to understand the big issues of life, death and family.

It's a sense of family that Ava is determined to provide for her sister's children. Since college, Ava's main support system has been her three devoted friends - Johnny (Shawn Christian, "As The World Turns," "Shopgirl"), Jay (Ryan Kwanten, "Home and Away") and Susannah (Merrin Dungey, "Alias"). Now her friends are ready and willing to reach out and become the ultimate surrogate family, and Ava is about to discover that it really does take a village (or in this case, a hip beach community) to raise a child.

Produced by Spelling Television, Inc., a Paramount/Viacom company, "Summerland" is from executive producers Remi Aubuchon ("24," "Lyon's Den") and Stephen Tolkin ("All Souls," "Kate Brasher") along with Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent. Spelling and Vincent are also executive producers of The WB's "7th Heaven" and "Charmed."

The following schedule details the series' premiere date, regular timeslot, and encore episodes:

Tuesday, June 1 SUMMERLAND 2-hour premiere (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET)

Sunday, June 6 SUMMERLAND 2-hour encore (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET)

Tuesday, June 8 SUMMERLAND time period premiere (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET)

Sunday, June 13 SUMMERLAND encore airing (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET)

Tuesday, June 15 SUMMERLAND regular time period airing (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET)

Monday, June 21 SUMMERLAND encore airing/regular time period (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET)