ABC FAMILY CASTS TERI POLO AND SHERRI SAUM TO STAR IN DRAMA PILOT "THE FOSTERS" PRODUCED BY JENNIFER LOPEZ

Burbank, CA (September 24, 2012) - ABC Family has cast Teri Polo ("Meet the Parents," "The West Wing") and Sherri Saum ("In Treatment," "Rescue Me") to star in drama series pilot "The Fosters," which is currently in preproduction.

"The Fosters" tells the story of Stef and Lena Foster, a mixed race couple who are raising a biological son, along with several adopted children. When Lena decides to take in Callie, a troubled teen with an abusive past, Callie's disruptive ways threaten to turn the Fosters lives upside down.

Polo will portray Stef Foster, a tough but kind police officer who is not eager to add to their already large brood, but soon realizes her family may be Callie's best hope for a better life. Saum will portray Lena Foster, an altruistic school principal, who is determined to save as many kids as she can and agrees to take in Callie without Stef's knowledge.

Bradley Bredeweg and Peter Paige wrote the pilot, which is executive produced by Jennifer Lopez's Nuyorican Productions. In addition to Lopez, executive producers include Simon Fields, Bredeweg, Paige, and Greg Gugliotta.

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. 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.