or


[03/17/14 - 12:30 PM]
ABC Family Greenlights Three New Drama Pilots and Orders Additional Seasons of Its Hit Comedy Series, "Melissa & Joey" and "Baby Daddy"
The newcomers include "Alice in Arabia," "Recovery Road" and "Unstrung."

[via press release from ABC Family]

ABC FAMILY GREENLIGHTS THREE NEW DRAMA PILOTS AND ORDERS ADDITIONAL SEASONS OF ITS HIT COMEDY BLOCK SERIES "MELISSA & JOEY" AND "BABY DADDY"

"Melissa & Joey" Will Mark a Milestone 100 Episodes in Season 4

Burbank, CA (March 17, 2014) - Tom Ascheim, President, ABC Family, and Kate Juergens, Chief Creative Officer and Executive Vice President, Original Content, ABC Family, today announced that the network will continue to grow its slate of original programming with three new drama pilots, "Alice in Arabia," "Recovery Road" and "Unstrung." Ascheim also announced that ABC Family has given the greenlight to all-new seasons of its hit comedy series, "Melissa & Joey" and "Baby Daddy."

"These three powerful new dramas are a great fit with ABC Family's brand of original programming known for diverse stories that challenge as well as entertain our viewers," commented Ascheim. "We're also delighted to produce more episodes of 'Melissa & Joey' and 'Baby Daddy,' two series that together have helped ABC Family establish a strong comedy block that continues to make our audience laugh out loud."

Kate Juergens, Chief Creative Officer and Executive Vice President, Original Content, ABC Family, said "Innovative and authentic is the promise we make to our audience. These new projects deliver on that promise with emotional and entertaining storylines, intriguing, multi-faceted characters and complex relationships. We're excited for what the future holds for these stories, and the fascinating worlds to which they'll take us."

"Alice in Arabia" is a high-stakes drama series about a rebellious American teenage girl who, after tragedy befalls her parents, is unknowingly kidnapped by her extended family, who are Saudi Arabian. Alice finds herself a stranger in a new world but is intrigued by its offerings and people, whom she finds surprisingly diverse in their views on the world and her situation. Now a virtual prisoner in her grandfather's royal compound, Alice must count on her independent spirit and wit to find a way to return home while surviving life behind the veil. The pilot was written by Brooke Eikmeier, who previously served in the US Army as a Cryptologic Linguist in the Arabic language, trained to support NSA missions in the Middle East. She left service in September 2013 as a rank E-4 Specialist.

Based on the popular young adult novel by Blake Nelson, "Recovery Road" focuses on a teenage girl dealing with addiction. Maddie has a reputation as a party girl who doesn't think she has a problem, until she's confronted one day by her school guidance counselor and forced to choose between expulsion and rehab. Trying to save face, Maddie chooses to spend her nights living with other recovering addicts at a rehab facility, and her days pretending everything is perfectly normal among her high school classmates and her closest friends. The pilot was written by Bert V. Royal ("Easy A") and Karen DiConcetto ("Ruby & The Rockits"). Beth Miller ("12 Dates of Christmas," "Revenge of the Bridesmaids") and Craig Piligian ("Survivor," "American Chopper") from Pilgrim Studios and Danielle VonZerneck ("Left to Die") will serve as executive producers.

"Unstrung" explores the sexy, cutthroat, and emotional stakes of the professional world tour of tennis as brother and sister Luke and Ellie Holt compete to move up the ranks. The Holts may seem to have it all in a world where success is not only determined by prowess on the court, but by looks, charm and the ability to hide your faults under pressure from fans, critics, opponents, and even your closest allies. But a major family secret threatens to turn their lives, and their hard-earned family "brand," upside down. Emily Whitesell ("Life Unexpected") will executive produce.

"Melissa & Joey," the hit comedy starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, has been picked up for a fourth season, which will take the series to over a milestone 100 episodes. Hart plays Mel, a local politician raising her niece Lennox (Taylor Spreitler) and nephew Ryder (Nick Robinson) with the help of Joe (Lawrence), a financial whiz who took the job of running Mel's household after Mel's sister caused him to unfairly lose his job in a business scandal. In the series' third season, the kids are grown and independent and Mel and Joe have decided to give in to their feelings and pursue a relationship with each other. "Melissa & Joey" is a half-hour multi-cam comedy executive-produced by David Kendall & Seth Kurland, Paula Hart, Melissa Joan Hart, Joey Lawrence and John Ziffren. Melissa Joan Hart ("Sabrina, the Teenage Witch"), Joey Lawrence ("Blossom"), Taylor Spreitler ("Days of Our Lives") and Nick Robinson ("Jurassic World") star. The series was created by David Kendall & Bob Young.

Also picked up for a fourth season, "Baby Daddy" follows five adults at various stages of growing up. Ben, who was living the bachelor life in New York City with his buddy, Tucker and his brother, Danny, a professional hockey player until his life was turned upside down when a baby girl was left on the doorstep by one of Ben's one-night stands. Now in its third season, Ben is raising Baby Emma with support from Tucker, Danny, his mother, Bonnie and his childhood female friend, Riley, who is blissfully unaware that Danny has been in love with her for most of his life. The love triangle between Ben, Riley and Danny is still very prevalent, despite other relationships. Everyone is trying to figure out the next chapter in their lives and who they want to spend it with, but no one struggles with becoming an adult more than the over-the-top matriarch, Bonnie. "Baby Daddy" stars Jean-Luc Bilodeau ("Kyle XY"), Derek Theler ("90210"), Tahj Mowry ("The Game") with Melissa Peterman ("Reba") and Chelsea Kane ("Dancing with the Stars," "Jonas LA"). The series is created and executive produced by Dan Berendsen ("The Nine Lives of Chloe King," "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" and "Hannah Montana: The Movie").

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. For 2014, ABC Family has launched the "WATCH ABC Family" authenticated service which allows viewers with participating TV subscription services access to 24/7 live viewing of the network, as well as continued on demand access to such popular series at home and on the go via a wide array of devices. 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.





  [march 2014]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· ALICE IN ARABIA (ABC FAMILY)
· BABY DADDY (FREEFORM)
· MELISSA & JOEY (ABC FAMILY)
· RECOVERY ROAD (FREEFORM)
· UNSTRUNG (ABC FAMILY)





[03/21/25 - 08:11 PM]
From Cosmic Adventures to Charming Tales: Netflix Showcases AnimeJapan 2025 Highlights
Highlights include new trailers for "The Summer Hikaru Died" and "Moonrise."

[03/21/25 - 01:30 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Grows Remarkably in All Key Measures During Show's Festive Post-Oscars Week
The annual Monday morning post-Oscars show from the famed Dolby Theatre in Hollywood scored 2.650 million Total Viewers and was the show's second most-watched telecast of the entire season.

[03/21/25 - 12:31 PM]
ESPN NBA Schedule Update: New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Doubleheader Added on April 2
They replace the previously announced Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics and New Orleans Pelicans vs. LA Clippers matchups.

[03/21/25 - 10:10 AM]
"Opry 100: A Live Celebration" Drew 5.3 Million Viewers Wednesday Night Across NBC and Peacock
It was the most-watched program of the night among all the broadcast networks against mostly original programming.

[03/21/25 - 08:00 AM]
AMC Networks' April Highlights Include "Dark Winds," "The Last Anniversary," "Black Snow" and Shudder's Halfway to Halloween Celebration
Shudder celebrates its second favorite time of year, "Halfway to Halloween" with a lineup of new original films.

[03/21/25 - 05:27 AM]
Praise Kier! Apple's Workplace Thriller "Severance" Lands Season Three Renewal
"Making 'Severance' has been one of the most creatively exciting experiences I've ever been a part of," said executive producer and director Ben Stiller.

[03/21/25 - 05:01 AM]
Reelz+ Direct-to-Consumer Streaming App Features All Live Reelz Programming Including "On Patrol: Live"
The service is available to subscribers in the United States for $4.99 per month or a special introductory offer of $49.99 per year.

[03/20/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "Revelations" - Final Trailer - Netflix
A pastor who believes in divine revelation and a detective haunted by visions pursue a missing person case - exposing their own demons in the process.

[03/20/25 - 01:26 PM]
UP Faith & Family to Exclusively Premiere Season 18 of the Hit Family Series "Heartland" in the U.S. Beginning April 17
Beginning Thursday, April 17, the service will add new episodes weekly with a four week break after episode five.

[03/20/25 - 01:15 PM]
Prime Video Returns with 21-Game Slate in 2025 WNBA Season
Coverage tips off Thursday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. EDT with a star-studded matchup between the Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream.

[03/20/25 - 12:52 PM]
ESPN & ABC's 2025 WNBA Regular Season Schedule
ESPN, which has aired the WNBA since the league's inception in 1997, will tip off its 29th consecutive season on Saturday, May 17, with expanded coverage across ESPN, ABC, Disney+, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes (Spanish).

[03/20/25 - 12:00 PM]
Acorn TV Reveals Premiere Date and First Look at Season Four of Fan-Favorite Mystery Series "Harry Wild"
The popular Irish mystery series starring and executive produced by Jane Seymour will debut with a two-episode premiere on Monday, May 5 exclusively on Acorn TV in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.

[03/20/25 - 11:01 AM]
Video: Paramount+ Releases Official Trailer and Premiere Date for New Documentary "The Carters: Hurts to Love You"
The two-part documentary will premiere on Tuesday, April 15 exclusively on Paramount+.

[03/20/25 - 11:00 AM]
What's New on Max This April
Highlights include new seasons of the HBO original series "The Last of Us" and "The Rehearsal" plus the Max original comedy series "Hacks."

[03/20/25 - 10:30 AM]
CBS' "Elsbeth" Announces Star-Studded Lineup of Returning Guest Stars for Its Epic Season Two Finale, May 8
When Elsbeth tries to solve a murder, she comes face to face with many familiar suspects.