FREEFORM DOUBLES DOWN ON THE LAUGHS WITH BRAND-NEW WEDNESDAY NIGHT COMEDY BLOCK; "GROWN-ISH" KICKS OFF WITH SPECIAL TWO-EPISODE SEASON PREMIERE ON JAN. 3, WITH 'ALONE TOGETHER' FOLLOWING THE WEEK AFTER ON JAN. 10

NETWORK WILL LAUNCH EXPANDED LINEUP FOR 2018 WITH FOUR BRANDED NIGHTS OF ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING

Freeform, Disney's young adult television and streaming network, today announced the premiere dates for its highly anticipated comedies "grown-ish" and "Alone Together." Starting January 3 at 8:00 p.m. EST, catch the one-hour debut of "grown-ish" from executive producer Kenya Barris and starring "black-ish" actress Yara Shahidi reprising her role as "Zoey." The following week on January 10 at 8:30 p.m. EST, catch the premiere of "Alone Together," the irreverent buddy comedy from executive producers Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone, starring comedians Esther Povitsky and Benji Aflalo.

The network announced an expanded lineup with four branded nights of original series. In addition to Freeform's Wednesday night comedy block, the network will roll out various programming blocks over the next few months as outlined below:

· Monday nights will consist of unscripted originals kicking off with the series premiere of "Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings" in the spring.

· Tuesday nights will be dedicated to original dramas beginning Q1 with "The Fosters," leading into "Shadowhunters" on April 3. "The Bold Type" and "Famous in Love" will carry out the drama block for the remainder of the year.

· Thursday nights will exclusively consist of genre programming beginning January 18 with the two-hour season premiere of "Beyond," leading into the March 29 premiere of "Siren." Thursday nights will also be home to "Marvel's Cloak & Dagger."

"At Freeform, we are committed to our audience; and this past year, we refined our programming strategy to be a destination for trendsetting originals that champion youth culture," said Tom Ascheim, president, Freeform. "Our upcoming slate is our biggest, boldest and most diverse ever -- we look forward to making each show its own event and delivering empowering and entertaining originals to our viewers."

"grown-ish"

Wednesday's comedy block kicks off with "grown-ish," a half-hour comedy tackling current social issues and complexities facing both students and administrators; it follows Zoey, Dre (Anthony Anderson) and Rainbow's (Tracee Ellis Ross) popular, entitled, stylish and socially active 17-year-old daughter from ABC's Emmy(R)-nominated comedy "black-ish," as she heads into her freshman year of college.

Yara Shahidi ("black-ish") will continue to play Zoey Johnson, Trevor Jackson ("Burning Sands," "American Crime") as Aaron Jackson, Jordan Buhat ("Summer of '84") as Vivek Shah, Emily Arlook ("The Good Place," "Hand of God") as Nomi Segal, Francia Raisa ("The Secret Life of the American Teenager") as Ana Torres, Chris Parnell ("SNL") as Dean Parker and Deon Cole ("black-ish") as Charlie Telphy. Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey and Luka Sabbat also recur in the series. Kenya Barris, Anthony Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland and E. Brian Dobbins are executive producers. The series is produced by ABC Signature Studios.

"ALONE TOGETHER"

"Alone Together" stars stand-up comedians Povitsky ("Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and named Variety's "10 Comics to Watch in 2017") and Aflalo ("Not Safe with Nikki Glaser") as two overlooked millennial misfits from different backgrounds trying to make their way in the vain and status-obsessed culture of Los Angeles. These two only find salvation in their male/female strictly platonic friendship. Throughout the season Esther and Benji's misadventures include shooting their own music video, standing in line for a Lip Kit Pop Up and even trying their hand at retirement life. Regardless of the escapade, you can be sure in their own warped way they will have each other's backs while calling each other on their nonsense in a way that only best friends can.

"Alone Together" is created by Povitsky, Aflalo and Eben Russell ("Girl Boss"), who serve as writers and executive producers. Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer, Becky Sloviter and Hunter Covington also serve as executive producers.

About Freeform

Part of the Disney|ABC Television Group, Freeform connects to audiences and goes beyond entertainment with bold original programming and immersive social engagement. As Disney's young adult television and streaming network, it delivers a unique mix of quality original and acquired series, plus fan-favorite movies and the holiday events "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas." The Freeform app is a service that allows viewers with participating TV subscription services access to 24/7 live viewing of the network, as well as continued on-demand access via a wide array of devices.

About ABC Signature Studios

ABC Signature Studios is ABC Studios' boutique division spearheading development and production in premium and basic cable, as well as digital platforms. Signature is currently in pre-production on their half-hour comedy series "SMILF" for Showtime, based on the Sundance Award-winning short film from Frankie Shaw who wrote, directed and will star in the show. Shaw produces with Groundswell Productions and Quantity Entertainment. Marvel Television and ABC Signature Studios are also in pre-production on three new series including "Marvel's Runaways" for Hulu, "Marvel's Cloak & Dagger" and "Marvel's New Warriors" for Freeform. Signature co-produced with Fifty Fathoms the recently aired John Ridley series "Guerrilla" for Sky Atlantic and Showtime, starring Freida Pinto, Babou Ceesay and Idris Elba. Signature's other credits include "Dead of Summer," "Blood & Oil," "Benched" and the Emmy-nominated HBO film "Confirmation," starring Kerry Washington and Wendell Pierce.