In a major original programming push, ABC Family has picked up a pair of new dramas and one half-hour comedy series, all set to premiere on the network later this year.
The two dramas are “Switched at Birth” and “The Nine Lives of Chloe King,” while the new comedy is “The Great State of Georgia.”
“We continue to offer our Millennial viewers a rich and diverse mix of authentic, optimistic and heartfelt programming,” states ABC Family President Michael Riley. “We”re excited about these new series and believe they will be great additions to an already strong slate that, at its core, is filled with engaging, strong, funny and relatable characters.”
“Switched at Birth” is the easiest of the shows to explain. Vanessa Marano (“Gilmore Girls”) and newcomer Katie Leclerc play two teenager girls who discover that they were switched in the hospital as newborns. Years later, when the families meet, drama is generated.
Produced by Lizzy Weiss, Paul Stupin and John Ziffren, “Switched at Birth” co-stars Constance Marie, D.W. Moffett, Lea Thompson and “High School Musical” veteran Lucas Grabeel.
More complicated is “The Nine Lives of Chloe King,” based on the book series by Celia Thompson. Skyler Samuels plays the title role, a teenage girl who begins to develop heightened abilities and learns that she’s part of an ancient race being pursued through history by human assassins.
Amy Pietz, Grey Damon, Grace Phipps, Benjamin Stone, Alyssa Diaz and Ki Hong Lee co-star.
Multi-camera comedy “The Great State of Georgia” is executive produced by Kirk J. Rudell and bestselling author Jennifer Weiner (“In Her Shoes”) and stars Raven-Symone as an aspiring actress trying to make it in New York City. Majandra Delfino and Meagen Fay co-star.