Michael Riley, president, ABC Family, today announced the pick-up of two, one-hour drama pilots, “The Fosters,” from executive producer Jennifer Lopez, and “Twisted” (formerly “Socio”) from executive producer Gavin Polone. Production on both series will begin this spring for summer premieres. Additional pick-ups will be announced later this month.
“ABC Family is synonymous with groundbreaking storytelling and iconic characters,” said Riley. “These new shows will bring the same depth, heart, close relationships and authenticity that our viewers have come to expect and, will pair nicely with our already established pop culture hits.”
From executive producer Jennifer Lopez, (“American Idol,” “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” “The Back-Up Plan”) and created by Bradley Bredeweg and Peter Paige (“Queer As Folk”), who will also serve as writers and executive producers, “The Fosters” stars Teri Polo (“Meet the Parents”), Sherri Saum (“In Treatment”), Jake T. Austin (“Wizards of Waverly Place”), Hayden Byerly (“Parenthood”), David Lambert (“Aaron Stone”), newcomer Maia Mitchell (star of Disney Channel’s upcoming “Teen Beach Movie”), Danny Nucci (“Titanic”) and Cierra Ramirez (“The Secret Life of the American Teenager”). The series is a one-hour drama about a multi-ethnic family mix of foster and biological kids being raised by two moms. Joanna Johnson (“Make it or Break it”), Simon Fields, Benny Medina and Greg Gugliotta will also serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Nuyorican Productions, Inc., and Prodco, Inc.
“Twisted” (formerly “Socio”) is a one-hour mystery full of twists and turns that is centered on a charismatic 16-year-old with a troubled past who recently reconnected with his two female best friends from childhood. He becomes the prime suspect when a fellow student is surprisingly found dead in her home. The series will be executive-produced by Gavin Polone, (“Gilmore Girls,” “Zombieland,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “My Boys,” “Jane By Design”) David Babcock (“Brothers & Sisters”) and Adam Milch (“Greek”), who also wrote the pilot. The drama stars Avan Jogia (“Victorious”), Maddie Hasson (“The Finder”), Kylie Bunbury (“Prom”), Kimberly Quinn (“Terriers”), Sam Robards (“Treme,” “Gossip Girl”), newcomer Ashton Moio and Denise Richards (“Two and a Half Men”). The series is produced by Prodco, Inc.
The pick-ups come a month after the successful winter premieres of ABC Family’s established dramas “Switched at Birth,” “Bunheads,” “Pretty Little Liars” and “The Lying Game” on January 7 and 8. These original series returned to impressive ratings: “Pretty Little Liars” delivered the series’ #2 telecast ever in Adults 18-34, ranking as the #1 TV telecast of the day in key demos and becoming the #2 ‘most social’ TV series episode ever with nearly 1.2 million Tweets; “The Lying Game” soared to season-opening highs in Adults 18-34, Women 18-34 and Women 18-49, standing as the #1 cable TV telecast in the hour in core Women; “Switched at Birth” returned as the #1 scripted cable TV telecast in the hour in Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49, while “Bunheads” was the #1 scripted cable TV telecast in its time period in target Females 12-34 demo.
