Press - 2007
ABC Keeps Hold on Pilot PairHaving just brought "According to Jim" back from semi-oblivion, ABC is
pondering a couple more additions to its comedy roster.
The network has extended the options on the casts of two pilots, "The Middle"
and "The Hill," that it initially passed on this spring, according to The
Hollywood Reporter. That keeps the actors from committing to other shows and is
a sign that ABC might still be interested in picking up the two shows, both of
which come from Warner Bros. TV.
"The Hill" centers on the romance between a young congressional staffer (Eric
Christian Olsen, "The Loop") and the daughter (Michelle Trachtenberg, "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer") of a senator (Mark Moses, "Desperate Housewives") who's
frequently at odds with his boss (Wendie Malick, "Big Day," "Just Shoot Me").
Former "Friends" writer-producer Shana Goldberg-Meehan created the show.
"The Middle" stars Ricki Lake as a middle-class woman from Middle America and
documents her daily struggles and triumphs. Lex Medlin ("Happy Hour"), Michael
Mitchell ("Veronica Mars") and Brenna O'Brien are also in the cast. Deann Heline
and Eileen Heisler ("Committed," "How I Met Your Mother") created the show.
Heline and Heisler are also executive producers of NBC's midseason dramedy
"Lipstick Jungle."
The two comedies join the drama "Football Wives" in the still-have-a-chance
column at ABC. The network has already picked up a dozen new series -- four
comedies, seven dramas and the unscripted show "Oprah's Big Give" -- for the
2007-08 season, in addition to last week's late renewal for "Jim."
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