ABC Family Slates Three Nights of Originals

NEW YORK: The summer schedule of ABC Family has been expanded to feature three nights of original programming, with a full slate that includes four new series, three returning hits as well as original and acquired movies.

Among the originals slated for summer is Switched at Birth, premiering June 6. The one-hour scripted drama tells the story of two teens who discover they were switched as newborns at the hospital. On June 14 comes The Nine Lives of Chloe King, a one-hour scripted drama about a girl who begins to develop heightened abilities and discovers that she’s being pursued by a mysterious figure. Pretty Little Liars returns on the same night, June 14. The show is ABC Family’s number one series of all time among the core 18 to 34 and 12 to 34 demos for the 2010-11 season to date.

The network wraps up June with the premiere of The Great State of Georgia, an ABC Studios production. Launching June 29, the show features Raven-Symoné as an aspiring actress with a larger than life personality who is trying to make it in NYC. The debut is followed by the scond season of Melissa & Joey. The hit comedy stars Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. The Lying Game, a new one-hour scripted drama, launches August 15. The series is centered on a kind-hearted foster kid who learns she has an identical twin sister. The two work up a plan whereby one goes searching for their original parents, while the other steps into the role of her sister.

The network’s new original movie Teen Spirit premieres on August 7 during its annual summer programming event Campus Crush. The two-hour movie features Lindsey Shaw of Pretty Little Liars as the queen bee of her high school, yet wants to become prom queen. The network will also present a special summer Harry Potter marathon, starting July 7 to 10. It will showcase the first five installments of the hit Warner Bros. Pictures’ franchise. The Walt Disney Pictures film G-Force makes its network debut on September 2011.

“We’re thrilled to bring viewers three nights of original programming for the first time ever on the network,” said Michael Riley, the president of ABC Family. “As we continue to build out a longer term strategy for ABC Family, the addition of four new original series to our summer slate in combination with our returning original hit shows will create a powerful programming block that offers our Millennial viewers the quality storytelling they have come to expect from the network.”