TV Land Bulks Up Original Lineup

NEW YORK: Two sitcoms have been given the greenlight by TV Land, which also renewed its current hits Retired at 35 and Hot in Cleveland.

Joining the network’s roster is Happily Divorced, featuring Fran Drescher’s return to television. The series also features John Michael Higgins (Best in Show), Tichina Arnold (Everybody Hates Chris) and Rita Moreno (West Side Story). Also getting the go-ahead is The Exes (working title), which stars Donald Faison (Scrubs), Wayne Knight (Seinfeld, Hot in Cleveland), David Alan Basche (Law & Order, The Starter Wife) and Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun).

TV Land renewed the sitcoms Retired at 35, which is returning for a second season of ten episodes, and Hot in Cleveland, with a third-season order upped from 22 to 24 episodes. 

Happily Divorced is slated to premiere June 15, along with new episodes of Hot in Cleveland. The Exes and Retired at 35 will premiere next winter.

"We are so thrilled to be working with top comedic talent, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera," said Keith Cox, the executive VP of development and original programming at TV Land. "The talented writers on our sitcoms are giving us material that is fresh and fun and it is clearly connecting with our audience. We’re so excited to continue down this path."

"TV Land is committed to building a new home for situation comedies and we are ecstatic to build and expand on the success of our original scripted programming," added Larry W. Jones, the president of TV Land. "Hot in Cleveland and Retired at 35 have proven to us that our audience is hungry for new sitcoms with relatable, experienced characters and smart, contemporary writing. We’re looking forward to an amazing year working with all of this wonderful talent."