Disney Channel Summons Eight More 'Wizards Of Waverly' Episodes For Third Season

Gomez-Starring Series Pushes Show Total To 86

Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 9/28/2009 5:50:42 PM

Disney Channel has ordered eight more installments of its Emmy-winning comedy Wizards of Waverly Place, bringing its third-season total to 86.
Created by Todd J. Greenwald and executive-produced by Peter Murrieta, Greenwald, Vince Cheung and Ben Montanio, the series stars Selena Gomez, David Henrie, Jake Austin, Jennifer Stone, Maria Canals-Barrera and David DeLuise.
With the order from It's a Laugh Productions, Wizards, which begins its third season on Oct. 9 at 8 p.m., the series will have a total of 86 installments, plus Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie that ranks as cable TV's No. 2 scripted telecast of all time among total viewers with an audience of 13.5 million.
Wizards of Waverly Place, which won the Emmy for outstanding children's program, anchors "Wiz-tober," a Halloween programming stunt hosted by Gomez, Henrie, Austin and Stone, beginning Oct. 1.
In making the announcement, Gary Marsh, president, entertainment, Disney Channels Worldwide, said: "The appeal of Wizards is simple: it's our extraordinary cast. This is undoubtedly one of the strongest comedic ensembles on television. When you couple that with an incredibly gifted writing and producing team, the result is pure comedic magic."