ABC Family Has Hot Summer Plans
By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 4/16/2006 8:00:00 PM
New York — New York— ABC Family hopes to spark plenty of heat as the network will bow four new original projects and launch an enhanced broadband Web site this summer.
During an upfront presentation here April 12, network president Paul Lee noted that ABC Family will kick off its “Summer Blast” programming with the two-hour premiere of Falcon Beach on June 5 at 8 p.m. Set in a New England town where locals and visitors mingle, the series will put relationships, seduction, skin and scandal on display. A baker’s dozen worth of regular episodes will follow in the Monday 10 p.m. time slot.
Three weeks later, Kyle XY, the story of a mysterious teenage savant with the innocence of a newborn, will arrive at 8 p.m. Over the course of 10 hour-long episodes, the Trager family, headed by a psychologist mom who brings the “boy with no past” to their home, will embrace the brilliance and cultural naivete of Kyle (Matt Dallas).
On July 23 at 9 p.m., ABC Family will bow Three Moons Over Milford, where the residents of a picturesque small town reflect the world’s reaction to the final days of Earth, which is being threatened by a cosmic explosion. “We think this will resonate with viewers in the post-9/11 and [Hurricane] Katrina worlds,” Lee said.
Produced by sister company Touchstone Television, the series, starring Elizabeth McGovern, comprises eight hours.
Special event Fallen takes flight on Aug. 13 at 7 p.m., with the first two of six hours (the others will air in summer 2007). The project, which Lee said could be expanded into a full-series format, centers on Aaron (Paul Wesley, Everwood), a recently adopted teenage orphan, whose search for identity reveals that he’s half-man, half-angel. “Paul really delivers a breakthrough performance,” said Lee.
The network also unveiled new series Lincoln Heights, in which a cop brings his suburban family back to the tough inner-city neighborhood that he grew up in; it’s slated to bow next January.
Lee also announced that Wildfire, in which a young woman looks to turn her life around against the backdrop of the world of horses, was renewed for a third season, with production set to begin this summer in New Mexico.
Continuing Disney-ABC Television’s Group’s aggressive moves in the digital media space, the network in August will officially relaunch an enhanced version of ABCFamily.com.
The premiere installment of Kyle XY will debut on the site before making its linear network debut.
Tricia Wilber, senior vice president of advertising sales and promotions at Disney ABC Cable Networks Group, said the network is pursuing deals that would put sponsors within the streaming or linear version of the show’s debut — or both.
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