Disney Channel Renews Johnny and the Sprites

Disney Channel ordered a second season of preschool seriesJohnny and the Sprites for the Playhouse Disney block. John Tartaglia returns as star and executive producer, and the show resumes shooting this fall at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York.

Disney said the show -- a live-action half-hour featuring Tartaglia and a puppet cast -- has consistently ranked among the top-10 basic-cable series with kids ages 2-5 since its Jan. 13 premiere drew 1 million such viewers, making it basic cable's most-watched program in that group in its time period (Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m.).

The network cited Nielsen Media Research coverage ratings, and it didn’t say how many episodes were ordered, but season one consisted of 13 shows.