Lifetime Renews Strong Medicine Prescription

Original drama series Strong Medicine will return for a fifth season with 22 episodes in 2004, Lifetime Television said Wednesday.

The show, which airs Sundays at 9 p.m., averages 2.5 million viewers per week, according to Nielsen Media Research, tying it with fellow Lifetime series The Division as the No. 1-rated basic-cable drama among women 18-plus.

As a result of the agreement, the women’s-targeted network can now schedule Strong Medicine as a programming strip Monday-Friday, marking the first time a basic-cable drama has been sold for syndication.

Strong Medicine explores the ongoing struggles of two dedicated female physicians, Patricia Richardson (Home Improvement) and Rosa Blasi (Noriega: God’s Favorite). Whoopi Goldberg and Tammy Ader executive-produce the series for Sony Pictures Television.