Primetime schedule also includes Switched at Birth, Melissa & Joey, Make It or Break It
and The Lying Game
For high-resolution images, please visit http://mediacentre.corusent.com
TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Corus Entertainment's newest service, ABC Spark, launches on Monday, March 26 with the day-and-date season premiere of the critically acclaimed The Secret Life of the American Teenager. The primetime schedule will also include ABC Family original series Switched at Birth, Melissa & Joey, The Lying Game and Make It or Break It. ABC Spark, built on the foundation of the successful U.S. brand ABC
Family, will also feature a slate of popular general entertainment
programming that will complement the primetime lineup.
"With the launch of ABC Spark, the wait is over for Canada. Fans of hit
series like The Secret Life of the American Teenager will now have unprecedented access to ABC Family programming, delivered
across multiple platforms," said Ted Ellis, Vice President,
Programming, Kids and Family. "Nested blocks of ABC Family programming
that aired on YTV, W Network and CMT leading up to the launch of the
service have been very successful. Clearly, there is real appetite for
these kinds of shows and we are excited to grow this brand in Canada."
Viewers across Canada will have the opportunity to sample this new
network during a free preview beginning Monday, March 26 through to Saturday, June 30.
ABC Spark's primetime schedule to include:
The Secret Life of the American Teenager - Season 4 - New episodes!
Mondays at 8 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT starting March 26
From the creator of 7th Heaven comes a heartfelt one-hour drama that focuses on the relationships
between families and friends and how they deal with an unexpected teen
pregnancy. The series' regular cast includes popular actress Molly
Ringwald (Sixteen Candles) and Golden Globe® nominee Shailene Woodley (The Descendants, The O.C.). The series also stars Ken Baumann, Mark Derwin, India Eisley, Greg
Finley, Daren Kagasoff, Megan Park and Francia Raisa with Steve
Schirripa.
The Secret Life of the American Teenager picks up right where it left off after a dramatic summer finale, with
Amy accepting a marriage proposal from boyfriend, and father of her
son, Ricky and Adrian and Ben moving on from their tragic past. This
season, the series continues to explore new and ever changing
relationships with the introduction of several new characters. Despite
the crazy relationships, there's an undercurrent of discovery, honesty
and growing up - even for the adults.
Make It or Break It - Season 3
Mondays at 9 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. PT starting March 26
Make It or Break It is a one-hour scripted drama, set in the world of competitive
gymnastics and follows a group of teen Olympic hopefuls as they train
and prepare for their day in the spotlight.
In Season 3, Payson (Ayla Kell), Kaylie (Josie Loren), and Lauren
(Cassie Scerbo) move into the USA Training center to endure a rigorous
eight-week training competition to make the cut for the 2012 Olympic
gymnastics team. With a new coach and fierce competition - including
the return of former rivals Kelly Parker and Jordan Randall - Payson,
Kaylie and Lauren are pushed to their limits physically and
emotionally. The girls are closer than ever and committed to making the
Olympic team together, but secret betrayals, questionable alliances and
the reality of competing to make the final cut will test their
loyalties like never before.
Switched at Birth - Season 1 - New episodes!
Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT starting March 27
A one-hour scripted drama, Switched at Birth, tells the story of two teenage girls who discover they were
accidentally switched as newborns in the hospital. Vanessa Marano plays
Bay Kennish, a girl who grew up in a wealthy family with two parents
and a brother, while Daphne Vasquez (Katie Leclerc), is a girl who lost
her hearing at an early age due to a case of meningitis and grew up
with a single mother in a working class neighbourhood. Things come to a
dramatic head when both families meet and struggle to learn how to live
together for the sake of the girls. This dramatic new series also
includes Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City), and D.W. Moffett (Friday Night Lights). The series also stars Constance Marie, Lucas Grabeel and Sean Berdy as
Emmett Bledsoe. Academy Award® winner Marlee Matlin is a recurring
guest star as Melody Bledsoe, Emmett's mother.
Bay's father Angelo (Gilles Marini) is back and his motives continue to
be questionable as he attempts to reunite the biological Vasquez family
(himself, Regina, and Bay) and mend fences with Daphne. Bay and Emmett
confront the obstacles of a hearing/deaf relationship, as Bay falls
deeper for Emmett and meets his father. Wilke (Austin Butler) heats up
his romantic pursuit of Daphne, which complicates things between Toby
(Grabeel) and Wilke.
The Lying Game - Season 1
Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET / 10 p.m. PT starting March 27
In The Lying Game, inspired by the Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars) book series of the same name, Emma (Alexandra Chando) is a
kind-hearted foster kid who can't catch a break. She finds out she has
an identical twin sister, Sutton (also played by Chando), who, unlike
Emma, was adopted by wealthy parents and is seemingly living an ideal
life. After their initial meeting, Sutton talks Emma into stepping into
her life for a few days while she pursues a lead on their birth mother.
Initially excited to do this favour for her sister, Emma soon learns
that Sutton has gone missing and could be in trouble. Now, Emma must
decide whether to come clean to Sutton's family and risk her own safety
in the hope of uncovering her twin sister's true whereabouts, along
with truth about why they were separated in the first place.
Melissa & Joey - Season 1
Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET/PT starting March 28
Melissa & Joey is a hit comedy starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. Melissa
Joan Hart portrays Mel, the grown-up former wild child of a political
family who is now a local politician herself. When her sister ends up
in prison and brother-in-law flees after a scandal hits, Mel must take
responsibility for her teenaged niece, Lennox, and adolescent nephew,
Ryder. Spread too thin to manage by herself, help comes in the unlikely
form of Joe (Lawrence) who, desperate for a job, moves in and becomes
the family's "manny."
ABC Spark is available in Canada through a license agreement between Corus
Entertainment and Disney/ABC Television Group. Built on the foundation
of the successful U.S. brand ABC Family, ABC Spark is a multiplatform
offering featuring original series and movies, as well as general
entertainment programming. The 24-hour channel will have the same
values, look, tone, essence and feel of ABC Family in the U.S. www.abcspark.ca
About Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian-based media and entertainment
company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio
with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting,
children's book publishing and children's animation. The Company's
multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon
(Canada), W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), CosmoTV,
Sundance Channel (Canada), Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can
Press and radio stations including CKNW AM 980, 99.3 The FOX, Country
105, 630 CHED, Q107 and 102.1 the Edge. Corus creates engaging branded
entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms.
A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto Stock
Exchange (CJR.B). Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Twitter -
@ABCSparkCanada
Facebook -
Facebook.com/ABCSparkCanada
For high-resolution images, please visit http://mediacentre.corusent.com.
Follow Corus PR on Twitter @CorusPR
SOURCE Corus Entertainment Inc.
Video with caption: "Video: ABC Spark kicks off with day-and-date season premiere of ABC Family original series The Secret Life of the American Teenager on March 26". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20120227_C7726_VIDEO_EN_10477.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20120227_C7726_PHOTO_EN_10477.jpg&clientName=Corus%20Entertainment%20Inc%2E&caption=Video%3A%20ABC%20Spark%20kicks%20off%20with%20day%2Dand%2Ddate%20season%20premiere%20of%20ABC%20Family%20original%20series%20The%20Secret%20Life%20of%20the%20American%20Teenager%20on%20March%2026&title=CORUS%20ENTERTAINMENT%20INC%2E%20%2D%20ABC%20Spark%20kicks%20off%20with%20day%2Dand%2Ddate%20season%20premiere%20of%20ABC%20Family%20original%20series%20The%20Secret%20Life%20of%20the%20American%20Teenager%20on%20March%2026&headline=ABC%20Spark%20kicks%20off%20with%20day%2Dand%2Ddate%20season%20premiere%20of%20ABC%20Family%20original%20series%20The%20Secret%20Life%20of%20the%20American%20Teenager%20on%20March%2026
