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ABC Weighing Options for Next Season — Including Bringing Back Veteran Drama for a 13-Episode Final Run

May 1, 2012  •  Post A Comment

A veteran ABC drama may receive an order for a final sixth season, with the network contemplating ordering 13 episodes of the bubble show “Private Practice,” Deadline.com reports.

The "Grey’s Anatomy" spinoff was helped by stronger ratings in its new time period on Tuesdays at 10 p.m., with a 29% jump among adults 18-49 compared with its season premiere, the story says.

The network is focusing on a 13-episode order, with star Kate Walsh committed to working on 13 additional episodes, the story says — but an order for 18 or even 22 episodes hasn’t been ruled out.

If "Private Practice" is renewed, creator Shonda Rhimes might see four of her series on television next season, given the strength of her new drama "Scandal" and the period drama "Gilded Lilys," which is in consideration for a series pickup, the piece notes.

ABC, which is also weighing the fate of bubble shows “Body of Proof” and “GCB,” is said to be waiting until it screens all of its pilots before making the tough decisions. Pilot screenings start today.

The report notes: “Complicating renewal plans on bubble shows is the fact that going into the screenings … virtually all pilots are still alive, giving the network a lot more options to consider for next season.”

As the network’s only straight procedural, “Body of Proof” may be in a precarious position, the story notes. “’Body Of Proof’ is a money maker as it sells well oversees but the question is whether ABC wants to keep a lone straight procedural on the schedule,” the report says. “The network’s slate of pilots for next season is dominated by soaps/serialized dramas and doesn’t include a single straight procedural.”

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