ABC Spark Beats Winter Blues With Fresh Episodes of Hit Shows

• New January schedule announced
• Premieres and catch-up marathons for Switched at Birth, The Lying Game and Bunheads

TORONTO, Dec. 21, 2012 /CNW/ - Corus Entertainment's ABC Spark channel, a destination for millennial viewers, has a fresh slate of new episodes on deck for the New Year. Starting Monday, January 7, the new season of the award-winning family drama Switched at Birth returns, followed by the critically acclaimed series Bunheads from Executive Producer Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls), and The Lying Game is back with more drama on Tuesday, January 8, - all airing day-and-date with the U.S.

Viewers will have an opportunity to catch up on these popular shows from the beginning with special marathon events starting on Saturday, December 29 from Noon - 10 p.m. and Sunday, December 30 from Noon - 10 p.m. with The Lying Game, followed by Switched at Birth on Monday, December 31 from 1 p.m. - 9 p.m.; and Bunheads on Tuesday, January 1 from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

ABC Spark will also be repeating first season of Melissa & Joey and Baby Daddy in the New Year.

JANUARY 2013 PROGRAMMING LINE-UP

Switched at Birth - Season 2 Premiere (day-and-date)
Mondays at 8 p.m. ET beginning January 7
The fallout from the baby switch trial continues. After the verdict against the hospital makes Angelo (Gilles Marini) a millionaire, he stuns the families with lavish gifts. But suspicions about Angelo's behavior continue when a pregnant woman shows up claiming that he is the father. John (D.W. Moffett) and Kathryn (Lea Thompson) consider a run for public office. Meanwhile, Bay (Vanessa Marano) must face the Student Honor Board when she is accused of cheating, and Daphne's (Katie Leclerc) distraction with Chef Jeff gets her in trouble.

Bunheads - Winter Season Premiere (day-and-date)
Mondays at 9 p.m. ET beginning January 7
Michelle (Sutton Foster) has returned to Las Vegas and is working as a magician's assistant. It's been several months since the Nutcracker fiasco, where Michelle accidently maced the young performers of Paradise Dance Academy. Now she's crashing on her friend's couch and working as a dancer for a small-time magician in Henderson, NV. Meanwhile in Paradise, the dance studio is closed down, leaving the students to keep busy on their own. Ginny has taken over her mother's real estate business; Melanie has been caring for her grandpa, and Boo is pulling her hair out taking care of her little brother while her pregnant mother is on bed rest. After a summer at Joffrey, Sasha returns but refuses to head back home, instead hiding out with friends.

The Lying Game - Season 2 Premiere (day-and-date)
Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET beginning January 8
The lies continue in season 2. Alec is in jail following his arrest for Derek's murder, but he still manages to unnerve Emma (Alexandra Chando), who is desperate for answers. Rebecca and Sutton's mother-daughter bonding consists of formulating their plans for the Mercer family, which contradicts Emma and Laurel's plan to reunite Ted and Kristin. Meanwhile, Mads goes looking for trouble, and meets a mysterious new guy in town.

Melissa & Joey - Season 1 Repeats
Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET beginning January 2
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."

Baby Daddy - Season 1 Repeats
Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET beginning January 2
A half-hour original comedy series about Ben, a young man in his 20s, played by Vancouver actor Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Kyle XY) who becomes a surprise dad to a baby girl when she is left on his doorstep by an ex-girlfriend. Ben decides to raise the baby with the help of his mother Bonnie (Melissa Peterman), his brother Danny (Derek Theler), his best buddy Tucker (Tahj Mowry) and his female friend Riley (Chelsea Kane), who his harbouring a secret crush on him.

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 has 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, children's animation and animation software. The Company's multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon (Canada), ABC Spark, W Network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada), CosmoTV, Sundance Channel (Canada), Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press, Toon Boom 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.

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For more information, images or screeners, please contact:

Netta Rondinelli     
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Kate Calder
416-479-6319
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