ABC Spark Ignites the 2012 Summer Schedule with Three New Series and Additional Episodes of Three Popular Series for its Primetime Lineup

• Bunheads, from Executive Producer Amy Sherman-Palladino, creator of Gilmore Girls
• Canadian heart throb Jean-Luc Bilodeau is Baby Daddy on ABC Spark
• Follow five nannies in the most exclusive zip code in Beverly Hills Nannies
• New episodes of The Lying Game, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Melissa & Joey

TORONTO, May 23, 2012 /CNW/ - Corus Entertainment's ABC Spark announced today highlights from its 2012 blockbuster summer schedule, featuring a primetime lineup of three new series including   Bunheads, from Executive Producer Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls), Baby Daddy starring Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Kyle XY) and docu-series Beverly Hills Nannies. In addition, viewers can look forward to new episodes of The Lying Game and new seasons of Melissa & Joey and The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

NEW SERIES

BUNHEADS - WORLD PREMIERE
Premieres (day-and-date): Mondays at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT beginning June 11
Bunheads follows Michelle, a former prima ballerina turned Las Vegas showgirl, who impulsively marries a man, moves to his sleepy coastal town, and takes an uneasy role at her new mother-in-law's (played by Kelly Bishop) dance school. From Executive Producer Amy Sherman-Palladino, the series will be headlined by Tony Award®-winning actor Sutton Foster as Michelle. For a sneak peek of the series, click here.

BABY DADDY - WORLD PREMIERE
Premieres (day-and-date): Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. PT beginning June 20
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. For a sneak peek of the series, click here.

BEVERLY HILLS NANNIES - WORLD PREMIERE
Premieres (day-and-date): Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. PT beginning July 11
Viewers will get a glimpse of the luxurious world of Beverly Hills from the help's point of view. A docu-series that explores the lives of the young and outgoing caregivers of families in California's most exclusive zip codes, Beverly Hills Nannies follows five nannies each with their own unique personalities. Kristin struggles to start her own Beverly Hills nanny agency (The Nanny Society), Amanda the Midwestern transplant nanny, who attempts to juggle the 90210 lifestyle while holding on to her small town values and Justin "The Lady Sitter" who isn't afraid to remind Beverly Hills families where their priorities should lie. Rounding out the cast are Scott, the Australian "manny" and Lucy, the aspiring pop star who seeks a life in the spotlight. The show is produced by Evolution Media, the production company known for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Real Housewives of Orange County.

CONTINUING SERIES

MELISSA & JOEY - Season 2
Premieres (day-and-date): Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/ 9 p.m. PT beginning May 30
Starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, season two of Melissa & Joey picks up with Mel's (Hart) house in disarray after the bathtub crashed through the living room in the season one finale.   Joe (Lawrence) continues to help Mel raise her teenage niece (Taylor Spreitler) and nephew (Nick Robinson), while she pursues her career in local politics.  The second season features such guest stars as Debi Mazar (Entourage), Cody Linley (Dancing with the Stars, Hannah Montana), Gregg Sulkin (Wizards of Waverly Place) and comedienne Rita Rudner.

THE LYING GAME - Season 1 - New Episodes
Premieres: Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT beginning June 5
When Sutton's (Alexandra Chando) car is discovered at the bottom of the lake containing some of her things, Emma (also played by Chando), Ethan and Thayer question if Sutton is actually dead.  When Emma receives a threatening note for Emma to keep pretending to be Sutton or Emma will be killed, they start to realize Sutton might just be playing a lying game on them after all. Emma, Ethan, and Thayer start to question each other's involvement in her disappearance. Eventually Sutton surfaces denying any attempts at a lying game and she begins to reclaim her life back. Meanwhile Emma goes into hiding. Despite needing to find the mystery killer, Sutton continues to make plays on Ethan such as coercing him into being her escort at the Debutante Ball, but he only wants to be with Emma.

THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER - Season 5
Premieres: Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/ 9 p.m. PT beginning June 11
Secret Life, starring Golden Globe ® nominee Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), returns for a 5^th season, taking the show into over 100 episodes! This season, viewers will see Ricky and Amy continue to bond as a family with John and the question on everyone's mind will be revealed - will Amy and Ricky get married? Meanwhile, Ben struggles with the knowledge that he may have contributed to burning down Dylan's school. There is also a new freshman student, Kathy, who is pregnant and Amy becomes her mentor at school.

Please visit on the following social media sites:
Twitter: @ABCSparkCanada and Facebook.com/ABCSparkCanada

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. Visit www.abcspark.ca.

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.

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For more information or screeners, please contact:

Netta Rondinelli     
416-479-6443      
[email protected] 

Molly Ray
416-479-6087
[email protected]