"Hot in Cleveland" just received a sizzling vote of confidence from TV Land. The cable channel announced Wednesday that its first original scripted series is getting a second-season pick-up order of 20 episodes. Halfway through its 10-episode first season, "Hot in Cleveland" has been on fire in the ratings. Indeed, TV Land has 4.7 million reasons for quickly renewing the series. That's how many viewers the comedy has been averaging each week since its June 16 premiere.
And those are record ratings for TV Land, a channel that specializes in reruns of such yesteryear comedies as "The Andy Griffith Show," "All in the Family," "The Cosby Show" and "Everybody Loves Raymond." Production on new episodes of "Hot in Cleveland" will start in October, with the second season slated to launch in January. All four of the show's stars will be returning.
Produced by Sean Hayes (Jack on "Will & Grace") and series creator Suzanne Martin, "Hot in Cleveland" stars sitcom veterans Valerie Bertinelli ("One Day at a Time"), Wendie Malick ("Just Shoot Me") and Jane Leeves ("Frasier") as three best friends who move from Los Angeles to Cleveland. Six-time Emmy winner Betty White ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "The Golden Girls") plays the cantankerous caretaker who goes with the home they rent.
Filmed before a live audience at the CBS Radford Studios in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City, "Hot in Cleveland" airs at 10 p.m. Wednesday. According to Nielsen Media Research, the series is averaging a 2.1 rating (percentage of all TV homes) among adults 25-54, 2.7 among women 25-54 and a 1.7 among adults 18-49 (the so-called primary demographic most prized by advertisers).
"We are so excited that 'Hot in Cleveland' was embraced by viewers in such a big way," TV Land President Larry W. Jones said in statement released by the channel. "We absolutely love the show and can't wait to see what hilarious new experiences these characters will encounter in the next 20 episodes."
Guest stars already featured on the show have included John Schneider ("The Dukes of Hazzard"), seven-time Emmy winner Carl Reiner ("The Dick Van Dyke Show'), singer Huey Lewis and Amy Yasbeck ("Wings"). Other guest stars announced for the first season of include: Wayne Knight ("Seinfeld," "3rd Rock from the Sun"), Susan Lucci ("All My Children"), Emmy winner Shirley Knight ("Indictment: The McMartin Trial") and Juliet Mills ("Nanny and the Professor").
Soon after its premiere, "Hot in Cleveland" was acquired by entertainment media company Endemol for global distribution. It premiered in Canada on July 5, attracting 1.82 viewers.