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ABC renews ‘Scrubs’ and two other shows, orders seven new ones

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ABC executives were busy late Friday, renewing three shows and ordering seven new ones, in preparation for announcing the network’s fall lineup in Manhattan on Tuesday.

‘Castle’ and ‘Better off Ted,’ which premiered this spring, will return next season. In a surprise move, the network also will bring back ‘Scrubs,’ although it is unknown if star Zach Braff or other members of the original cast will be involved with the show.

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‘Scrubs’ creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence also landed another spot on the ABC schedule with a new single-camera comedy series, ‘Cougar Town,’ starring Courteney Cox-Arquette (pictured), who recently guest-starred on ‘Scrubs.’ Cox-Arquette plays a divorced, 40-year-old mother and real estate agent who begins to date a 26-year-old man she met at a club.

Neil Flynn (‘Scrubs’) and Patricia Heaton (‘Everybody Loves Raymond’) will star in a single-camera comedy, ‘The Middle’ about a married, middle-class couple who live in Jaspar, Ind.,with their three children. Created by Eileen Heisler and Deann Heline, both of ‘Lipstick Jungle,’ the series will look at life in ‘the middle’ of the country.

Kelsey Grammer will return to the small screen in ‘Hank,’ a sitcom about a fallen Wall Street executive who is obliged to return with his wife and kids to his hometown after losing his job. Tucker Cawley (‘Parks and Recreation’) is the creator and James Burrows is the director.

ABC also picked up four new dramas.

‘Lost’ fans will be pleased to know that Elizabeth Mitchell, whose character, Juliet, died in the season finale, will star in the re-make of ‘V.’ Created by Scott Peters, the cast includes Morena Baccarin, Lourdes Benedicto, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Logan Huffman and Scott Wolf.

‘The Forgotten’ is centered on a group of amateur crime-fighters who take on John Doe/Jane Doe cases. Created by Mark Friedman and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television, the series stars Reiko Aylesworth, Rochelle Aytes, Michelle Borth, Anthony Carrigan, Rupert Penry-Jones and Bob Stephenson.

Executive producers Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg of ‘Life On Mars’ have created ‘Happy Town,’ a mystery drama set in a Minnesota town that was rocked by kidnappings several years ago and is hit by a new crime wave. The cast includes Amy Acker (‘Dollhouse’), John Patrick Amedori, Sarah Gadon, Lauren German, Sam Neill, Jay Paulson, Geoff Stults, Dean Winters and Robert Wisdom.

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And ‘The Deep End’ is a legal drama set in a high-profile L.A. entertainment law firm that will follow the personal lives of its young associates. Created by David Hemingson (‘How I Met Your Mother’ and ‘Family Guy’), the cast includes Clancy Brown, Norbert Leo Butz, Ben Lawson, Matthew Long, Tina Majorino, Leah Pipes, Sherri Saum and Billy Zane.

-- Maria Elena Fernandez

Updated: This post has been updated with the new name of the new drama ‘The Deep End.’

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