— ABC Family has ordered an additional ten episodes of new teen drama “Make it or Break it.” Centered around the world of competitive gymnastics, the show is six episodes into its first batch of ten.
Benefiting from the “Secret Life of the American Teenager” lead-in, “Make It” ranks as ABC Family’s second-highest rated series ever (behind its lead-in). Though ratings for both series have dropped noticeably from their figures at the beginning of the summer, they remain flagship performers for the network. Decisions on “10 Things I Hate About You” and “Ruby & the Rockits,” the other new series this summer, are not expected to be made until September.
The next ten “Make it or Break It” episodes will air in the first quarter of 2010.
— Broadcasting & Cable’s annual critics’ roundtable hypes new series “Modern Family” and “The Middle” as potential breakouts for ABC’s new Wednesday night comedy lineup. Headline Planet has screened many of the 2009-10 pilots, including both aforementioned shows, and will provide detailed reviews in the coming weeks.
— ESPN’s film division has joined NFL Films and Andell Entertainment in producing the upcoming “Lombardi” biopic. The feature is eyed for a release a week before the 2011 Super Bowl.
— NBC has tapped Jeff Gaspin to replace outgoing Ben Silverman as chairman of NBC Universal TV Entertainment. Silverman will partner with Barry Diller’s IAC on a production endeavor.