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Comedy Central Picks Up Second Season of Drawn Together

It looks like TVs hottest format works in animation as Comedy Central orders up a second season of drawn together, television's first animated reality series after only three episodes of cable's new sensation have aired. The second season of DRAWN TOGETHER, created by Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser, will premiere during the fourth quarter of 2005 and consist of 15 episodes, including a reunion special.

DRAWN TOGETHER has been an immediate success for the network and our viewers and I am excited that we will be able to continue the adventure with a second season," said Lauren Corrao, svp of original programming and head of development, Comedy Central. "Suffice it to say, the animated characters created by Matt and Dave have many, many more escapades, contests, musical spoofs and other disorders to look forward to before we let them out of that house."

We're astonished that Comedy Central wants more of these things, said Silverstein and Jeser. We didn't even think they wanted the ones they have now. Amazing. God bless Comedy Central! Perhaps animation producer Rough Draft Studios in Glendale, California can reuse even more repeat pans, part of the insider industry humor employed in this satire on reality shows and animation genres.

Since its premiere on Oct. 27, 2004, DRAWN TOGETHER and its lead-in South Park," forms an adult animation block that has dominated the cable television landscape on Wednesday nights. Through the first two episodes, DRAWN TOGETHER has averaged 2.3 million total viewers (P2+) and a 1.4 rating in the key P18-49 demographic. The heavily promoted new show built on its premiere for week two, with total viewers up 7% to 2.4 million and the P18-49 rating up 12% to 1.5. For both weeks the series was the most-watched show on cable in its timeslot (10:30 p.m.) in that key demo as well as in all key male demos (M18-24, M18-34, M18-49 and M25-54).

In the first episode, viewers are introduced to a bizarre collection of cartoon characters from various genres of animation that are brought together to live as roommates in a house with an Ikea-like aesthetic. Their combining different styles of animation and different personalities are set to collide, covered with camera angles and personal interviews in a good parody of typical reality series. This is Comedy Centrals first original animated series that is drawn traditionally and in 2D digital ink-and-paint animation, using Toonz.

The eight housemates representing iconic archetypes from the world of animation include: "Captain Hero," a not-so-moral do-gooder reminiscent of the Saturday morning TV superheroes of the 70s; "Clara," a 20-year-old sweet, naïve, but bigoted fairytale princess; "Toot Braunstein," a black-and-white, pudgy Betty Boop-like sexpot from the '30s who cuts herself when shes depressed; "Foxxy Love," a sexy, black, foul-mouthed, mystery-solving musician; "Spanky Ham," a crass Internet download pig that defecates on and in everything and everyone; "Ling-Ling," a Pokémon clone; "Wooldoor-Sockbat," a wacky Saturday morning "whatchamacallit;" and "Xandir," a metro sexual, videogame adventurer.

Silverstein and Jeser are also writers and exec producers on DRAWN TOGETHER, featuring characters developed by Silverstein, Jeser and Jordan Young (THE SIMPSONS).

Overseas animation is provided by Rough Draft Korea. Animation exec producer is Gregg Vanzo. Zoe Friedman is the exec in charge of production for Comedy Central.

Comedy Central (www.comedycentral.com), the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 86 million homes in the U.S. Comedy Central is owned by Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of MTV Networks.

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