USA has renewed its original comedy series Playing House for a third season, it was announced today during the Television Critics Association's winter press tour when series stars Jessica St. Clair and Lennon Parham crashed the presentation by network president Chris McCumber.
The comedy had an interesting release strategy for its second season - with each episode being made available on Video On Demand services a week before their debut on the network. The early access helped double the show's VOD audience from its first season. The deal included limited commercial breaks and branded spots co-created and featuring St. Clair and Lennon with sponsors including Samsung, Toyota and Comcast. A similar release strategy is expected for the third season - though that was not immediately confirmed.
"Not only is this a show for the ages, Playing House also represents a whole new way of financing production with its unique partnership of ad sales, Comcast, studio and network," said Jeff Wachtel, President and Chief Content Officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment.
"Year-over-year we have seen Playing House attract critical acclaim and a loyal fan base that continues to grow," said Jackie de Crinis, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, USA Network. "The unique relationship between Jessica and Lennon translates into a heart-warming comedy about friendship and we are delighted to have it for a third season."
St. Clair and Parham created the series and executive produce with Ravi Nandan and Scot Armstrong. Universal Cable Productions, A24 Films and American Work produce.
In addition to St. Clair and Parham, the comedy also stars Keegan-Michael Key, Brad Morris and Zach Woods.
