FX Renews Damages for Second and Third Seasons; E! Keeps Up with Kardashians

The FX drama is set to begin season two production early next year; the E! reality show will return in spring 2008.

By Anne Becker -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/12/2007 2:31:00 AM

FX picked up its Glenn Close legal drama Damages and E! picked up its socialite family reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians reality show for new seasons.  

Damages, from Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions, gets a nod for seasons two and three - 26 episodes total. The show wrapped its first season Oct. 23 and will begin production on season two early next year--provided the WGA strike is resolved, a network spokesperson says. 

Kardashians gets a second season nod, with eight episodes set to begin production within the month for a spring 2008 debut. 

While it didn't perform as well as FX's biggest hits, like Rescue Me and Nip/Tuck, Damages posted solid ratings - 2.5 million total viewers and 1.1 million adults 18-49 for its premiere episodes. It also won critical acclaim for performances by Close, Rose Byrne and Tate Donovan, all of whom have signed on for the next two seasons. 

Its pickup helps solidify FX's strategy to produce the most robust slate of quality scripted originals possible at any given time. With Damages, the network now has six originals on its slate - The Shield, Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me, Dirt and The Riches. Damages is executive produced by Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman. 

"FX is proud of our status as a leader in fostering bold, high quality scripted programming," said FX President/General Manager John Landgraf in a statement.

Kardashians, from Ryan Seacrest Productions and Bunim-Murray, has performed well for E! since its series debut Oct. 14 with new episodes averaging more than 1 million total viewers and growing week to week, according to Nielsen.The comedic show, which tracks socialite Kim Kardashian and her Hollywood family, including stepfather Bruce Jenner, comes out of an overall production deal Seacrest has with the entertainment cable network.