Adapted for television by Stephanie Savage and based on the Lily Koppel novel of the same name, Astronaut Wives Club tells the story of a group of women bonded by the dangerous occupations of their husbands and the impact the Mercury missions have on their everyday lives. Not only are the women anxious about the possibility of their husbands not making it home, they’re forced to deal with the media spotlight from the potentially revolutionary findings of the mission and the international space race heating up as a result of the Mercury missions. The series, which had not completed initial casting yet before getting the delay, stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Once Upon a Time), Erin Cummings (Spartacus: Blood and Sand), Odette Annable (Brothers & Sisters), Desmond Harrington (Dexter), and Zoe Boyle (Freeloaders).

Once set to be one of five scripted summer dramas on its network, Astronaut Wives Club makes the third straight-to-series order ABC will have at its disposal when it compiles its 2014-2015 schedule, joining upstairs/downstairs drama The Club and crime drama Secrets & Lies. ABC reveals its schedule for next season Tuesday, May 13th.

Do you think ABC made the right move in pushing back Astronaut Wives Club? Will the show have a chance to find a foothold in the ratings this coming midseason?

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Developed for television by Stephanie Savage (Gossip Girl) and based on the Lily Koppel novel of the same name, Astronaut Wives Club tells the story of a group of women bonded by the danger their husbands face on a regular basis. Thrust into the spotlight in the middle of the international space race, the women learn to overcome the differences between them, as they must lean on each other in order to deal with the intense media attention that comes from their husbands participating in something so revolutionary. Although they knew what they were signing up for when they got together with their husbands, it’s still going to be rough dealing with the “loss” of their husbands to training and having to carry the weight of expectations on their shoulders, meaning that they’re extremely important to one another’s survival and mental well-being and that they might be what constitutes each other’s family for the foreseeable future.

In addition to his role on the Showtime serial killer drama, Harrington has appeared on the likes of Justified, Gossip Girl, and Rescue Me. He joins a cast that includes the likes of JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Reba, Once Upon a Time), Azure Parsons (2 Guns), Zoe Boyle (Freeloaders), and Odette Annable (Brothers & Sisters).

Astronaut Wives Club premieres Thursday, July 24th at 10:00 on ABC. You can read more about the life of Harrington’s character here.

Will you be watching Astronaut Wives Club? What type of stories would you like to see told during the first season, either about the wives themselves or the space travel endured by their husbands? Who else would you like to see join the cast?

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Other noteworthy moves from ABC were Mistresses retaining its Mondays at 10:00 slot, where it will again face off against ratings powerhouse Under the Dome; venerable reality-competition series Wipeout being placed in the path of Big Brother; and Motive being moved to Wednesdays, away from the Thursday post-Rookie Blue slot it aired during season one.

A full list of ABC’s summer premiere dates can be found below.

What do you think about ABC’s summer schedule? Are you upset about Whodunnit‘s cancellation, as it was left off the summer schedule with no announcement of a second season in sight? Do you think that Mistresses will hold up well against Under the Dome?

Thursday, April 24th
10:00 The Black Box

Sunday, May 18th
8:00 The 2014 Billboard Music Awards

Monday, May 19th
9:30 The Bachelorette

Wednesday, May 21st
10:00 Motive

Monday, May 26th
8:00 The Bachelorette (Time Period Premiere)

Tuesday, May 27th
8:00 Extreme Weight Loss

Saturday, May 31st
8:00 Bet on Your Baby

Monday, June 2nd
10:00 Mistresses

Thursday, June 5th
8:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night

Thursday, June 19th
8:00 The Quest

Sunday, June 22nd
7:00 Wipeout (Two-Hour Season Premiere)
9:00 Rising Star

Tuesday. June 24th
10:00 NY Med

Sunday, June 29th
8:00 Wipeout (Time Period Premiere)

Thursday, July 17th
9:00 Rookie Blue

Thursday, July 24th
10:00 The Astronaut Wives Club

Monday, August 4th
8:00 Bachelor in Paradise

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Based on the novel of the same name and developed for television by Stephanie Savage (Gossip Girl), Astronaut Wives Club tells the story of a group of women united by the dangerous occupation of their husbands and forced to lean on one another for support. Despite their differences in lifestyle and the way they approach their husband’s career, the only people who know what they’re going through are the other wives, meaning that at a time when they’re the loneliest they’ve ever been, they’re going to have to look to people they barely know to get them through the media glare. Their husbands might become famous thanks to their participation in the international space race, but they’re not the only ones who’ll be receiving attention and it’s up to the wives to keep one another in check and provide the strength necessary for each of them to survive and thrive in an increasingly stressful time.

In addition to her role on the long-running FOX medical drama, Annabale has appeared on the likes of Banshee, Brothers & Sisters, and Breaking In. She joins a cast that includes the likes of JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Reba, Once Upon a Time), Azure Parsons (Salem), and Zoe Boyle (Downton Abbey, Sons of Anarchy).

Astronaut Wives Club premieres this summer on ABC. It becomes the fourth scripted series on the ABC summer schedule, which already includes Mistresses, Motive, and Rookie Blue.

Will you be watching Astronaut Wives Club? Are you excited to see Annable return to television? Who would you like to see round out the cast?

The post Astronaut Wives Club: House Alum Odette Annable Joins the Cast appeared first on TVHackr.

Developed for television by Stephanie Savage (Gossip Girl) and adapted from Lily Koppel’s novel of the same name, Astronaut Wives Club follows a group of women bonded by the dangerous profession of their husbands. They soon realize that despite whatever personal differences that may exist between them, they must be there for one another if they each hope to survive life in the media spotlight and the possibility of losing their loved ones in the international space race.

In addition to her upcoming role on the WGN America genre drama, Parsons has appeared on the likes of True Detective, Death Valley, and Castle. She’s the second person to officially join the cast, following the addition of JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Reba, Once Upon a Time) as folksy Betty.

Astronaut Wives Club is set to premiere sometime this summer on ABC. The show will be one of several scripted series for ABC this summer, as it joins a lineup that includes Mistresses, Motive, and Rookie Blue. There’s no indication of whether ABC will pair the show with another scripted drama, if it will have an unscripted partner, or if it will be airing on its own, though the second option seems most likely since Mistresses airs along with The Bachelorette and Motive and Rookie Blue were aired together last summer.

Will you be watching Astronaut Wives Club? What do you think about the casting of Parsons as Annie Glenn? Who else would you like to see join the project?

The post Astronaut Wives Club: Azure Parsons Joins the Cast appeared first on TVHackr.

The series order for Astronaut Wives Club was the third drama pickup in recent months for ABC, which has already greenlit an untitled soap from David O. Russell and Secrets & Lies, an American adaptation of an upcoming Australian crime drama. Astronaut Wives Club will be joining the likes of Rookie Blue, Motive, and Mistresses on ABC’s summer schedule, as all networks have been looking to beef up their scripted presence during the warmest months of the year. As the announcement of summer premiere dates is at least a month away, there’s no indication where Astronaut Wives Club will air or if the show will be paired with Mistresses, which aired with The Bachelorette this past summer before airing the final few episodes of its season by itself.

This will be the first television directing job for Cassavetes, whose film credits include Yellow, Alpha Dog, My Sister’s Keeper, John Q, and upcoming The Other Woman. Interestingly enough, Cassavetes also has an acting credit in 1999 Charlize Theron/Johnny Depp thriller The Astronaut’s Wife.

The 10-episode first season of Astronaut Wives Club is set to premiere sometime this summer on ABC.

Will you be watching Astronaut Wives Club? Do you think the show will be able to find an audience in the summer? What type of dramas should ABC be pursuing for the 2014-2015 season?

The post Astronaut Wives Club: The Notebook’s Nick Cassavetes to Direct ABC Series Premiere appeared first on TVHackr.

Developed for television by Stephanie Savage (Gossip Girl), period drama Astronaut Wives Club will follow the group of women who stood beside their husbands during the height of the space race and became national figures as a result. The series is the third straight-to-series order ABC has made in recent months, following an untitled David O. Russell soap and an American adaptation of crime drama Secrets & Lies, and will be used alongside Mistresses to bolster the network’s scripted presence in the summer. Other scripted shows that ABC will be airing this summer include the fifth season of Rookie Blue and the second season of Motive, both Canadian imports.

In addition to her six seasons on the WB/CW comedy, Garcia Swisher has appeared on the likes of Gossip Girl, Once Upon a Time, and Better with You.

The 10-episode first season of Astronaut Wives Club is set to premiere sometime this summer on ABC. Further casting should be announced in the coming weeks, with a premiere date likely to be announced in the weeks leading up to the network’s May upfronts.

Will you be watching Astronaut Wives Club? Do you think Garcia Swisher is a smart casting choice for Betty? Who else would you like to see join the cast?

The post Astronaut Wives Club: JoAnna Garcia Swisher Joins the Cast appeared first on TVHackr.

Astronaut Wives Club marks the latest new series order for ABC, which has picked up crime drama Secrets & Lies and an untitled David O. Russell soap in recent months. The order further boosts their summer scripted roster, which includes two Canadian imports (Rookie Blue and Motive) and Mistresses, and allows them to experiment with limited series in the summer following botched attempts in the fall. ABC hasn’t had the best luck with similar programming in the past, with fellow ’60s drama Pan Am flaming out early in the 2011-2012 season, and making Astronaut Wives Club a limited summer engagement will lessen pressure on the show to perform while hopefully giving a hand to marginally-rated Mistresses, whose renewal was in question for much of its debut season.

After the pickup of Astronaut Wives Club, ABC has 11 drama pilots in contention for a spot on the 2013-2014 schedule, including racially-themed American Crime; Exposed, about a tabloid reporter on the search for truth; and Sea of Fire, which has already cast the likes of Jennifer Carpenter and Jack Davenport. You can check out the pilots that ABC has ordered thus far here.

Does Astronaut Wives Club sound like something you would watch? How well do you think the show will work with Mistresses? Should ABC add any more original scripted content to their summer lineup beyond Astronaut Wives Club, Mistresses, Rookie Blue, and Motive?

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