"Desperate Housewives" has been off the air for less than a year, but if you miss Eva Longoria, you'll be happy to know she's returning to television. No, not as Isabella on "Y&R" (if that was to happen, it should have happened a year ago); rather, the actress will star in a primetime animated series that she will also executive-produce.
"Mother Up!" chronicles the daily life of Rudi Wilson (Longoria), a former music industry exec-turned-suburban mom. Rudi wants to be as good at motherhood as she was in the music biz, but struggles when she realizes she's not the greatest parent. The series also stars Canadians Jesse Camacho ("Less Than Kind") as Dick, Gabrielle Miller ("Corner Gas") as Sarah, Cle Bennett ("Flashpoint") as 2Bit, Helen Taylor as Jenny, Rebecca Husain as Apple, and Scott McCord as Greg.
The 13-episode, half-hour comedy -- which is written, produced, and voiced in Canada -- is set to debut in Fall 2013 on Citytv, and will air on Hulu in the U.S.
"Smart and hilarious, 'Mother Up!' epitomizes the kind of comedy that City's prime-time schedule is famous for," said Claire Freeland, Director of Original Programming Rogers Media. "With the star power of Eva Longoria, 'Mother Up!' is the perfect addition to the premium City lineup and furthers our commitment to the development and production of original content."
Michael Shipley ("Family Guy," "My Name is Earl") developed the series, based on Marnie Nir and Katie Torpey's original material, and will also serve as executive producer. Canadian Greg Lawrence has signed on as show runner and executive producer, joining the all-Canadian creative team of writers including Mark McKinney ("Less Than Kind"), Jenn Engels ("Seed"), Laurie Elliott ("Crash Canyon") and Laura Kosterski ("Naked Josh").
(City vows to stay committed to Canadian programming, and the network isn't disappointing. "Mother Up!" joins other original series like "Package Deal" and "Seed," which premieres later this month.)
