'Rita Rocks' renewed for second season

LOS ANGELES, March 2 (UPI) -- "Rita Rocks," Lifetime Television's first original prime time comedy in 10 years, has been picked up for a second season, the U.S. network said Monday.

The 20-episode order was announced by JoAnn Alfano, executive vice president of entertainment at Lifetime.

The family comedy starring Nicole Sullivan premiered Oct. 20, 2008, and was developed as a companion to the Lifetime staple "Reba."

Since its debut, the first season of "Rita Rocks" has had more than 36.4 million viewers.

"'Rita Rocks' is the first original comedy that Lifetime has launched in 10 years, so you can imagine how delighted we are to welcome it back for a second season," Alfano said in a statement. "It's smart, it's funny and it appeals to anyone who has ever tried to carve out a little time for herself."

In addition to Sullivan, "Rita Rocks" stars Richard Ruccolo, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Natalie Dreyfuss and Kelly Gould.