Showtime orders series 'The Affair,' 'Happyish'

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. cable network Showtime says it has ordered two new 10-episode series -- the 1-hour drama "The Affair" and the half-hour comedy "Happyish."

The announcement was made Thursday by David Nevins, president of entertainment at Showtime Networks Inc.

"The Affair" stars Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Maura Tierney and Joshua Jackson, while Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kathryn Hahn and Rhys Ifans headline "Happyish."

"'The Affair' is a beautiful pilot. It is an intense exploration of two marriages and the affair that disrupts them -- with great acting and a very clever, deeply-observed script by the marvelously talented Sarah Treem," Nevins said in a statement.

"Shalom Auslander and Phillip Seymour Hoffman make for a formidable and unusual comedy team. The chance to get one of the truly great actors of our time into a such an incisive and current comedy was totally and completely irresistible."