Matt LeBlanc's 'Episodes' renewed for a fifth season

LOS ANGELES, June 11 (UPI) -- Showtime says it has ordered a nine-installment fifth season of Episodes, its celebrated comedy series starring Matt LeBlanc.

Filming on Season 5 of the half-hour show is to begin next year in London.

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

"We are so pleased to continue working with David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik, two of the sharpest creative minds in comedy, along with the incredibly talented cast, led by Matt LeBlanc," Nevins said in a statement. "And now that viewers have even more ways to access Showtime programming, I'm excited for a whole new audience to watch this smart, funny comedy gem."

Co-starring Stephen Mangan, Tamsin Greig, Mircea Monroe, Kathleen Rose Perkins and John Pankow, the program features former Friends star LeBlanc as a fictionalized version of himself.