USA Renews ROYAL PAINS for Two More Seasons

By: Nov. 05, 2014
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The doctor is still in! usa network announced today that it has greenlit two new seasons for the concierge doctor series, ROYAL PAINS. Seasons seven and eight will each feature eight all new episodes. The popular drama, which wrapped its sixth season on September 2, remains a top 10 series on its night, averaging 3.36M total viewers. The series will celebrate its 100th episode in season eight.

The renewal comes on the heels of a season five announcement for the hit legal drama SUITS, which was a top five scripted series in ad-supported cable in all key demos in 3Q, and a season two for USA's newest entry SATISFACTION, which was among the top 10 new original scripted series in A18-49 for 3Q. Both series are from Universal Cable Productions.

"'Royal Pains' remains a staple for fun summer TV viewing, and we are pleased to bring back the series for two additional seasons," said Chris McCumber, President USA Network. "We're extremely proud of both the talent and creative team, who, season after season, have brought to life to these relatable and multifaceted stories, which continue to attract a loyal fan base."

"'Royal Pains' was a breakout hit from its first episode and continues to deliver for USA and our studio," said Jeff Wachtel, President and Chief Content Officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. "It's no easy feat to maintain a real connection with your audience season after season, but Andrew, Michael, Mark, Paulo, Reshma and the rest of team have done that and more."

For six seasons, ROYAL PAINS has centered on HankMed, a concierge medical practice serving all of the Hamptons. It stars Mark Feuerstein ("Defiance," "In Her Shoes"), Paulo Costanzo ("40 Days and 40 Nights"), Reshma Shetty ("30 Rock"), Brooke D'Orsay ("Two and a Half Men") and Ben Shenkman ("Burn Notice"). Over the years, ROYAL PAINS has enjoyed 1.4 million social media fans, with 926K Facebook fans and 464K Twitter followers.

ROYAL PAINS kicked off this past season when Hank (Feuerstein) returned from his world travels with Boris (guest star Campbell Scott) to find that his HankMed family had moved on without him. Hank forged ahead to fit into this new normal, but everything changed when Emma (guest star Willa Fitzgerald) showed up in the Hamptons claiming to be Hank and Evan's (Costanzo) half-sister. Upon discovering the claim was true, the brothers invited her to stay to strengthen a familial bond, but the reunion was made more difficult when Emma's desire to fit in led to a number of mishaps.

Elsewhere, Evan and Paige (D'Orsay) both dealt with new obstacles in couple's therapy but rediscovered their love for each other. Divya (Shetty) struggled to balance motherhood with her job but found herself at odds with Jeremiah (Shenkman), who was furious with her for meddling in a developing relationship. Later, Hank rekindled his relationship with Charlotte (guest star Gillian Alexy), an adventurous blind woman he met during his travels with Boris.

In the season finale, after Boris purchased Hamptons Heritage Hospital, Hank reluctantly accepted the offer to join the board of directors, along with the rest of HankMed. Divya, in the midst of her battle for custody for her daughter, found comfort in the surprise return of Raj (guest star Rupak Ginn), and Emma and Eddie (guest star Henry Winkler) embarked on his book tour together, bringing their family closer than ever.

From Universal Cable Productions, ROYAL PAINS is written and executive produced by Andrew Lenchewski ("UC: Undercover") and Michael Rauch ("Life is Wild"). Rich Frank ("More") also serves as executive producer along with Jeff Kwatinetz ("Unstoppable") and Paul Frank ("Comanche Moon") from Prospect Park.



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