Lifetime OKs a fifth season of 'Army Wives' (update: staying in Charleston)

Image by Liftetime

Update September 25: The Post and Courier reports that thanks to the film incentives not being axed last year, the show will continue filming in Charleston; read their short post here.

First reporting September 24:

Word has just come from Lifetime that their drama about the a group of spouses and their families on a military base has been renewed for a fifth season. 

The network was keen to point out that Army Wives is the  "most successful series in Lifetime's 26-year history," with the fourth season averaging 3.2 million viewers. 

While the renewal of South Carolina's film incentives should help in keeping the shows' production in the Charleston area, there's still no official word on the location.

Here's the full press release for the curious:

"Army Wives" Renewed for Season 5

LOS ANGELES, CA (September 23, 2010) -- Lifetime Television has renewed its hit scripted series "Army Wives" and "Drop Dead Diva" for their fifth and third seasons, respectively, to premiere in 2011, during which 13 all-new episodes of each program will air on the network. The announcement was made today by Nancy Dubuc, President and General Manager of Lifetime Networks and HISTORY.

Regarding the announcement, Dubuc said, "'Army Wives' and 'Drop Dead Diva' have lead Lifetime's charge in scripted programming and are key components to our success. We are so happy with these two special programs and are excited to pick them up for new seasons, which allows us to launch our next generation of scripted series."

ABOUT "ARMY WIVES" AND ABC STUDIOS

"Army Wives" follows the struggles, dreams and friendships of a diverse group of women - and one man - living with their spouses and families on an active army post. The series stars Kim Delaney, Sally Pressman, Brigid Brannagh, Brian McNamara, Sterling K. Brown, Wendy Davis, Drew Fuller, Terry Serpico, Katelyn Pippy and Catherine Bell.

The most successful series in Lifetime's 26-year history, "Army Wives'" fourth season averaged 3.2 million total viewers this year. Its season four finale on August 22 was the program's most watched episode of the year across all demographics, including Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, Women 18-49, Women 25-54, Women 18+ and Adults 18-49.

"Army Wives" is produced by ABC Studios for Lifetime Television. Mark Gordon and The Mark Gordon Company's President of Production, Deborah Spera, serve as executive producers. Jeff Melvoin, Marshall Persinger and Harry Bring also served as executive producers of season four. The series is based on the book "Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage" by Tanya Biank, who serves as a consultant.

ABC Studios develops and produces compelling programming for broadcast on ABC, as well as across television and digital platforms. The successful partnership between ABC Studios and ABC Entertainment has delivered some of the most successful, talked-about and evolutionary series on television today, including "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Brothers & Sisters".