The Lifetime television network has renewed the Peachtree City-filmed “Drop Dead Diva” for a fifth season.
The show was rescued after Lifetime first indicated last month that it would not be renewing the show.
Preproduction is slated to begin around spring break and shooting is expected to begin in early April, according to Matt Forshee of the Fayette County Development Authority.
It is also possible that the production will attempt to film two seasons’ worth of episodes back to back, Forshee said, noting that the production helped open the door for the recent announcement that Pinewood Studios from London will build its first soundstages in the United States here in rural Fayette County.
“We are excited about it, and it certainly just continues to add to Fayette County and Peachtree City being a home for film and TV efforts in metro Atlanta,” Forshee said. “And certainly this is where we got our start leading into the Pinewood opportunity,” Forshee said.
“Drop Dead Diva” will continue to be filmed in a studio contained in a large hangar at Falcon Field Airport though the production will also film off-site as well.
Some local fans of the show have been fortunate to serve as extras on the set, as the show has developed a following that has made it one of Lifetime’s top hits.
The hour-long comedy/drama focuses on a plus-size attorney whose body becomes inhabited by the soul of a former wannabe model.
The show has pulled on a lengthy list of guest stars over its first few seasons ranging from Delta Burke and Wanda Sykes to Clay Aiken and even the former “Dr. Johnny Fever” from WKRP in Cincinnati: Howard Hesseman.
