I Like to Watch TV: Franklin & Bash Summoned for Second Season, Beginning June 5 (Photos & Press Release)

TNT Press Release April 12, 2012

TNT’s Franklin & Bash Summoned

for Second Season, Beginning June 5

TNT’s hit buddy legal drama series Franklin & Bash returns to the courtroom for a second season. Debuting June 5, the series starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer will air Tuesdays at 10pm (ET/PT) following TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles. Fans can stay up to speed on the latest Franklin & Bash news online at www.tnt.tv/series/franklinandbash and via Twitter @FrankandBashTNT.

In its first season, Franklin & Bash introduced viewers to Jared Franklin (Meyer) and Peter Bash (Gosselaar), two young, fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants street lawyers who caused a seismic culture clash when they joined a legendary, button-down law firm. Jared loves sticking it to authority every chance he gets. Peter, meanwhile, has a knack for connecting with judge and jury any way he can. Malcolm McDowell plays Renaissance man Stanton Infeld, the brilliant and eccentrically spontaneous patriarch of the law firm. Also starring are Reed Diamond, Dana Davis, Garcelle Beauvais, Kumail Nanjiani.

As the second season of Franklin & Bash opens, Peter and Jared are forced to tackle a little more responsibility. After being accused of misconduct, they begin to question the loyalty of colleagues, as well as question if they are staying true to who they really are. They now face a number of truly daunting tasks to ensure partner status at Infeld-Daniels and we find out the real reason Infeld hired them.

As Franklin & Bash delves more deeply into the characters personal lives this season, viewers will be introduced to ex-wives, parents and new love interests played by an impressive list of award winning guest stars. Among them, Kevin Nealon (Weeds) plays an offbeat executive the boys need to sign in order to move upward in the firm. And, Martin Mull (Two and a Half Men) plays a judge subjected to their most recent, outlandish court escapade: a death-defying water tank stunt.

Also appearing this season, Peter’s freewheeling, indecisive, "Earth Mom" Colleen Bash, played by Jane Seymour (Wedding Crashers), meddles in her son’s current love affair with a cop, played by Kat Foster ('Til Death). Jared also gets a taste of family and love when he winds up in court up against estranged father Leonard Franklin, played by Beau Bridges (The Second Civil War). Jared also meets a love interest played by Shiri Appleby (Roswell, Life Unexpected) as a smart, sweet and sassy associate of a senior partner at Infeld-Daniels charged with investigating our heroes.

Nothing can prepare Peter and Jared, however, for the most unusual challenge of their career: defending one of Infeld’s many ex-wives, played by Cybill Shepherd (Cybill). To make matters even more complicated, they will have do so by facing off against Jango & Rossi, the B-list version of themselves: Eric Jango, played by Seth Green and Ed Rossi played by Eric Mabius (Ugly Betty).

Chris Klein (American Pie) will guest-star as a charismatic politician and old high school buddy of Peter’s, and Paul Schulze (Nurse Jackie) will play Klein’s campaign manager. Rick Fox (He Got Game), Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings), Peter Weller (Robocop), Boris Kodjoe (Resident Evil: Retribution) and Kimberly Caldwell (American Idol) will also join the cast of guest stars.

Franklin & Bash drew 3.9 million viewers during its first season, ranking among basic cable's most popular new series of the summer. The show also averaged an outstanding 1.8 million adults 18-49 and adults 25-54.

Franklin & Bash is produced by Four Sycamore Productions, Left Coast Productions and FanFare Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television. Franklin & Bash is executive-produced by Jamie Tarses (Mr. Sunshine and Mad Love), Jason Ensler (The West Wing, Chuck), Kevin Falls (Journeyman, The West Wing) and Bill Chais (Shark, Dirty Sexy Money).

About Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) is one of the television industry's leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment around the world and for every platform: broadcast and cable television, first-run and off-network syndication and digital distribution. In addition to one of the industry's largest libraries of feature films and television shows, SPT boasts a current program slate that includes the top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. Internationally, SPT produces 6,000+ hours of programming annually in over 70 countries. SPT is a leader in local language productions, some of which are co-produced with local partners, and sells SPE-owned formats around the world. To better serve its clients and partners worldwide, SPT maintains offices throughout the world, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, the People's Republic of China, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Venezuela and the United Kingdom. SPT's worldwide television networks portfolio is a key strategy in SPE's long-range commitment to the global marketplace, with 119 channel feeds, which are available in 159 countries reaching more than 645 million households worldwide. SPT also creates original content for and manages SPE's premium video website, Crackle. Additionally, SPT owns Dutch entertainment company 2waytraffic, production company Embassy Row and Sony Movie Channel, and is a part owner of cable channel GSN, new 3D channel 3net, FEARnet, the premier horror/thriller website and VOD service, and national media sales company ITN Networks, Inc. SPT advertiser sales is one of the premiere national advertising sales companies, handling the commercial inventory in SPT's syndicated series as well as in all of SPE's digital businesses in the United States. SPT (sonypicturestelevision.com) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.

About TNT
TNT, one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama. Seen in 100.5 million households, the network is home to such original series as The Closer, starring Emmy® winner Kyra Sedgwick; Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Falling Skies, starring Noah Wyle; Franklin & Bash, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; HawthoRNe, with Jada Pinkett Smith; Memphis Beat, with Jason Lee; and Southland, from Emmy-winning producer John Wells (ER). TNT also presents such powerful dramas as The Mentalist, Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and, starting next year, Castle; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

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Photos feature Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Breckin Meyer, Malcolm McDowell, Reed Diamond, Dana Davis, Kumail Nanjiani