Nellie Andreeva

USA Network’s hot freshman series Covert Affairs has been renewed for a second season a month into its run. The news comes on the heels of the spy drama hitting series highs across the board on Tuesday, including total viewers (5.4 million, up 4% from last week), adults 18-49 (2.3 million, up 15%) The number of episodes has not been determined yet but is expected to be in the 13-16 range.

The series starring Piper Perabo has been growing consistently since its July 13 premiere, which drew 4.9 million viewers, 2.104 million of them in the adults 18-49, making Covert Affairs the highest-rated scripted cable premiere this year in the key demographic. It has remained the No.1 cable series of the year among 18-49 (2.52 million).

Covert Affairs is the second hot cable freshman this summer to get a quick renewal, following the recent pickup of TNT’s Rizzoli & Isles. It also continues USA’s streak of renewing its first-year series. Last year, both USA  freshman series, Royal Pains and White Collar, were picked up. One of them, White Collar, was used as a lead-in to launch Covert Affairs this summer.

Covert Affairs is produced by Universal Cable Prods. and executive produced by Doug Liman and Dave Bartis through Dutch Oven and written and co-executive produced by Matt Corman and Chris Ord.  James Parriott serves as executive producer with Jonathan Glassner as co-executive producer. Co-starring opposite Perabo are Christopher Gorham, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Peter Gallagher, Kari Matchett  and Anne Dudek.

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