Nellie Andreeva

MTV has renewed freshman teen comedy Awkward for a second season. The news comes on the heels of the series, created and executive produced by Lauren Iungerich, hitting a series high 2.0 rating in persons 12-34 last week, up a whopping 21% from the week before. “The show is really resonating with our young audiences,” said MTV programming head David Janollari. “What I like about the show is that it first and foremost is a comedy but it’s also not afraid to be honest and emotional. It’s all about the voice of Jenna that Lauren Iungerich so brilliantly created, and with Ashley Rickards, we have an immensely watchable TV star who gives Jenna all the depth and humor and pathos and sympathy we’re looking for in a TV star”. Awkward is less than a month into its first-season run, with seven more episodes left to air. Season 2 will debut in 2012. In addition to Awkward, Iungerich is also shepherding a comedy pilot for MTV, the recently picked up Dumb Girls. This is the second scripted MTV series to be renewed this summer, following the recent pickup of Teen Wolf for a second season. Meanwhile, Skins and The Hard Times Of RJ Berger have been canceled after one and two seasons, respectively. “I loved the show, I admired the writing and the performances, but unfortunately the ratings were not as strong as we wanted then to be,” Janollari said of last week’s decision not to renew Hard Times. Coming up is the premiere of Death Valley on Aug. 29 and a post-Video Music Awards sneak of I Just Want My Pants Back, and the October launch of animated comedies Beavis and Butt-head and Good Vibes.

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