Nellie Andreeva

ABC is finishing up the slew of new series orders and renewals. The Reba McEntire-starring comedy Malibu Country was the only pilot left in contention when the network made the bulk of its pickups about an hour ago. I hear the multi-camera sitcom will be paired with another multi-camera comedy fronted by a sitcom star Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing. The deal to renew the freshman comedy is almost done. The pickup of Malibu Country, which co-stars Sara Rue, means that NBC’s new series Guys With Kids will have to recast the role she played as a guest star in the pilot as she was in second position to Malibu Country.

For those keeping score, ABC picked up a total of 9 pilots to series today, five dramas and four comedies. The network also will likely look at a couple of other comedy pilots, including the well-received Daddy’s Girls and Ladyfriends, which barely missed the cut at NBC.

Related: ABC Picks Up To Series ‘666′, ‘Last Resort’, ‘How To Live’, ‘Nashville’, ‘Penoza’, ‘Neighbors’, ‘Zero Hour’ & ‘Red Man Van’

TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.