Austin & Ally

Austin & Ally is an upcoming American television sitcom that will premiere on Disney Channel in the United States. The series was created by Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert, the writers and producers of Disney Channel sitcoms Sonny with a Chance and Jonas. Production for the pilot episode began in mid-February 2011. On May 25, 2011, Disney Channel announced that Austin & Ally had been picked up for a Late 2011 premiere. The first promo was released on October 14, 2011 during Disney Channel's Make Your Mark: The Ultimate Dance-Off event. A series preview will follow the premiere of the Disney Channel Original Movie Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas!.

Premise
Austin & Ally is a multi-camera comedy about the unique relationship between a 15-year-old aspiring songwriter with stage-fright named Ally, and Austin, another aspiring singer who obtains celebrity status overnight after performing one of Ally's songs online. The two struggle with how to keep Austin's newfound fame and profit from it, while keeping up with their high school lives. The series has been described as a "pint-sized" version of HBO's hit comedy-drama Entourage.

Plot
The series follows the partnership between polar opposites — Austin, an extroverted musician/singer, and Ally, a brilliant yet shy songwriter and their two best friends, Trish and Dez. Unbeknownst to Ally, Austin and Dez “borrow” one of her songs, record it, create a video and post it on the Internet, after which it and Austin become a local sensation. When Trish convinces Ally to tell the world she wrote the song, Austin pleads with her to write another hit for him. Instead, the two combine their talents to create a true musical tour-de-force.

Cast

 * Ross Lynch as Austin, is a 15-year old aspiring singer who became an overnight teen internet sensation. He struggles to maintain the same and make money from his new-found stardom. Austin might have feelings for Ally but they are not dating. Later in the series, he might date Ally.
 * Laura Marano as Ally is a 15-year old aspiring singer-songwriter with an extreme case of stage fright. She wrote the hit song that Austin performed, but nobody knows about it yet and is kept a secret. Ally may have feelings for Austin but they are not dating. Later in the series, she might date Austin
 * Raini Rodriguez as Trish, is a 15-year old fashionista, who becomes Austin's personal stylist and his manager. She's Ally's best friend.
 * Calum Worthy as Dez, is a 15-year old geeky aspiring director who films everything he can. He's the one who filmed Austin singing Ally's original song and posted it online. He is Austin's best friend.

Episode

 * Main article: List of Austin &amp; Ally episodes

Development and production
On May 25, 2011, Disney Channel announced that Austin & Ally had been picked up to a series. The pilot was directed by Shelley Jensen. Casting for the series regulars were held nationally around the United States and shooting for the pilot began in Los Angeles Center Studios in early March 2011. It was announced in May 2011 that production had begun on the series. On September 29, 2011, it was announced that Disney Channel had extended the show's episode order from 13 episodes to 21.