Shark Tank: ABC Orders Additional Episodes

“The sharks are back!” The tough entrepreneurs have been having an amazing season, registering some of their best ratings in the show’s four season history. It looked like the show was going to be cancelled several times over the years so no doubt ABC execs are very happy that they hung in there.

Last May, Shark Tank was renewed for year four, its biggest season to date with 22 episodes. Now, ABC has ordered two more episodes for 2012-13.

The network has also announced that Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane will be a guest shark on November 2nd. That’s the night that the show moves to its new 9pm timeslot.

Here’s the press release:

ABC’S “SHARK TANK” RECEIVES ORDER FOR TWO ADDITIONAL EPISODES FOR 2012-13 SEASON

“Shark Tank” Moves to its New Time, November 2 at 9:00 p.m., When 2013 Oscar(R) Host Seth MacFarlane Makes Surprise Guest Appearance

ABC recently added two additional episodes to its Emmy-nominated, business-themed reality competition series, “Shark Tank,” for the 2012-13 season, bringing the season total to 24 episodes. Currently airing Fridays at 8:00 p.m., ET, “Shark Tank,” will launch in its new 9:00 p.m. slot FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, making room for the new comedy block of “Last Man Standing” and “Malibu Country.”

Ratings for the series continue to blow the lid off the Tank for ABC. “Shark Tank” leads its time period for its 2nd straight season in Adults 18-49, finishing as Friday’s No. 1 TV series on each of its last three telecasts across all key Adult demos (AD18-34/AD18-49/AD25-54). The show is a big draw with Upscale young adults, pulling in the fourth-highest Median Income ($75,700) of any series on the major nets this season and producing 44% higher ratings than the norm (Index of 144) in Adults 18-49 in homes earning $100k+ annually. Performing at series highs to post double-digit growth over its prior season average in Total Viewers (+13%) and Adults 18-49 (+17%), ABC’s “Shark Tank” is seeing its strongest season ever.

In the November 2 episode, Seth MacFarlane (“Family Guy” creator; host of “85th Academy Awards(R)” airing Sunday, February 24, 2013 on ABC) comes to the Tank to support his friend and horseback riding teacher from Sylmar, CA, who claims he has built a better fly trap. In the same episode, one of the Sharks makes an unprecedented $1 million offer to an entrepreneur, while Sharks Lori Greiner and Daymond John fight for a piece of an entrepreneur’s food storage container business.

Now in its fourth season, the combined offers made by the Sharks over the years to entrepreneurs seeking to make their American dream come true is $26 million. In Season 4, the Sharks will offer $12.8 million of their own money in investment deals to bankroll a creative array of innovative entrepreneurs. The Sharks — tough, self-made, multi-millionaire and billionaire tycoons — give budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true and potentially secure business deals that could make them millionaires. They are: billionaire Mark Cuban, owner and chairman of AXS TV and outspoken owner of the 2011 NBA championship Dallas Mavericks; real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran; “Queen of QVC” Lori Greiner; technology innovator Robert Herjavec; fashion and branding expert Daymond John; and venture capitalist Kevin O’Leary.

Mark Burnett, Clay Newbill and Phil Gurin are the executive producers. “Shark Tank” is based on the Japanese “Dragons’ Den” format created by Nippon Television Network Corporation. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television. For more information on “Shark Tank,” visit ABC.com.

What do you think? Are you a fan of Shark Tank? Looking forward to Seth MacFarlane guesting on the show? Do you think the new timeslot will negatively impact the ratings?