Polly Bergen Takes Role on Commander in Chief  11/3/05

POLLY BERGEN ("WINGS OF WAR," "WAR AND REMEMBRANCE") TO PLAY MACKENZIE ALLEN'S MOTHER, KATE ALLEN, ON ABC'S "COMMANDER IN CHIEF"

The legendary Polly Bergen ("Wings of War," "War and Remembrance") will play Mackenzie's mother, Kate Allen, on "Commander In Chief," it was announced today. In an interesting twist, Bergen starred in the 1964 movie, "Kisses for My President," as the first female President of the United States, with Fred MacMurray as her First Gentleman. Bergen's first episode will be the Thanksgiving-themed "The Mom Who Came to Dinner," which will air TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Delivering the most-watched Tuesday drama series debut on any network in the last five years, "Commander In Chief" has remained a strong performer for ABC in one of the most competitive time periods on television. On average, "Commander In Chief" ranks No. 1 in its hour among Total Viewers (16.4 million), Adults 25-54 (6.1/13) and Women 18-49 (5.6/13), while placing a solid second among Adults 18-49 (4.5/11). The most-watched new TV series this season, "Commander In Chief" is also the only new TV show to rank among the Top 10 shows season to date in Total Viewers (No. 8). On average, the freshman Touchstone-produced drama has improved the time period for ABC by 6.5 million viewers and by 10% among Adults 18-49 over the Network's average in the hour at the same point a year ago. "Commander In Chief" delivers a very desirable "upscale" (high income) audience. Among Adults 18-49 in homes with $100K+ annual income, "Commander In Chief" indexes (137) as ABC's third-most "upscale" show this season, while placing among the Top 10 series on television in upscale Adult 18-49 rating (6.3).

"Commander In Chief" stars Geena Davis as Mackenzie Allen, Donald Sutherland as Nathan Templeton, Harry Lennix as Jim Gardner, Kyle Secor as Rod Allen, Ever Carradine as Kelly Ludlow, Caitlin Wachs as Rebecca Allen, Matt Lanter as Horace Allen, Jasmine Anthony as Amy Allen and Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Dickie McQueen.

"Commander In Chief" was created by Rod Lurie. Steven Bochco, Dee Johnson, Rod Lurie and Marc Frydman serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Touchstone Television in association with Steven Bochco Productions.

Source: ABC Press Release