ABC's "The Nine" Premieres Wednesday, October 4th  9/25/06

PREMIERE

NINE STRANGERS SUDDENLY BECOME HOSTAGES DURING A ROBBERY OF A LOS ANGELES BANK, ON THE SERIES PREMIERE OF "THE NINE," WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4 ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK

"The Nine" is a complex character drama series that will unravel the mystery of what transpired during a bank robbery turned 52-hour hostage situation in Los Angeles. Chronological flashbacks of what happened inside the bank will open each episode, but the heart of the series is how that harrowing experience impacts the key characters in their present day lives as they continue to intertwine, deepen and complicate the connections to one another. "The Nine" premieres WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

In the premiere episode, "Pilot," two bank robbers are seen plotting their impending attack on Fidelity Republic Bank. Within the first 10 minutes of the episode, the crime has gone terribly wrong. Caught in the turmoil inside the bank are Nick Cavanaugh (Tim Daly), a charming homicide detective with eyes for one of the tellers; Malcolm Jones (Chi McBride), the kind and patient bank manager; Kathryn Hale (Kim Raver), a career-driven Assistant D.A.; Jeremy Kates (Scott Wolf), a hotshot surgeon to whom everything has always come easily; Lizzie Miller (Jessica Collins), a compassionate hospital social worker and Jeremy's girlfriend; Egan Foote (John Billingsley), a suicidal nebbish looking for a boat loan; Eva Rios (Lourdes Benedicto), a single mom and bank teller who has fallen for Nick; Franny (Camille Guaty), Eva's party girl younger sister and the bank teller who got Eva her job; and Felicia Jones (Dana Davis), Malcolm's sheltered daughter who came to the bank just to borrow the car.

Revolving through police, legal and medical worlds, the series is one of hope and rebirth, as the characters continue to reinvent themselves in a positive way or are haunted by fateful decisions from which they struggle to recover.

"The Nine" stars Lourdes Benedicto ("24"), John Billingsley ("Star Trek: Enterprise"), Jessica Collins ("Ghost Whisperer"), Tim Daly ("Wings"), Dana Davis ("Veronica Mars"), Camille Guaty ("Prison Break"), Chi McBride ("Boston Public"), Kim Raver ("24"), Scott Wolf ("Party of Five") and Owain Yeoman ("Troy").

Recurring in "The Nine" are are Tom Verica as Ed Nielson, Jeffrey Pierce as Randall, Susan Sullivan as Nancy Hale, Kim Staunton as Naomi Jones and Michael O'Neill as Pete Burton.

"Pilot" was written by the brother and sister team of Hank Steinberg ("Without a Trace," "61*") and K.J. Steinberg ("Beautiful People," "Judging Amy"). Hank Steinberg and Alex Graves ("The West Wing"), who directed the pilot, are executive producers and K.J. Steinberg is co-executive producer/writer. "The Nine" is a production of Warner Bros. Television, in association with Sunset Road Productions.

"The Nine" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with a 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. This program carries a TV-14,V parental guideline.

Source: ABC Press Release