Freeform has secured a fourth season of its hit comedy series Young & Hungry, the network announced Monday.

The food-themed series, which stars Emily Osment and Jonathan Sadowski, will begin production of its fourth season today (March 7). The series is currently the top scripted original series in its Wednesday 8 p.m. time period, the network said.

Young & Hungry is produced by David Holden, Ashley Tisdale, Jessica Rhoades, Caryn Lucas, and Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum in association with CBS Television Studios.

 “Young & Hungry is the first series we’ve renewed under the new Freeform banner. It remains a staple in our comedy diet,” said Karey Burke, executive vice president of programming & Development for Freeform in a statement. “The show’s humor, quality and wonderful actors fit perfectly with our evolving brand.”

Disney Channel will resurrect its successful High School Musical franchise, announcing Tuesday a casting search for new original movie High School Musical 4.

The new movie will continue the story of High School Musical, which launched the first of three films in 2006, and will introduce a new cast of East High Wildcats and their cross-town school rivals, the West High Knights, said network officials.

Jeffrey Hornaday (Teen Beach Movie, Teen Beach 2) will direct and choreograph the movie, according to Disney.  

The High School Musical franchise, which helped launch the careers of young actors Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu, drew 7.7 million viewers in its January 2006 debut, at the time setting a Disney Channel ratings record.

The August 2007 High School Musical 2 film remains the most watched original movie in cable history, generating 18.6 million viewers.

"High School Musical is part of Disney Channel’s DNA,” said Gary Marsh, President and Chief Creative Officer for Disney Channels Worldwide in a statement. “It embodies all that we stand for. As a way of continuing to embrace that heritage, we're excited to announce 'the start of something new' -- as we launch a search for a new class of East High Wildcats to star in a fourth installment of the 'High School Musical' franchise."

Disney Channel will celebrate the 10th anniversary of High School Musical by reuniting several stars from the popular film, the network said Sunday.

High School Musical stars Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman will appear in nostalgic interstitial segments during Disney’s Jan. 20 airing of High School Musical, said the network. Zac Efron will also be featured in a pre-taped message to High School Musical fans. The movie initially premiered Jan. 20 and generated 17 million viewers – at the time a cable record for an entertainment show.

"Seeing the cast of High School Musical back together again reaffirms what made it special 10 years ago,” said Gary Marsh, President and Chief Creative Officer, Disney Channels Worldwide. “It's their optimism, their dedication and their extraordinary talent -- as a group -- that made this such an exceptional movie and cultural phenomenon.  Ten years later, the movie continues to delight audiences around the globe, not just for its memorable song and dance numbers, but for its universal themes that continue to resonate with fans everywhere - express yourself, believe in yourself and always follow your dreams."

Comic-Con's pending subscription VOD service -- to be launched in partnership with Lionsgate -- took advantage of the Comic-Con International convention in San Diego to announce the first original series slated for the service.

The unscripted series will follow aspiring "Geek Couture" fashion designers as they prepare designs for the "Her Universe Fashion Show" at the 2016 Comic-Con. Fittingly, the series was announced from this year's Her Fashion runway (watch a catwalk video here on YouTube's GeekPow channel).

Her Universe is a clothing company founded by actress Ashley Eckstein (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) to create licensed apparel and accessories designed specifically for "fangirls."

"Five years ago, when we launched Her Universe, fangirls were an afterthought and 'Geek Fashion' was nothing more than a men's boxy t-shirt," Eckstein said. "[W]e set out to build an empowering community and merchandise line for fangirls to step into the spotlight and feel celebrated and stylish!"

The series -- as yet untitled -- "captures the incredible diversity of our fan culture," David Glanzer, Comic-Con's director of marketing, said. "[It] will immerse viewers in the preparations, excitement and suspense leading into next year's geek fashion competition."

Eckstein and actresses Ashley Tisdale (Clipped, Young and Hungry) and Jennifer Tisdale (Inner Circle) will executive produce the series, which will be produced by Her Universe, Blondie Girl Productions and Lionsgate.

The producers' previous roles in movie franchises that hit Comic-Con's sweet spot is expected to generate enthusiasm for the series, noted Seth Laderman, executive VP/GM of the new channel.

"The Comic-Con SVOD service is about creating and delivering content specifically for and about this amazing and passionate fan base," Laderman said. "We believe that they will deliver a program that speaks directly to our core fans."

Comic-Con said it would announce additional content for the SVOD service "soon." In addition to original original content, the service will also carry films and television series from Lionsgate and other studios aligned to Comic-Con fans' diverse interests, as well as archived footage from Comic-Con International's 45-year history.

In April the partners said the service would launch later this year, but this week said it would launch "early next year."