Austin & Ally

Austin & Ally is an American television sitcom that first aired on Disney Channel on December 2, 2011 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 December 4, 2011 release date. The first promo was released on October 14, 2011 during Disney Channel's Make Your Mark: The Ultimate Dance-Off event. A series preview followed the premiere of the Disney Channel Original Movie, Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas!.

Premise
Set in Miami, Austin & Ally is a multi-camera comedy about the unique relationship between a teen aspiring songwriter with stage fright named Ally, and Austin, an aspiring singer who obtains celebrity status overnight after performing one of Ally's songs online. The two form a partnership and struggle with how to keep Austin's newfound fame and profit from it, while keeping up with their high school and everyday 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—fun loving Austin Moon, an extroverted musician/singer who can't stop getting into trouble; and serious Ally, a brilliant yet shy songwriter with an extreme case of stage fright—and their respective best friends, Dez and Trish. Unbeknownst to Ally, Austin and Dez "borrow" one of her songs from her songbook/diary, record it, create a video, and post it on the Internet, after which Austin becomes an overnight 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 duo and their friends combine their talents to create a true musical tour-de-force.

Main cast

 * Ross Lynch as Austin Moon, an aspiring singer who became an overnight teen internet sensation. He struggles to maintain and make money from his new-found stardom. Lynch (born December 29, 1995 in Littleton, Colorado) is also in a band called R5 with his three elder siblings and their friend Ellington Ratliff; his oldest brother, Riker, has a minor recurring role on the Fox series Glee. He was raised in Littleton, Colorado. Lynch has also recorded various songs for the show. The songs include "Without You" (the series's theme song), "Double Take", "Break Down the Walls", "A Billion Hits", and "Not A Love Song". A lyric video for "A Billion Hits" was released on December 6, 2011 on YouTube.
 * Laura Marano as Ally Dawson, an aspiring singer-songwriter with an extreme case of stage fright. She wrote the first hit song that Austin performed. She works at her parents' music store, Sonic Boom. She is currently writing songs for Austin.
 * Raini Rodriguez as Trish, Ally's best friend, and Austin's manager. Her jobs change daily due to her lack of effort and presence at work.
 * Calum Worthy as Dez, a geeky, aspiring director who films everything he can. He filmed Austin singing Ally's original song, and posted it online. He is Austin's best friend, and has a complicated friend/enemy relationship with Trish. He often pulls a variety of items from his backpack, ranging from a toaster to ten types of jelly.

Recurring cast

 * Andy Milder as Lester, Ally's father is the owner of the music store "Sonic Boom".
 * Cole Sand as Nelson, a young kid who takes oboe and piano lessons from Ally.

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.