Austin & Ally

Austin & Ally is a          sitcom that premiered on Disney Channel 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 25th, 2011, Disney Channel announced that Austin & Ally had been picked up for a late 2011 premiere. The first promo was released on October 14th, 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!.

Plot:
The series follows the partnership between polar opposites — Austin an extroverted musician/singer, Ally, a brilliant yet shy songwriter and their two best friends, Trish and Dez. Unbeknownst to Ally, Austin and Dez “borrow” one of her songs, record it, create a video and post it on the Internet, after which it and Austin become a local 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 two combine their talents to create a true musical tour-de-force.

Cast:
Austin Moon (Ross Lynch) is an over night internet sensation and is really popular.

Ally Fawson (Laura Marano) is Austin's songwriter who let Austin steal her song to be a hit.

Patricia Maria "Trish" De La Rosa (Raini Rodriguez) is Austin's manager who constantly gets fired from jobs.

Dez Fisher (Calum Worthy) is Austin's best friend and director. He is a geeky dude who is funny.

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. Currently, every episode had "&" in it, referencing to the show's title.