Maura Tierney illness delays 'Parenthood'

By Nellie Andreeva

NBC's new fall drama series "Parenthood" has been pushed tomidseason because of an illness of one of the stars, MauraTierney.

The series, a contemporary reimagining of the 1989 feature, hadbeen scheduled to begin filming July 27. The production start ofthe Universal Media Studios/Imagine TV-produced show is nowtentatively scheduled for late September.

"Start of production on NBC Universal's new series 'Parenthood' hasbeen postponed for eight weeks due to medical evaluation thatvalued cast member Maura Tierney is undergoing," NBC said in astatement. "The top priority for NBC, Universal Media Studios andImagine Television is the well-being of Ms. Tierney. We are unableto release further details and ask that you respect her privacy atthis time."

"Parenthood" revolves around four siblings (Peter Krause, Tierney,Erika Christensen, Dax Shepard) and their parents (Bonnie Bedeliaand Craig T. Nelson).

As a result of the delay, NBC is making a change on its fallschedule. More details here.