Oprah Winfrey's OWN Network is doubling down on Tyler Perry's Love Thy Neighbor.
The cable network announced ahead of the scripted comedy's finale Wednesday that it has picked up 26 more episodes to premiere in January 2014.
OWN has also ordered four more episodes for Perry's scripted drama The Haves and Have Nots, bringing the total to 36.
Love Thy Neighbor is set at a family-run diner, where feisty matriarch Hattie Mae Love (Patrice Lovely) has her hands full not only managing her customers but also her family drama.
Since its May 29 debut, the series averages more than 1 million total viewers and a 0.88 rating among OWN's core women 25-54 demo. It is Wednesday night's top original series for African American viewers.
The 26-episode pickup comes after Perry's scripted drama The Haves and Have Nots had previously been picked up for 16 episodes. That series continues to rise in the ratings, with its most recent episode scoring a 1.76 rating in OWN's core demo — a series high.
OWN and Perry inked an exclusive multiyear deal in October that will see the multihyphenate develop new series and projects for the network. The pact included orders for both Love Thy Neighbor and The Haves and Have Nots.
OWN also acquired the first 45 episodes of Perry comedy For Better or Worse, which previously ran on TBS, and will produce a third season. The show takes over Love Thy Neighbor's Wednesday 9 p.m. time slot beginning Sept. 18.
E-mail: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
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