Star America Ferrera isn't actually ugly

Following in the footsteps of CBS' "Jericho" and NBC's "Heroes," ABC's "Ugly Betty" has become the latest freshman series to receive a full-season pick-up.

ABC made the "Ugly Betty" pick-up announcement late Friday afternoon, meaning that Friday the 13th wasn't so unlucky for executive producer Salma Hayek and not-so-ugly star America Ferrera.

It's a triumphant twist in the "Ugly Betty" story. For several years, a variety of producers and networks attempted to mount an American version of the popular Colombian telenovela "Yo Soy Betty La Fea." Different writers attempted to pitch the find the right look, tone and even length for the series.

Before the beginning of the season, ABC shifted "Ugly Betty" from an under-exposed Friday evening time period, to the ultra-competitive 8 p.m. Thursday slot that has killed many a fledgling show. Instead, "Ugly Betty" has averaged more than 15 million viewers per episode, second only to "Survivor" in its time period. In addition, the show has given ABC a 96 percent bump in total viewers and a 92 percent boost among adults 18-49 over the network's performance in the hour last season.

"In just two weeks 'Ugly Betty' has given us an impressive foothold leading into the 'Grey's Anatomy' hour on Thursday night," says ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson. "The show has proven to be competitive in a very strong time period, and we're thrilled with 'Ugly Betty's' performance."

In addition to Ferrera, who plays the title character, "Ugly Betty" also stars Eric Mabius, Alan Dale, Tony Plana, Ana Ortiz and Vanessa Williams.