A&E Premieres New Season of BATES MOTEL, New Drama Series DAMIEN Tonight

A&E Network presents the season four return of the critically acclaimed drama, "Bates Motel," starring Vera Farmiga in her Emmy nominated role as "Norma Bates" alongside the brilliant Freddie Highmore as "Norman." From writers and executive producers Kerry Ehrin ("Friday Night Lights," "Parenthood") and Carlton Cuse ("Lost, "The Strain"), this season will showcase Norman's deranged descent into madness. Directly following "Bates Motel" will be the series premiere of the original scripted drama, "Damien," a continuation of the classic horror film, The Omen from executive producer Glen Mazzara ("The Walking Dead," "The Shield"). Both series will premiere tonight, March 7th at 9PM and 10PM ET/PT respectively on A&E.

"Bates Motel," a contemporary prequel to the genre-defining film Psycho, will return with ten new episodes that further reveal Norman's continued downward spiral and the effect it has on the family. This season Norma becomes increasingly fearful and desperate, going to great lengths to find Norman the professional help he needs. This further complicates their once unbreakable trust while Norman struggles to maintain his grip on reality. Sheriff Romero (Nestor Carbonell) once again finds himself drawn back into Norma and Norman's lives. Will things finally heat up between Norma and the other man in her life, Sheriff Romero, and just how much further will he go to protect her?

"Damien," follows the adult life of Damien Thorn, the mysterious child from the 1976 horror film, The Omen, who has grown up seemingly unaware of the satanic forces around him. Haunted by his past, Damien must now come to terms with his true destiny -- that he is the Antichrist. The saga begins when Damien, an acclaimed war photographer, returns home to New York after experiencing a traumatic event while on assignment in Syria. Strange occurrences and flashbacks plague him and he is then forced to confront his true identity.

"Damien" stars Bradley James ("Merlin," "Homeland"), along with Oscar(R) nominee Barbara Hershey ("Once Upon a Time"), Omid Abtahi ("Better Call Saul"), Megalyn E.K. ("House of Lies"), Scott Wilson ("The Walking Dead"), David Meunier ("Justified") and Robin Weigert ("Sons of Anarchy").

"Bates Motel" is produced by Universal Television for A&E Network. Kerry Ehrin and Carlton Cuse serve as executive producers for Cuse Productions and Kerry Ehrin Productions. Tucker Gates and Vera Farmiga also serve as executive producers on the series.

"Damien" is produced by FOX 21 Television Studios for A&E Network. Glen Mazzara serves as writer and executive producer via his 44 Strong Productions. Ross Fineman, who developed the project alongside Mazzara, executive producers through his company Fineman Entertainment. Pancho Mansfield also serves as executive producer. Golden Globe(R) and BAFTA Award nominated director Shekhar Kapur directed and executive produced the first episode.

About A&E Network Now reaching more than 96 million homes, A&E is the home to quality original content that inspires and challenges audiences to BE ORIGINAL. A&E offers a diverse mix of uniquely immersive entertainment ranging from the network's original scripted series, including "Bates Motel" and "Damien" to signature non-fiction franchises, including "Duck Dynasty," "Wahlburgers" and "Storage Wars." The A&E website is located at aetv.com. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/aetv and Facebook at facebook.com/AETV.

Image courtesy of A&E

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