MUMBAI: US women's broadcaster Lifetime has ordered 20 episodes of Bianca. This is a weekly primetime novela based on the German television series of the same name. It was created and produced by FremantleMedia's Grundy UFA

The series will be produced on location in Australia and comes from FremantleMedia North America, the producers American Idol. Bianca explores forbidden love between a woman searching for a new life after being unfairly imprisoned and a wealthy man trapped into an impending loveless marriage.

Lifetime Entertainment Services president, entertainment Susanne Daniels says, "Bianca is an exciting series for us -- it's a sexy, flirty, fun modern soap filled with deception, murder, secrets and betrayal -- and is an ideal format for our audience" .

FremantleMedia North America CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz said, "This is a ground-breaking deal for FremantleMedia North America as it will be the first time that we will be producing a scripted series in the US. Internationally, however, we have a long tradition of producing popular serial drama and have recently been very successful at introducing the telenovela concept to Europe. We look forward to working with Lifetime to bring the story of Bianca to US audiences this fall."