'Wizards of Waverly Place' Receives More Episodes

Disney Channel is having confidence in "Wizards of Waverly Place" that it extends the contract of third season for eight more episodes. The series starring Selena Gomez, David Henrie and Jake T. Austin, thus, goes from 78 episodes to a total of 86 episodes.

"The appeal of 'Wizards' is simple: It's our extraordinary cast," Gary Marsh, President Entertainment for Disney Channels Worldwide said in the press release. "This is undoubtedly one of the strongest comedic ensembles on television When you couple that with an incredibly gifted writing and producing team, the result is pure comedic magic."

"Wizards" recently won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program, beating fellow Disney show "Hannah Montana" and Nickelodeon's "iCarly".

"Wizards of Waverly Place" which will kick off the third season on October 9, tells the story of three siblings who are in the process of being true wizards. The series has spawned a TV movie called "Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie" which ranked as cable TV's No. 2 scripted telecast of all time with its 13.5 million viewers during the premiere in August.