GMC to Present World Television Premiere of "The 5th Quarter," the Inspiring True Story Starring Aidan Quinn, Andie MacDowell and Ryan Merriman

ATLANTA, Nov. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- GMC, America's favorite channel for uplifting music and family entertainment, will present the world television premiere of The 5th Quarter, the heart-stirring inspirational true story about a family, a college football team and a community that transform tragedy into triumph. The 5th Quarter, starring Aidan Quinn (Legends of the Fall, Benny and Joon), Andie MacDowell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Groundhog Day) and Ryan Merriman (Home of the Giants, Final Destination 3), will premiere exclusively on GMC television network, Sunday, November 13 at 7 p.m. ET, with an encore broadcast at 9 p.m.

"The 5th Quarter is a moving fact-based story that demonstrates the power of family bonds, hope and love," said Leslie Chesloff, executive vice president, programming, GMC. "This movie not only provides powerful entertainment, it also delivers an inspirational message that touches everyone. It's the kind of story we embrace at GMC and we salute the Abbate family for their courage to share it."

The 5th Quarter, written and directed by Rick Bieber (Crazy, Radio Flyer), is the touching and tragic saga of the Abbate family, headed by parents Steven (Quinn) and Maryann (MacDowell). Their lives are drastically changed when their beloved son Luke (Stefan Guy), a 15-year-old promising lacrosse player, is tragically killed in a senseless car accident. Devastated, this close-knit family strives to rebuild their lives without him, including making the hard decision to fulfill his wish to help others by donating his organs to save the lives of five people. But despite the support of loving friends and family, his death leaves a void that threatens to tear the family apart.

Struggling with the devastating loss, Luke's older brother Jon (Merriman), a star football player at Wake Forest University, decides to honor his brother's memory and his love of football by dedicating the 2006 season to him. He dons Luke's beloved No. 5 jersey, inspiring fans to make the fourth quarter the fifth quarter. Predicted to finish last in their division, the Wake Forest football team surpassed all expectations by forging an unforgettable ACC championship season.

GMC will host a live chat with the real-life Abbate family on November 7th from 7 – 9 p.m. In addition, The 5th Quarter Study Guide is available for downloading on the GMC website at www.watchgmctv.com/the5thquarter.

The Abbate family has developed The Luke Abbate 5th Quarter Foundation to help raise awareness among teenagers and parents about the life and death consequences of teenage driving and the life-saving gift of organ donation. For more information visit the website at www.lukeabbate5thquarter.org.

GMC (www.watchGMCtv.com) is America's favorite television channel for uplifting music and family entertainment. The Parents Television Council™ recently awarded its Entertainment Seal of Approval™ to GMC for being "an authentic family-friendly cable network." GMC was the only television network to receive the highly coveted honor in 2010. GMC can be seen in more than 51 million homes on various cable systems around the country, as well as DISH Network on channel 188, DIRECTV on channel 338 and Verizon FiOS on channel 224. Follow GMC TV on Facebook and Twitter at http://facebook.com/gmctv and http://twitter.com/gmctv.

SOURCE GMC TV