Not being able to give up the Chase, Zoey Brooks returned to Pacific Coast Academy for another semester.
The fourth season of Jamie Lynn Spears' sitcom, Zoey 101, quietly premiered on Nickelodeon Sunday, putting to rest speculation that the family-friendly cable network would ice the series' fourth season in light of its star's expectant status.
Season four finished shooting last summer, and Britney's 16-year-old sister didn't reveal she was 12 weeks' pregnant until mid-December, but there was still the question of how the network and Spears' fans would react to the news.
"We respect Jamie Lynn's decision to take responsibility in this sensitive and personal situation," Nickelodeon said in a statement when the news hit the fan. "We know this is a very difficult time for her and her family, and our primary concern right now is for Jamie Lynn's well being."
Zoey 101's season-three cliffhanger had Zoey moving to England with her parents, so there was an ending in sight if Nick had decided to pull the plug.
But why ruin what may have been a great thing for ratings, however controversial for 9- to 14-year-olds?
The hourlong finale on Jan. 4 attracted a record 7.3 million viewers, outpacing every other scripted show on cable that night, walloping its third-season premiere numbers (3 million) and besting Britney Spears' appearance on the MTV Video Music Awards in September, which was watched by 7.1 million.
So, instead of hunkering down across the pond, Zoey returned to her picturesque oceanside high school after realizing she had romantic feelings for longtime pal Chase Matthews, who's played by Sean Flynn. Unfortunately for Zoey, Chase hightailed it to London in episode one to matriculate at the school he thought Zoey would be attending, so she's currently in L.A. without a beau.
While Zoey is back in school and season four will carry on into May, Spears has pretty much dropped out of sight.
Little is known about Spears' plans for the future or the current status of her relationship with her longtime boyfriend and purported baby daddy Casey Aldridge, and the high school junior has kept her face (new pictures of her face, at least) out of the tabloids.
"She is on hiatus," publicist Holly Shakoor said Monday of her client's low profile.
Not that staying out of the spotlight has kept rumors from surfacing, including stories that the 4½-months-pregnant Spears had suffered a miscarriage, has been partying too hard, or is planning to hand her baby over to mom Lynne—all of which have been adamantly denied by her rep.