The NBC new fall drama series, “Parenthood” has been pushed back from its September 23 premiere date because one of the stars in the series is ill. The date has not yet being finalized but a tentative mention has been made of a mid season (November to February) launch.

The 44 year old Maura Tierney is reportedly to be ill. However, nothing further has been divulged regarding the illness. NBC has said in a statement that, “Start of production on NBC Universal’s new series ‘Parenthood’ has been postponed for eight weeks due to medical evaluation that valued cast member, Maura Tierney is undergoing. Top priority for NBC, Universal Media Studios and Imagine Television is the well being of Ms. Tierney. We are unable to release further details and ask that you respect her privacy at this time.”

This is the second time that the filming of the drama has been put on a halt, due to unfortunate reasons. The production of the pilot had been brought to a sudden halt for two days in April, earlier this year, when NBC Universal’s program executive Nora O’Brien had passed away unexpectedly. Due to this unexpected development, NBC is now trying to re-schedule its programs to fit around the changes. Now, in place of “Parenthood”, “Mercy” is going to hit the television screen during the fall.

“Parenthood” is based on the 1989 Steve Martin starer movie, that portrays the tender tale of relationship between four siblings and their parents. The production was scheduled to go on floors from July 27 but now has been pushed back by almost eight weeks. The show stars Peter Krause, Erika Christensen, Dax Shepard, Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia beside Tierney.