Cecelia Ahern's sitcom Samantha Who? is to be screened by TG4 nine months after it was rejected by RTE.

The Irish language station snapped up the first two seasons of the series penned by the Taoiseach's daughter and best-selling author.

However, RTE had already turned down the sitcom for not being "outstanding" and despite its success in the US insisted they made the right call.

Amnesia

Samantha Who? is about a woman who wakes up from a hit and run accident with amnesia and the first season is due to be broadcast this autumn.

Industry sources estimate that each of the 30 episodes will have cost TG4 between €500 and €900.

The American producer of the show, American Broadcasting Company (ABC), also makes US hits Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy.

ABC approached Irish broadcasters last year after Samantha Who? attracted 14.4 million viewers in its second week of airing in America, but RTE, TV3 and Channel 6 all rejected it. TG4 bid on the series, but did not match the asking price.

Director of broadcasting and acquisitions at RTE, Dermot Horan, said it had "absolutely made the right choice" to turn down Samantha Who? because it offered "nothing incredibly new or innovative".

Mr Horan attributed the initial high ratings of the show in the US to the popular show that preceded it, and he questioned whether the plot could last a third series.

"It did well at first because it came directly after Dancing with the Stars. That was getting a 20-21pc share of the audience, so Samantha Who? was getting a 14pc share," Mr Horan said.

"Once Dancing with the Stars finished and Samantha Who? had to stand on its own, it went down to a 10pc audience share. It's getting a second series, but the jury's out on whether it'll get a third."

Despite RTE's misgivings, the show was the highest-rated new sitcom when it first aired in America last year and TG4's acquisitions and output director Lis Ni Dhalaigh is optimistic that the show will attract a strong following in Ireland.

Broadcast

The show will be broadcast at 9pm on Thursdays, starting on September 11, and will be repeated on Friday evenings.

"The Irish connection appealed to us, that it was written by an Irish person," Ms Ni Dhalaigh said. "The target audience is young and female so 9pm is a good slot. We hope that they warm to the characters and stay loyal to it."

In a further effort to win a female audience, TG4 has acquired Lipstick Jungle, a Sex and the City-style comedy. It has also bought a new series of Nip/Tuck.

- Sarah Neville