NBC has picked up and is currently casting a second installment of its unscripted show "The Biggest Loser," which has helped the network gain viewers on Tuesday nights recently.

The second edition of the show will run for eight episodes, the Hollywood trade papers report. It's likely to debut in the spring. Applications for the second show and information on open casting calls is available at NBC.com.

Thrown onto the schedule with little advance hype, "The Biggest Loser" has become a solid performer for the network. The series, in which overweight people compete to see who can lose the most while fighting off temptations, is averaging close to 10 million viewers per week.

NBC expanded the show to 90 minutes for sweeps to fill the spot vacated by "Father of the Pride's" hiatus. Both of those episodes have logged more than 10 million viewers and decent ratings in the network's target audience of adults 18-49. The final half-hour of Tuesday's (Nov. 16) episode scored a 5.6 rating in the demographic, topping the premiere of "The Amazing Race" on CBS.

The series has also delivered vastly better ratings than the 8 p.m. timeslot's previous occupant. "Last Comic Standing" drew only about 6 million viewers per week in its early-fall run.