FOX bumps 'Our Little Genius' premiere
A faulty information relay causes Mark Burnett to pull the initial episodes
Kevin Pollack of 'Our Little Genius'
Credit: FOX
FOX has pulled the Mark Burnett-produced game show "Our Little Genius" from its schedule less than a week before its January 13 premiere date.
"I recently discovered that there was an issue with how some information was relayed to contestants during the pre-production of 'Our Little Genius,'" Burnett says in FOX's cryptic statement. "As a result, I am not comfortable delivering the episodes without re-shooting them. I believe my series must always be beyond reproach, so I have requested that FOX not air these episodes."
That suggests that "Our Little Genius" has not been cancelled, just pushed for reshooting for reasons unknown.
Parsing Burnett's quote offers several possibilities.
FOX adds, "Mark Burnett is one of the pre-eminent producers of unscripted programming on television. Even though we were incredibly pleased with the quality of 'Our Little Genius,' we respect and appreciate his due diligence and the decision to pull these episodes. We agree there can be no question about the integrity of our shows. While these episodes will not air, the families who participated in the show will receive their winnings, and we are grateful for their participation."
The network statement offers no specifics regarding what appears to have been an ethical gaffe in production on the series, which is hosted by Kevin Pollack. On "Our Little Genius," child geniuses were meant to put their knowledge to the test with cash prizes on the line. It's unclear what went wrong with the first batch of episodes, when the show will reshoot or when FOX will be able to reschedule the premiere.
In the short term, FOX has extended next Wednesday's "American Idol" to 90 minutes and will air an encore of this Sunday's 450th episode of "The Simpsons." The following week, FOX will air an encore of the pilot for "Human Target."
News From Our Partners
-
The Telefile - Smash: Other Shows It Resembles More Than Glee
The Telefile - Today's TWoP News: Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Telefile - Highlights from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Reunion (Part 2)
-
Letterman's Compliments Make Denzel Washington Feel Uncomfortable
'NCIS' 200: Gibbs' Trip Down Memory Lane
Losing Their Trainer On 'The Biggest Loser'
-
RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I
Oren Moverman on Rampart and Directing Woody Harrelson
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Super Teens Edge Boy Wizard for #1 Spot
-
Reasonable Discussions: #26: Phantom Menace Beats Jedi
For Our Consideration: Chimes Of Freedom: The dos and don’ts of covering Bob Dylan
Random Roles: James Cromwell
-
'The River': What did you think? [POLL]
'Glee': How was Ricky Martin's 'Spanish Teacher'?
Kim Kardashian comes to 'Last Man Standing': What did you think?
-
Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams, And Other Prolific Movie Producers Moonlighting On Television
Why Denzel Washington Is the Last Old-fashioned Movie Star
Jean Dujardin: Can 'The Artist' Star Become A Hollywood Icon?
-
'Dark Knight Rises' Vs. 'The Avengers': Trailer Face-Off
Clint Eastwood Hits Back Against Super Bowl Ad Critics
Andrew Garfield Surprises 'Amazing Spider-Man' Fans
Comments
Option 1
Comment instantly as a guest GuestOption 2
Option 3
Login or create a HitFix account Login Signupblue_flames Ahhh ... the pit falls of making a Quiz Show ... ;D
January 7, 2010 at 7:32PM EST Reply to Comment