FOX Pulls "Our Little Genius"

Late this afternoon, FOX issued a somewhat shocking press release…

After weeks of hype and a cushy post-“American Idol” timeslot, “Our Little Genius” will not premiere next week and no new premiere date has been set.

Even more surprising was this statement from the show’s creator, Mark Burnett, on why:

“I recently discovered that there was an issue with how some information was relayed to contestants during the pre-production of ‘Our Little Genius.’ 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.”

Interesting…

“Genius,” hosted by Kevin Pollak, is a game show in which “little geniuses” must answer increasingly difficult questions as they try to win money for their families. But the parents can stop the game at any time and walk away with whatever they’ve earned. To help them decide, they can check with adult experts throughout the game.

In its own statement, FOX said although the completed episodes will not air the families who participated will receive their winnings.

FOX will now expand “American Idol” to 90 minutes on January 13th followed by an encore of the 450th episode of “The Simpsons” at 9:30 p.m. On January 19th at 9 p.m. (when “Genius” was slated to premiere in its regular timeslot), FOX will air an encore of the pilot of “Human Target.”

Photo Credit: FOX