Mike Darnell

Mike Darnell, the man behind a string of sometimes provocative and sometimes trashy reality TV shows such as "When Animals Attack," "Joe Millionaire," "The Simple Life" and "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire," said Monday that he was staying put at Fox Broadcasting Co. For the last two months, Darnell has been courted by more than half a dozen companies, including Fox rival NBC Universal. "It was an emotional nightmare for me and my wife," Darnell said in an interview.

“The Following,” a new Fox drama about the hunt for a cult of killers is coming under scrutiny in the wake of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., last month. Premiering on Jan. 21, “The Following” stars Kevin Bacon as a former FBI agent trying to hunt down a group of murderers who are inspired by a charismatic serial killer who is behind bars.  The show, which has received good buzz, has no shortage of blood and gore. Fox Broadcasting Entertainment Chairman Kevin Reilly defended “The Following” on Tuesday at the semi-annual Television Critics Assn.

A dating series featuring "plus-size" men and women will air on Fox Broadcasting later this year. The network said Monday that it had ordered "More to Love," a show it describes as an average single guy "with a big waist and an even bigger heart" choosing among several "confident and secure plus-size women." "This is the first dating competition show in television history that reflects what most real single men and women look like, which makes it instantly relatable to the vast majority of people in the dating pool," said Mike Darnell, Fox Broadcasting's president of alternative entertainment.

The Octomom is finally ready for prime time. Nadya Suleman, the single mother of 14 children, will be featured in a Fox special "Octomom: The Incredible Unseen Footage" that producers say will offer a "jaw-dropping" look into her chaotic life. The special, which will air Aug. 19, was compiled from footage shot by RadarOnline.com, which has had full access to Suleman since last March, when she brought the first two of her octuplets home to her La Habra residence. "The access they got is amazing," said Mike Darnell, Fox's head of alternative programming.

The Octomom is finally ready for prime time. Nadya Suleman, the single mother of 14 children, will be featured in a Fox special "Octomom: The Incredible Unseen Footage" that producers say will offer a "jaw-dropping" look into her chaotic life. The special, which will air Aug. 19, was compiled from footage shot by RadarOnline.com, which has had full access to Suleman since last March, when she brought the first two of her octuplets home to her La Habra residence. "The access they got is amazing," said Mike Darnell, Fox's head of alternative programming.

Although he's a slightly built fellow who stands 5 feet tall and weighs less than 100 pounds, Mike Darnell will apparently carry the Fox network on his shoulders through the balance of the television season.

“The Following,” a new Fox drama about the hunt for a cult of killers is coming under scrutiny in the wake of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., last month. Premiering on Jan. 21, “The Following” stars Kevin Bacon as a former FBI agent trying to hunt down a group of murderers who are inspired by a charismatic serial killer who is behind bars.  The show, which has received good buzz, has no shortage of blood and gore. Fox Broadcasting Entertainment Chairman Kevin Reilly defended “The Following” on Tuesday at the semi-annual Television Critics Assn.

WESTERN civilization is apparently on the brink of collapse, and once again we can blame Fox television's Mike Darnell. Widely acknowledged as one of the most talented reality programmers in town, the normally media-shy TV executive behind "American Idol," "Joe Millionaire" and, yes, even 1995's "Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction?" has cast himself as the carnival barker for a new reality show that he jokes could push the culture over the edge.

The producers at "American Idol" wanted to shore up a dramatic slide in ratings for the show's newest season, so they added three star judges and even allowed viewers to vote online for favorites up to 50 times simultaneously. The changes for the 12th season didn't help. Ratings have plummeted by double digits for the second year in a row, down this season by 18%, to 15.8 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. In its fifth season in 2006, "Idol's" average audience was more than twice as large.

Kevin Reilly now is officially the top programmer at Fox. The network said Monday that Reilly has been promoted to chairman of entertainment at Fox Broadcasting Co., overseeing all programming, scheduling, marketing, research and business affairs for the News Corp.-owned network. Reilly's elevation has been expected since last month when his boss Peter Rice's portfolio was dramatically expanded. “Kevin is a uniquely gifted executive with the strong strategic vision and creative instincts to ensure that FOX continues to drive the future of our industry,” Rice said in a statement.

A dating series featuring "plus-size" men and women will air on Fox Broadcasting later this year. The network said Monday that it had ordered "More to Love," a show it describes as an average single guy "with a big waist and an even bigger heart" choosing among several "confident and secure plus-size women." "This is the first dating competition show in television history that reflects what most real single men and women look like, which makes it instantly relatable to the vast majority of people in the dating pool," said Mike Darnell, Fox Broadcasting's president of alternative entertainment.

WESTERN civilization is apparently on the brink of collapse, and once again we can blame Fox television's Mike Darnell. Widely acknowledged as one of the most talented reality programmers in town, the normally media-shy TV executive behind "American Idol," "Joe Millionaire" and, yes, even 1995's "Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction?" has cast himself as the carnival barker for a new reality show that he jokes could push the culture over the edge.

Mike Darnell, the man behind a string of sometimes provocative and sometimes trashy reality TV shows such as "When Animals Attack," "Joe Millionaire," "The Simple Life" and "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire," said Monday that he was staying put at Fox Broadcasting Co. For the last two months, Darnell has been courted by more than half a dozen companies, including Fox rival NBC Universal. "It was an emotional nightmare for me and my wife," Darnell said in an interview.

Although he's a slightly built fellow who stands 5 feet tall and weighs less than 100 pounds, Mike Darnell will apparently carry the Fox network on his shoulders through the balance of the television season.

Fox Broadcasting has elevated its longtime marketing and public relations executive Joe Earley to a new post as chief operating officer. The promotion of Earley is the first major move by Kevin Reilly, who himself was promoted from president of entertainment to chairman of entertainment for Fox Broadcasting earlier this month. In his new role, Earley will play a key part in programming, casting, scheduling and business affairs. Reilly said in a statement that Earley is a "dynamic leader who inspires partnership and a sense of collective purpose across our entire company.

Fox is putting big bucks behind "X-Quest," an unscripted reality show from Imagine Entertainment, the creative force behind "Apollo 13," and the co-creator of the hit videogame "Halo." Imagine's Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, along with Imagine TV President David Nevins, will work with Fox reality TV guru Mike Darnell to executive produce the show, in which two teams of contestants with no special training are locked into separate, cramped, high-tech biocrafts designed to simulate life in space.