559:, rebuilding the sets and bringing the whole cast back together at Warner Bros Stage 24 where the original show was filmed. After production was delayed multiple times because of COVID-19 production shutdowns, the special finally aired on May 27, 2021 and was watched by an estimated 29% of U.S. streaming households and became the top special to launch on HBO Max.
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He quickly made a name for himself with one of his first hits that came to broad attention in 1995 when a producer brought
Darnell black-and-white footage that appeared to portray an alien being dissected. As the network feared accusations of propagating a hoax, the show was broadcast with the title
582:
Darnell's oversight of his Warner Bros
Unscripted division was quite broad, averaging nearly 2,500 hours of programming annually across broadcast, cable, streaming, digital, first-run syndication and podcasts, and which made Darnell's division the leading unscripted studio in America. John Koblin,
456:
where he is responsible for overseeing development and current programming for alternative broadcast series, high-end documentaries, unscripted streaming and cable series, and first-run syndication. In 2017, Darnell and his team oversaw 35 series across 20 different networks, including primetime
791:
210:, Pennsylvania, to Eileen and Doyle E. Darnell. His father was a policeman, and Darnell was raised and attended public school in Philadelphia's northeast section. When he was 10, a talent manager saw him singing at a
713:
714:"Inventing A Fox Formula 'when Good Pets Go Bad.' 'when Stunts Go Bad.' 'when Disaster Strikes.' Critics Cringe, But Programmers Love These Profitable Specials. Where Do The Ideas Come From? Meet Mike Darnell"
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Darnell became an executive at Fox in 1994, initially under the title "director of specials", and during his 19 years at the network he rose through the ranks to become
President of Alternative Entertainment.
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event and encouraged him to do commercials. When he was 12, his family moved to
California, where he eventually appeared in, or voiced-over, some sixty commercials. He also appeared in TV episodes such as
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reported that in
Darnell's first four years at Warner Bros, the studio had twelve unscripted series airing in primetime, more than any of its rivals.
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587:, described Darnell during his time at Warner Bros as "one of the longest-running and most successful executives in reality TV". Warner Bros. CEO
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1053:"'American Idol' Finale: Former Fox Reality Chief Mike Darnell On The Show's Origin Story & If It's The Right Time To Say Goodbye"
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In July 2023, Darnell resigned from his position as
President of Unscripted Television at Warner Bros, after 10 years in that role.
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1151:"Warner Bros' Mike Darnell On Growing Slate, Expanding 'The Bachelor' Franchise, Possible 'American Idol' Return & More"
1052:
568:, bringing the ensemble cast back together in a retrospective celebration of the franchise. In addition, Darnell produced
1448:
1021:
579:, which launched on TBS and Cartoon Network and was the most watched series across all cable networks for the year 2021.
352:
114:, Darnell was in charge of some of the most successful and longest-running franchises in television history, including
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1297:"WarnerBros.com | "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts" Premiering Jan. 1 on HBO Max | Press Releases"
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Darnell continued to find success with documentaries and events such as the Emmy-nominated HBO Max documentary
513:. The series was produced by Darnell and his Warner Horizon Unscripted Television division in association with
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1187:"CBS Orders 'The World's Best' Global Talent Competition Reality Series From Mark Burnett & Mike Darnell"
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rise from the last place network to eight consecutive seasons as the number one network. Darnell oversaw
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782:"Fox's Point Man For Perversity; 'World's Scariest Programmer,' Starring Mike Darnell as himself"
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In 2013, Darnell left Fox and began heading up the
Unscripted & Alternative division at
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1413:"Mike Darnell on ‘Little Big Shots,' ‘The Bachelor,' Ellen DeGeneres and ‘Love Connection'"
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is an
American entertainment executive. As president of Alternative Entertainment at the
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237:. He also played piano at a night spot. Soon after graduating, he had an internship at
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987:"Mike Darnell's Greatest Hits: 'Joe Millionaire,' 'Alien Autopsy' and Seth MacFarlane"
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Darnell's projects were known for their often lurid and controversial nature, leading
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Darnell is married to
Carolyn Oberman, a public relations executive who works for the
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620:
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1247:"Mike Darnell Reveals 'Friends' Cast Made 'Quite a Lot of Money' from Reunion Show"
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1275:"Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses Debut Conjures up Some Ratings Magic"
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542:. The series was produced by Darnell and Warner Horizon in association with
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1261:"'Friends: The Reunion' Was Almost as Big as 'Wonder Woman 1984' on HBO Max"
1382:"Mike Darnell Departs As President Of Unscripted Television At Warner Bros"
1357:"Reality Kingpin Mike Darnell Departs Warner Bros. TV Group After 10 Years"
1119:"'Joe Millionaire' Turned Reality TV Into the Super Bowl. Then It Vanished"
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Series that
Darnell developed and oversaw included iconic projects such as
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922:"How an Alien Autopsy Hoax Captured the World's Imagination for a Decade"
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Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed
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680:"Darnell Stays At Fox, But Upped To Prez, Alternative Entertainment"
1220:"Fox Orders Competition Series 'Mental Samurai' Hosted by Rob Lowe"
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532:
Darnell also created and executive produced the competition series
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233:. Later he worked as a bank teller to help pay his way through
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that his proudest achievements during his time at Fox included
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892:"Meet the Mad Genius Who Invented Reality TV as We Know It"
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Awards, and they have a daughter. As of 2018, he lives in
506:
243:, which he says he "hated", before he started working at
645:
Lesley Goldberg & Michael O'Connell (May 24, 2013).
110:
and subsequently president of Unscripted Television at
1022:"Mike Darnell to enter Realscreen Awards Hall of Fame"
311:
to call him "Fox's point man for perversity" in 2000.
591:
said Darnell's "record of success is unparalleled".
432:, which drew about forty million viewers, outranking
1323:"Reality TV Kingpin Mike Darnell Wants One More Hit"
856:"Reality TV Kingpin Mike Darnell Wants One More Hit"
613:"Reality TV Kingpin Mike Darnell Wants One More Hit"
780:Kuczynski, Alex; Carter, Bill (February 26, 2000).
444:that Darnell is "arguably the king of reality TV".
395:With more than thirty million viewers at its peak,
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1014:
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565:Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts
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81:Reality, unscripted & documentary television
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553:In 2021, Darnell launched the much-anticipated
1459:California State University, Northridge alumni
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818:"The story behind the reality TV golden era"
550:and Jeff Apploff and Apploff Entertainment.
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647:"Mike Darnell Exits as Fox Reality Boss"
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48:California State University, Northridge
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1086:"'Joe Millionaire' mega-money for Fox"
1065:from the original on February 12, 2017
950:
853:
811:
809:
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712:Weiner, Jannifer (December 29, 1998).
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610:
1185:Andreeva, Nellie (February 7, 2018).
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1116:
932:from the original on January 10, 2018
842:
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686:from the original on February 2, 2014
1444:21st-century American businesspeople
1434:20th-century American businesspeople
1355:Schneider, Michael (July 13, 2023).
1163:from the original on October 2, 2018
1032:from the original on October 5, 2018
997:from the original on August 31, 2018
868:from the original on October 1, 2018
815:
775:
773:
1464:Fox Broadcasting Company executives
1149:Andreeva, Nellie (March 28, 2017).
1084:Kissell, Rick (February 18, 2003).
985:Littleton, Cynthia (May 25, 2013).
889:
830:from the original on April 13, 2016
806:
13:
1199:from the original on July 10, 2018
1175:
1098:from the original on July 13, 2018
1051:Andreeva, Nellie (April 7, 2016).
794:from the original on June 12, 2018
678:Friedman, Wayne (August 7, 2007).
659:from the original on June 11, 2013
353:Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
183:Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
14:
1505:
1479:People from Calabasas, California
1439:20th-century American male actors
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902:from the original on July 1, 2017
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1218:Otterson, Joe (August 2, 2018).
492:, among others. That same year,
251:, within their news department.
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548:A. Smith & Co. Productions
409:from its creation through its
278:Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction
1:
1494:American television producers
1474:Male actors from Philadelphia
1321:Koblin, John (May 13, 2018).
854:Koblin, John (May 13, 2018).
611:Koblin, John (May 13, 2018).
597:
290:World's Wildest Police Videos
16:American television executive
1117:Baker, Katie (May 1, 2020).
7:
428:, and the season finale of
371:My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé
10:
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1449:American male child actors
434:that year's Academy Awards
424:, the success he had with
335:So You Think You Can Dance
177:So You Think You Can Dance
206:Mike Darnell was born in
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30:
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489:The Ellen DeGeneres Show
266:Fox Broadcasting Company
171:The Ellen DeGeneres Show
652:The Hollywood Reporter
212:Police Athletic League
1489:Television executives
951:Carter, Bill (2006).
746:Carter, Bill (2007).
460:Ellen's Game of Games
260:Calabasas, California
240:Entertainment Tonight
202:Early life and career
1249:. November 29, 2022.
556:Friends: The Reunion
284:When Animals Attack!
235:Cal State-Northridge
224:Welcome Back, Kotter
57:Television executive
38:, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1484:Warner Bros. people
816:Seal, Mark (2003).
1387:Deadline Hollywood
1327:The New York Times
1301:www.warnerbros.com
1277:. December 2, 2021
1225:Deadline Hollywood
1192:Deadline Hollywood
1156:Deadline Hollywood
1058:Deadline Hollywood
1028:. April 12, 2017.
954:Desperate Networks
787:The New York Times
749:Desperate Networks
682:. MediaPost News.
617:The New York Times
585:the New York Times
347:Kitchen Nightmares
309:The New York Times
198:, and many more.
153:Kitchen Nightmares
928:. June 24, 2016.
763:978-0-7679-2786-4
538:on Fox hosted by
475:franchise (ABC),
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104:Michael Darnell
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722:the original
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577:Helen Mirren
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544:Arthur Smith
533:
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511:James Corden
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36:Philadelphia
25:Mike Darnell
18:
1429:1962 births
823:Vanity Fair
583:writing in
523:Ben Winston
442:Vanity Fair
126:franchise,
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1368:2024
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730:2013
692:2013
665:2013
632:2024
621:ISSN
546:and
525:and
521:and
517:and
486:and
386:and
300:and
256:Emmy
249:KTTV
227:and
31:Born
896:HWD
507:CBS
403:FOX
245:Fox
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