Mark Burnett’s new reality series "Our Little Genius" was scheduled to debut Jan. 13, but it is being postponed to do reshoots for unspecified reasons.
In a statement, Burnett said, “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.”
A statement from Fox Broadcasting Co. said: “Mark Burnett is one of the preeminent 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.”
Fox said in place of the scheduled, heavily promoted Jan. 13 premiere, it will run an encore of the 450th episode of "The Simpsons" on Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 9:30 p.m., following an extended, 90-minute episode of "American Idol." (The "Simpsons" milestone premieres Sunday at 8 p.m.)
On Tuesday, Jan. 19, Fox will run an encore of the pilot of new series "Human Target" at 9 p.m. following an hourlong "American Idol."
