Move over, John de Mol, Jerry Bruckheimer and the rest of you big shot producers, Mark Burnett is expanding his horizons and creating more new shows than you guys ever dreamed of.
Would you believe this guy? He’s not willing to rest on his laurels for even a day or two. Does Mark Burnett ever take a week off and go to a Club Med? I think not! He’s too damn busy coming up with innovative ideas. I find Mark Burnett to be endlessly fascinating because there is always something new and exciting that he’s willing to try. He is basically a storyteller and draws us in by providing unforgettable characters that he handpicks. He then lets us find out more about them and make up our own minds whether or not we like them. Where would we be without Rupert, Omarosa, Richard Hatch or Sue Hawk to name a few?
“The Apprentice” (which is now the biggest show on NBC) has almost made the network forget about the late unlamented (by me) “Friends.” Who needs phony contrived sitcoms with laugh tracks and predictable outcomes when unscripted dramas are so much more scintillating and mind blowing? All I can say is that ABC – the only network not to ever have aired a Burnett production - must feel like the girl without a prom date. They were actually offered “The Apprentice” and turned it down. They must be sore from kicking their own asses.
Here are some of Mark Burnett’s latest offerings which place him on the mountain top’s rarified atmosphere. This is the place he undoubtedly would enjoy ascending physically as well as artistically.
Recovery Burnett's latest unscripted show is called "Recovery" and I'm certain that this will be another groundbreaker. Due to the delicate subject matter “Recovery” had to be kept under wraps while investigations and searches were underway. The show has just finished and now Mark is talking about this latest venture. This project has been on MB’s mind for several years and under discussion with his partner Bazzel Baz who had been leading his own volunteer rescue operations.
Basically, the premise involves a real search for kidnapped children – one or two per episode I believe. A team of experts which consists of former U.S. Marine and CIA officer Bazzel Baz who heads a group of specialists in law enforcement, espionage and the military on missions to search for and rescue missing children. This project was cloaked in secrecy due to the extreme caution that had to be exercised in order to safely rescue the abducted kids. So far the pilot episode which took 18 months to be made, is the only one that CBS has opted to air and is in consideration for its Fall 2004 lineup. With Burnett’s track record I cannot imagine that it won’t be picked up. Forget your “Without A Trace” this stuff is real life drama.
Perhaps this is potentially the most tragic subject matter yet undertaken by the master of uplifting and challenging series. I am hopeful that the end of the searches will be successful in reuniting the missing children with their families. For Mark Burnett the story has always been more about the people and their backgrounds, so we will get to know them as the weeks unfold if this should develop into a complete series. Mark feels so strongly about this subject matter since thousands of children go missing each year in the U.S. that he hopes to help form an organization with corporate sponsorship that will devote itself full time to conducting searches and locate the lost kids.
The Contender Mark has other irons in the fire at the present time, one is “The Contender” for NBC. “The Contender” is co-produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg, Mark Burnett as well as Sylvester Stallone who will also infuse the show with the “Rocky” spirit and act as mentor. George Foreman will help choose the aspirants and Sugar Ray Leonard is on board as advisor. A few other big names in the boxing world have expressed interest in participating in the series. Mr. Burnett hopes that this might turn out to be an “American Idol” of sorts where the former professionals and producers will also foster the careers of the top contenders. A new boxing federation might be launched just for the series.
There is still time to try out for this show if you have that burning desire to get your clock cleaned in the ring. Being a woman, I am cautious in stating that I don’t really care for boxing, but I sense that I will be watching this show. I have never missed a Burnett Production except for the very first episode of “Survivor: Borneo” because I had no clue that it would be so exciting. After that I was hooked and I am a fan for life.
“The Contender” takes us into the world of pugilism. Sixteen young hopeful boxers will be selected. After being put through a rigorous training program they will get to compete in 3-round bouts with their opponents. There will be sixteen episodes which will air on NBC beginning in January 2005. Each week there will be eliminations until only two finalists will remain standing to literally fight for the ultimate million dollar prize. Sound familiar? Well, why not? This is a winning formula that has worked for Survivor, The Apprentice and now this series.
The Casino Now we get to the second upcoming series. For the first time Mark is letting FOX air this show and they couldn’t be more thrilled. Who the hell wouldn’t want the prestigious Burnett on their roster?
“The Casino” is a major undertaking that goes behind the scenes of renovating an old Las Vegas landmark – The Golden Nugget. FOX Executive Vice President of Alternative Programming Mike Darnell, will begin production this spring for thirteen episodes that will begin airing on Tuesday, June 8th. The new owners are Timothy Poster and Thomas Breitling. They made millions by selling their online travel business, Travelscape.com to MSN, which turned it into Expedia.com. They are investing part of their money to entirely refurbish the venerable old landmark and restore it to its former glory. Their goal is to provide excellent service, getting to know their customers by name, what they’re drinking and to make the guests comfortable by bringing back the kind of attention to detail which is no longer in evidence at the mega resorts lining the Strip.
Think of this: Three thousand employees which include entertainers, wait staff, pit bosses, management and security. There should be some mighty interesting stories that we will get to hear and see for ourselves. Vegas is a world that knows no night or day. It’s a 24/7 business with no clocks. Factor in the glitz and excitement of the people that come to gawk or gamble and you’ve got high drama with major entertainment value.
Whereas “The Restaurant” had some of this on a smaller scale, I imagine that this series is going to make my head spin, and I’m not talking Linda Blair, I’m saying it’s a good thing. Las Vegas is like a different planet and although I have spent time there, I always feel that it’s a surreal place. Yet families are being raised, groceries bought and mortgages being paid in one of the fastest growing urban sprawls in the country. I want to know more about the people that live and work there.
Burnett surrounds himself with excellent co-producers. I’m not only talking about the visible ones like Jeff Probst who I think is just perfect and has grown remarkably in his role of “Survivor” host (although he’s so much more than that), or Donald Trump as the Big Boss in “The Apprentice” who has made me change my opinion of him for the better, but the co-producers that work with Mark on his various projects. I am not going to mention names because there are so many, some of whom have worked with him before, and others who have just attached themselves to new projects. This is an added factor to an already dazzling success story, the man knows how to delegate.
There’s A Lot More Where That Came From But wait, you haven’t heard everything yet. Mark Burnett is going to try his hand at a sitcom. If Jerry Bruckheimer who is also a great admirer of Mark Burnett, can produce a fabulous reality show, “The Amazing Race,” and soon to be three “CSIs” as well as feature films, what’s to stop Mark from drawing on his early experience as a nanny when he first came to the U.S. and create 'Commando Nanny', a scripted sitcom that is currently in development? Absolutely nothing! I doubt that it will be anything like the grating Fran Drescher sitcom. Being an ex-commando himself, he probably applied some of the subtler tactics he learned while in the British military.
There are other projects both scripted and unscripted that include a pilot for an espionage series ”Global Frequency,' a drama about people shipwrecked on an island called “Eden” and a lot of ideas that he’s not ready to discuss at the moment. Did somebody say Broadway?
To name Burnett one of the best producers in the business is an understatement. Mark Burnett is the “big engine that could” and did and is doing. He is passionate about his work and it shows. Throughout it all, I get the feeling that this is a man who enjoys every minute of his imaginative and productive life despite the hard worker that he is.
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