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Howie Mandel scores another series, Mobbed on FOX

By April MacIntyre Apr 2, 2011, 19:18 GMT

Howie Mandel - Celebrities Sighted on Hermosa Avenue in Hermosa Beach on April 1, 2010 - Hermosa Avenue - Hermosa Beach, CA, USA © Amanda Meredith / PR Photos

Apparently FOX liked Mobbed and the numbers it pulled last week.

The network ordered eight more of them. The series is hosted and executive-produced by Howie Mandel, will air on FOX.

“Mobbed exceeded our expectations in every way last night,” said Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “The show clearly connected with viewers, and we look forward to working with Howie and his team as they travel across the country to capture more of the shocking surprises, grand-scale performances and extraordinarily heartfelt moments featured in the first episode.”

“Doing this project was a huge undertaking – it was like doing television without a net,” said Mandel. “And I can't tell you how thrilled I am that FOX is giving us an opportunity to keep pushing the envelope.”

The debut was the most-watched unscripted telecast to follow an Idol episode in over two years in Total Viewers and outperformed FOX’s prior season average so far in the Thursday 9:00 PM hour by +36% among Adults 18-49.

From FOX

The show features thousands of strangers who will help individuals across the country plan extraordinary surprises for friends, family members, loved ones or co-workers. These unknowing participants will be shocked and stunned by surprise performances that lead up to fantastic reveals that include a husband learning that his wife is pregnant, an applicant finding out that she got the job and a soldier returning home from war, among others.

Throughout each hour, the individuals will be shown prepping for the event – rehearsing their routines and refining their announcements – all while receiving guidance from host Mandel. Then, on the day of the big event – with the hidden cameras rolling – the detailed plan comes to fruition and suddenly explodes into a song-and-dance spectacle they are sure never to forget. What begins as a few dancers evolves into a grand-scale performance that wraps up with a life-changing announcement for the participants like nothing ever seen on TV.

What did you think? Dig it? Hate it? Wish Howie would talk in that little kid voice and blow up gloves on his face again? Talk back.