Courtesy Fox
From the smartypants producers of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? comes Our Little Genius, premiering January 13 on FOX. Hosted by actor/comedian Kevin Pollak, it features 6- to 12-year-old kids answering tough-as-nails trivia questions in their fields of expertise to win cash prizes for their families.
But Genius is actually more about the parents than the tykes, because it's Mom and Dad's job alone to decide when it's time to give up and cash in (with the help of a panel of grown-up intelligentsia).
The don't-miss-it moment will come when the answers are revealed and parents see if it pays to trust or second-guess their own children. Where else to develop those crucial parenting skills than on a national reality show?
Reality show producers, of course, always prefer stupid-seeming contestants to smart ones (at least amongst the grown-ups), so expect Our Little Genius to be more like "My Dumb Parents." Another likely appropriate name: "Obnoxious Kids and Their Annoying Folks."
In reality TV fads, each program always pushes the envelope a little further than the last, until you finally end up with a show like The Moment of Truth. So prepare yourself for more family-focused quiz shows, perhaps next involving envious siblings, memory-challenged grandparents, embarrassing in-laws, clueless cousins, proud teachers, bitter busdrivers and coy family pets.
After all, why should kids have all the fun?
