TV: New genealogy reality shows coming

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter mentioned genealogy in its television news here.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Survivor" producer Mark Burnett is developing a remake of the classic TV show "This Is Your Life."

The show, which surprises celebrity guests with people from their past, launched as a radio program in 1948. It aired as a TV series on NBC from 1952-61, and then had a brief revival in 1972. ABC developed a remake in 2005, but the project, to be hosted by Regis Philbin, never made it to air.

"'This Is Your Life' is one of the most enduring programs to air on television, and we are thrilled to be bringing it back with the top producer of unscripted entertainment," said Barbara Dunn-Leonard, president of Ralph Edwards Prods., which owns the rights to the format.

Broadcasters have shown recent interest in biographical reality shows. Fox's dark-side effort "The Moment of Truth," NBC's "Amnesia" and ABC's "Opportunity Knocks" are game shows in which contestants are quizzed about elements of their own lives. NBC and Fox also are developing genealogy reality shows, where researchers discover secrets about participants' ancestral history.