‘Undercover Boss’ reboot: Drew Carey hosts huge season 12
The “Undercover Boss” reboot is officially happening at CBS, and Drew Carey is the new host. The network announced Sept. 30 that it is bringing back the Emmy-winning reality series alongside orders for two brand-new unscripted shows, “Stacks of Cash” and “24 Hour Millionaire,” according to Deadline and Variety.
The trio of series orders marks a major expansion of CBS’s reality lineup. Target seasons and premiere dates have not been set, and CBS said additional details will come later.
What CBS announced for the “Undercover Boss” reboot
“Undercover Boss” returns for its 12th season with Carey, the longtime host of “The Price Is Right,” taking over hosting duties for what CBS calls “a refreshed take on a beloved format for today’s audience.” The original series aired for 11 seasons, with the most recent in 2022.
The premise of the “Undercover Boss” reboot stays the same: Executives disguise themselves and take jobs inside their own companies to learn how the business really runs from the ground floor. Studio Lambert produces the series, with Stephen Lambert, Jack Burgess, Abigail McCarthy, Niall O’Driscoll and Tim Harcourt executive producing. The original “Undercover Boss,” based on a British series, premiered on CBS in 2010 and won Emmys for outstanding reality program in 2012 and 2013.
Mitch Graham, CBS’s executive vice president of alternative series, said in a statement that the orders reflect “our commitment to building a deep year-round unscripted slate with formats that are ambitious, entertaining and distinctly CBS.” Graham added that in the “Undercover Boss” reboot, Carey will lead “undercover journeys that tap into the heart and authenticity of hard-working employees that audiences have always loved seeing.”
The 2 new CBS reality shows
“Stacks of Cash,” hosted by Mike O’Malley, is a family game show that pits six contestants against each other in a trivia contest. Correct answers earn oddly shaped blocks, and players try to build a tower tall enough to reach a gold line without the whole thing toppling.
The show is adapted from a format created by Australia’s Eureka Studios Group and Seven Network. It filmed in Portugal, the latest U.S. unscripted series to shoot abroad to save money, Deadline reported. Chris Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Rikkie Proost, Sonya Wilkes, David Tibballs, Ves D’Elia and Ed Egan serve as executive producers.
“24 Hour Millionaire” (working title) comes from “Big Brother” executive producers Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan and is produced by Fly on the Wall Entertainment. The series brings together elite game players for 24 straight hours of social strategy and physical challenges, with one contestant guaranteed to take home $1 million. The show has been in development at CBS for more than a year.
What it means for fans
Fans who grew up watching “Undercover Boss” get a familiar format with a new face at the helm. The original show didn’t have a host, so the “Undercover Boss” reboot adds Carey, who recently marked his 20th season hosting “The Price Is Right,” as a comedic guide to the corporate-disguise concept.
“Stacks of Cash” offers fans of family-friendly game shows a fresh format from O’Malley, known for starring in “Yes, Dear” and running series like “Heels” and “Survivor’s Remorse.” Meanwhile, “24 Hour Millionaire” promises something Graham calls “incredibly groundbreaking” for competition fans, pulling from the strategic DNA of “Big Brother” but compressing it into a single, high-stakes day.
What’s next
The “Undercover Boss” reboot and “24 Hour Millionaire” are both in pre-production, while “Stacks of Cash” has already finished filming and is now in post-production. CBS has not yet announced premiere dates for any of the three series.
Reporting from Deadline and Variety contributed to this story.
Featured image: Photo: Erik Drost / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)