O.J. debacle shows Fox back to its ‘old habits’

It’s been years since his criminal and civil trials, yet O.J. Simpson continues to reveal who we are. That can apply to television networks as well as people.

On the strength of such hit shows as “American Idol,” “24” and “House,” Fox Television in recent years seemed to be gradually washing away its original image as a network unafraid to wade in the primordial ooze of the lowest common denominator. This, after all, is the network that brought the American public -- who, for the most part, was only too happy to watch -- “Alien Autopsy: (Fact or Fiction?),” “When Animals Attack!” and “Celebrity Boxing,” even as it broadcast the sophisticated “The Simpsons.”

But Fox’s ill-fated decision to step back into the muck with a two-part televised interview with Simpson only to be forced earlier this week to cancel after grossly miscalculating public outrage raises questions about the network’s split personality. Does the humiliation of the O.J. debacle, paired with its successful mainstream programming, put any future freak-show projects in jeopardy? Or, is the carnival element too deeply embedded at Fox, part of its DNA code?

“You’ve got to wonder, ‘What were they thinking?’ ” said Brad Adgate, research director for ad buyer Horizon Media. “This harkens back to the old Fox, like when they did ‘Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?’ They don’t need to do that anymore; it was completely unnecessary.... What it says really is that old habits die hard.”

Fox executives have steadfastly refused to comment on the origin of the Simpson show and on who ultimately green-lighted the short-lived project that sparked a mini-revolt among affiliates that were rejecting the show regardless of what the network did. The network also declined to comment for this story.

But the Simpson interview bears the familiar stamp of what many regard as the network’s secret weapon (or shame, as say some critics): Mike Darnell, executive vice president of alternative programming. As long as the 44-year-old programming guru occupies a Fox office, the circus element will always be there, say longtime network observers.

Sometimes likened to a P.T. Barnum for the electronic age, the 5-foot-tall executive, who as a child actor appeared on episodes of “Kojak” and “Welcome Back, Kotter,” is famous for sniffing out the oddball tastes of American pop culture. In more than a decade at Fox, Darnell has scored a string of ratings triumphs -- content aside -- which would be the envy of any network.

His breakthrough was 1995’s “Alien Autopsy,” built around a supposed military autopsy of an outer space-looking creature. The program, which was later proved to be a hoax, attracted more than 11 million viewers, making it at the time one of Fox’s best-rated shows. Newsday columnist Verne Gay recently wrote about the Fox executive this way: “Unburdened by guilt, conscience or -- especially -- taste, the Darnell rogue’s gallery makes writing about TV fun.”

More recent projects shepherded by Darnell include: 2001’s “Temptation Island,” a reality-based show where hot single people try to break up couples in exotic locations, and 2003’s “Joe Millionaire,” where an average guy posed as a millionaire to marriage-minded women. The “Joe Millionaire” finale drew an estimated 40 million viewers.

Darnell also played a considerable role in developing what is still the most popular show on TV, “American Idol.” After hearing a 2001 pitch based on the British program “Pop Idol,” Darnell pushed for an Americanized version, which, when it enters its sixth season in January, is expected to vault Fox to the top of the overall ratings heap again.

Blocked by Fox from granting interviews since the Simpson project surfaced last week, Darnell in a 1998 CNN interview said he developed his instincts for successful television by watching the box for up to 13 hours a day as a child. Television was “on all the time,” he said. “I was sort of hypnotized by it as a kid, I think. I just loved it.... By the time I was 12 or 13 years old, I knew how to do ratings: I would take the fall TV Guide issue -- even without seeing the show -- and just, sort of, go over each section and, you know, each show, and try to make predictions, and I was pretty accurate.”

Fox will never realize whatever ratings predictions Darnell might have made for the now-canceled “If I Did It: Here’s How It Happened” Simpson interview. Though his hand in the project is unclear, Darnell reveled in the program’s ratings potential when Fox began touting the show last week. “This is an interview that no one thought would ever happen,” he said in the press release. “It’s the definitive last chapter in the Trial of the Century.” Fox executives hoped the Simpson special would boost the network’s ratings for the November sweeps and help correct its fourth quarter figures. While the network’s numbers typically slump because of its broadcast of the Major League postseason in October, Fox’s new slate of shows have underperformed as well.

One high-ranking veteran of the TV industry said Darnell merely reflects the sensibility of the network’s owner. “Everybody knows Rupert Murdoch has no moral compass,” said the source, who has worked with the network. “Rupert loves to thumb his nose at the press. He has no problem being vilified and, in fact, part of him enjoys that.”

martin.miller@latimes.com