Michael Thorn
Credits: President, FOX Television Network
MICHAEL THORN is President of FOX Television Network, responsible for overseeing the platform’s entire primetime entertainment slate that spans drama, comedy, animation and unscripted. As part of his role, he also manages FOX’s scripted, unscripted and casting teams.
Among the live-action scripted programs Thorn oversees are the hit dramas 9-1-1: Lone Star, starring Rob Lowe; The Cleaning Lady; the anthology crime drama Accused, from executive producers Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and David Shore; the procedural thriller Alert: Missing Persons Unit, from executive producers Jamie Foxx and Carla Kettner; and the single-camera comedy Animal Control, which stars Joel McHale. Upcoming FOX programs include the lifeguard drama Rescue: HI-Surf, from executive producers John Wells and Matt Kester; medical procedural Doc, based on the globally acclaimed Italian series and starring Molly Parker; the psychological crime drama Murder in a Small Town, starring Rossif Sutherland and Kristin Kreuk; and comedy Going Dutch, starring and executive produced by Denis Leary. Animal Control and Going Dutch are fully owned by FOX Entertainment and produced by the company’s in-house production unit FOX Entertainment Studios.
Thorn also is responsible for FOX’s roster of animated hits that encompass the network’s Sunday Animation Domination block, including Emmy Award winner Bob’s Burgers; Emmy winner The Simpsons, the longest-running scripted series in television history; groundbreaking comedy Family Guy; and The Great North, from Bob’s Burgers creator Loren Bouchard. FOX’s new animated comedies include Krapopolis, from Emmy-winning creator Dan Harmon, and Grimsburg, starring and executive-produced by Emmy winner Jon Hamm. Both Krapopolis and Grimsburg are 100% owned by FOX Entertainment and produced by FOX’s animation studio Bento Box Entertainment. In 2024-25, the network will launch the animated comedy Universal Basic Guys, co-produced by FOX Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television, with Bento Box serving as animation studio.
Among FOX’s unscripted series under Thorn’s purview are the hit singing competition The Masked Singer; Gordon Ramsay’s hit cooking competition series Next Level Chef, Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars, Kitchen Nightmares, MasterChef, MasterChef Junior and Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell And Back; The Floor, hosted by Rob Lowe and 2023-24’s #1 game show; the celebrity social experiment Special Forces: The World’s Toughest Test, LEGO Masters, hosted and executive produced by Will Arnett; baking competition Crime Scene Kitchen, hosted by Joel McHale; dating program Farmer Wants A Wife; as well as all TMZ specials produced for FOX.
Prior to being named President of FOX Television Network in April 2024, Thorn was President, Scripted Programming, of FOX Entertainment, responsible for all scripted programming and development, as well as casting, at the network. He also oversaw FOX Entertainment Studios and Bento Box, where he was instrumental in the development and sale of the acclaimed animated comedy “Hazbin Hotel” to Prime Video (he remains a member of Bento Box’s Steering Committee); FOX’s domestic and international co-production strategy; as well as select original scripted live-action and animated content for FOX’s streaming AVOD service, Tubi.
Prior to joining FOX, Thorn was Executive Vice President of Development at 20th Century Fox Television, where he led scripted development efforts, including both the comedy and drama teams. At the studio, he developed dozens of successful dramas and comedies, including breakout hit “This Is Us,” which, in its first season, was nominated for 10 Emmy Awards and won the Humanitas Prize for Drama; “Empire”; the hit medical procedural “The Resident”; “Life in Pieces”; and “Speechless.”
Thorn joined the studio 2010 as Senior Vice President, Drama Development, after working at Lost Marbles Television, where he oversaw all scripted television and served as an executive producer on “Teen Wolf,” “Supreme Courtships” and “Cop House.” Previously, he served as Drama Development Team Head at NBC, helping to develop such hits as “Heroes” and “Friday Night Lights”; and Vice President, Primetime Series, for NBC Studios, where he oversaw all drama development and current programming for the studio, including series “Las Vegas,” “Crossing Jordan” and “Boomtown.” Prior to NBC, Thorn served as Vice President, Series Development and Programming at the USA Network, where he helped develop the cable network’s flagship series, “Monk,” as well as “Touching Evil,” “Traffic,” “Peacemakers” and “Red Skies.” He also developed shows for Big Ticket Television and La Plante Productions LTD.