Fear Factor Becomes 30-Part Scripted Series for Phone Screens

Fans of the classic reality show will soon see Fear Factor on their phone screens as a scripted horror series. Fox and Endemol Shine North America announced a deal to adapt the franchise for vertical media. The new format turns the show into a microdrama consisting of 30 episodes. Each episode will run for three minutes. This marks the first time the unscripted television franchise has moved into original scripted storytelling.

The series will premiere on My Drama, a microdrama app developed by Holywater Tech. Fox will handle worldwide distribution and windowing strategies for the show. This partnership builds on a larger agreement between Fox Corp. and Holywater that was signed last fall. The app specializes in short-form content designed for mobile viewing. The new project adds a horror element to the vertical video format.

The story for the microdrama centers on a week of pre-production for a horror movie. It does not feature the original game show challenges but uses the franchise as a foundation. Ian Nsenga and Yuliia Vyshnevska are set to produce the series. Thom Woodley and Andrew Beck will serve as writers. Gabriel Caste is on board to direct the project.

Hannah Pillemer, head of scripted for Fox Entertainment Studios, said the show has always tapped into primal fears. She noted that Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn saw an opportunity to bring the franchise back in a new way. The network successfully introduced Fear Factor: House of Fear with host Johnny Knoxville last year. Pillemer said the strong response from that revival opened the door for this new iteration. Endemol Shine provided the concept to turn audience favorites into a new horror story.

Fear Factor first aired as a hit on NBC in the 2000s. The brand has seen fluctuations in popularity over the past decade. It remains a visible property for Banijay’s Endemol Shine unit. The franchise has 32 adaptations worldwide. Michael Heyerman, executive VP of unscripted series for Endemol Shine North America, said the show lends itself to short bursts of entertainment.

Heyerman stated that vertical storytelling creates a new language for entertainment. He described the format as built on immediacy and serialized discovery. The partners aim to create a generation of horror that uses the mobile screen as part of the experience. This approach differs from traditional television viewing habits. It targets audiences who consume content on smartphones.

Anatolii Kasianov and Bogdan Nesvit, co-Founders and co-CEOs of Holywater Tech, expressed gratitude for the vision. They want to turn My Drama into a trusted platform for studios and creators. The team sees this deal as a step toward expanding the audience for vertical TV. Fox has been aggressive in developing vertical media properties. The company discussed these efforts at the Mipcom content marketplace in Cannes earlier this month.

The deal positions Fox to package and sell the property to linear and streaming platforms. This strategy allows the network to reach mass audiences through new channels. The vertical media boom adds complexity to how large outlets support original content. The Fear Factor microdrama is one of the first high-profile properties to join this expanding market. The series will be distributed via the My Drama app to viewers globally.