Queen of reality TV's hits & misses

Cecile Frot-Coutaz, the CEO of FremantleMedia North America, is behind some of television's biggest blockbusters - and a few bombs.

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American Idol
American Idol
FremantleMedia North America's runaway hit drew an average of 27 million viewers per episode last season, according to Nielsen, making it the season's most popular show yet again. The talent competition is also the biggest coup yet for CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz, who helped convince reluctant Fox executives to take a chance on the show after CBS, NBC and ABC turned it down. She became the show's master corporate dealmaker and handholder, mediating feuds between volatile personalities, including Simon Cowell, its famously acerbic judge.
By Devin Leonard, senior writer

NEXT: America's Got Talent
Last updated September 11 2008: 12:01 AM ET
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