Mark Burnett seeks 'This Is Your Life' remake

Mark Burnett is teaming with Ralph Edwards Prods. to attempt to launch a remake of the classic TV show "This Is Your Life." 

"Life" launched as a radio program in 1948, then aired as an NBC TV series from 1952-61, then had a brief revival in 1972. The show surprised celebrity guests with people from their past. The new version is not set up at a network, and represents the second attempt in recent years to revive the format. ABC developed a new version of the show in 2005 hosted by Regis Philbin, but the project never made it to air.

" 'This Is Your Life' is one of the most enduring programs to air on television, and we are thrilled to be bringing it back with the top producer of unscripted entertainment," said Barbara Dunn-Leonard, president of Ralph Edwards Prods., which owns the rights to the format. "There is no better partner (than Burnett) to carry on the legacy of 'This Is Your Life' and introduce the program to a new generation of fans."

Broadcasters have shown recent interest in biographical reality shows. First with Fox's dark-side effort "Moment of Truth," then NBC's "Amnesia" and ABC's "Opportunity Knocks" -- game shows where contestants are quizzed about elements of their own lives. NBC and Fox are also developing genealogy reality shows, where researchers discover secrets about a participants' ancestral history.