Mark Burnett, who made Donald Trump a reality star on The Apprentice, seems to have lost his touch for creating hit shows

The New York Times

"Burnett, 60, the defining TV impresario, salesman and deal maker of the aughts, hasn’t put his stamp on a bona fide hit since the debut of The Voice in 2011," says The New York Times' Ben Smith. "He shaped reality TV’s bombastic, gimmicky and sometimes cruel early years. But the genre has matured and shifted in the streaming age to what are sometimes sweeter and more positive productions, like Netflix’s Floor Is Lava and Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.” Smith adds: "Did you catch Steve Harvey’s Funderdome on ABC? How about The World’s Best on CBS, The Contender on Epix, or World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge on Amazon Prime? Or the Christian-themed dramas A.D. The Bible Continues on NBC and Messiah on Netflix? No? Well, you’re hardly alone. And the man behind the string of flops is Mark Burnett, the legendary TV producer who shaped Donald Trump’s image from The Apprentice through his 2016 inauguration. Like his greatest creation, Mr. Trump — who sought and then lost an idiotic television ratings war on Thursday night with Joe Biden — Mr. Burnett seems to be struggling to keep his grip on the cultural moment."