'Glee' helped Howie Mandel get 'Mobbed'

Flash mobs existed before "Glee" helped popularize them, but the show didn't hurt Howie Mandel in selling a new special to FOX.

The comedian, actor and "Deal or No Deal" veteran is the host and a producer of "Mobbed," which amps up the concept of seemingly spontaneous song-and-dance numbers staged by large groups in public places. Airing Thursday, March 31, the hour covers everything from a marriage proposal to a pregnancy announcement. And does it very musically.

Speaking from Seattle -- where he's been watching auditions as a returning judge for the forthcoming sixth season of NBC's "America's Got Talent" -- Mandel tells Zap2it that the makers of "Glee" understand "what is popular right now. They did a flash mob [on the show], but flash mobs have been around for years.

"FOX has been exploiting this musical arena, whether it's 'Glee' or 'American Idol.' It's just that world, and no one is doing it like FOX right now, so I can't think of a better place for ('Mobbed') to be programmed. We've been developing this since before 'Glee' even hit the air, I think, but I was inspired to see this work on 'Glee.' That's really what this is, an unscripted 'Glee' ... though the results aren't always gleeful."

Indeed, Mandel reports that "Mobbed" involves some extra catches. "If somebody proposes to someone and they say 'no,' it's dangerous and great TV, and we have a backup plan. If they say 'yes,' I want to take it one step further: The person has to say 'yes' right then, and we'll have a huge musical wedding. I always want it to be somewhat edgy and somewhat scary. It's not just, 'Happy Birthday!'"

Mandel confirms that if "Mobbed" works in its first round, turning it into a series "would be the thought and the hope. You couldn't ask for any better vote of confidence from a network than airing behind the biggest show on television, 'American Idol.' We believe in the show, and whatever comes of it, I can't tell you how thrilled I've been to have FOX behind me."