Warner Bros. International Television Production highlights Unacceptable, 100 Cooks and The Dark Side among its new formats, alongside scripted titles from Belgium and New Zealand.
Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) has unveiled its Mipcom 2026 formats slate, bringing together new unscripted and scripted titles from its global production network and partners.
The unscripted lineup is led by comedy game show Unacceptable, produced by Ranga Bee Productions for TLC in the UK. The format sees two teams of comedians defend deliberately controversial opinions and attempt to convince the studio audience to agree with them. From claims that attractive people should not have to pay taxes to the idea that AI should rule the world, contestants must use wit and persuasion to turn unpopular arguments into convincing ones.
From the US, Lando Entertainment brings 100 Cooks, an arena-based cooking competition produced for Food Network in which 100 home cooks face a series of challenges where chance plays a central role. The Challenge Mixer determines what contestants have to cook, while the Cook Mixer decides who will compete and how many cooks will take part in each challenge. With no way of knowing when their number will be called, contestants must be ready to step into the competition at any moment.
True crime format The Dark Side, produced by WBITVP Finland for Nelonen, pairs a journalist with a former detective to revisit compelling crimes and mysteries. Together, they retrace the events, examine the evidence and explore the different theories surrounding each case. The format also incorporates generative AI-powered dramatizations to recreate moments that were never captured on camera, exploring not only what is known about each case but also what might have happened.
100 Cooks, an arena-based cooking competition produced for Food Network
The unscripted slate also includes two renovation formats
Produced by RTR Media for HGTV in the US, Home Town Takeover takes the renovation genre to a community-wide scale. Experts join residents, community leaders and volunteers to transform an entire small town, from local businesses and public spaces to the homes of selected residents.
Meanwhile, Bachelor Mansion Takeover, produced by Warner Horizon for HGTV in the US, brings the Bachelorfranchise into the renovation space. Familiar faces return to the iconic mansion, but this time the focus shifts from romance to design and renovation. The mansion’s rooms become ambitious design challenges, while alliances, rivalries and strategic eliminations test contestants’ ability to transform the property and remain in the competition.
On the scripted side
WBITVP is bringing three new formats from Belgium and New Zealand, spanning dark comedy, relationship drama and young adult storytelling. Produced by WBITVP New Zealand for Three and ThreeNow, dark comedy Crackhead follows Frankie, who chooses a rehabilitation program over jail after her sister agrees to pay for a so-called luxury clinic.
Instead, she finds a rundown facility filled with unpredictable patients and overstretched staff. With four weeks between her and freedom, Frankie must navigate group therapy, withdrawal and her own self-destructive decisions. As new friendships, rivalries and complicated relationships emerge, old resentments and secrets begin to surface, forcing Frankie to confront what brought her to rehab and whether she can change before losing what little she has left.
Produced by WBITVP Belgium for VRT, Time:out follows Ellis and Brecht, a couple who have spent years building a life together. Just as it appears that Brecht has overcome the most difficult stage of his battle with cancer, he decides he needs to regain control of his life. He asks for a month away from Ellis and from the business he runs with his best friend, sending shockwaves through their close-knit circle. As Brecht begins questioning the life he thought he wanted, those around him are forced to reconsider their own choices and relationships.
Young adult drama United, produced by Eyeworks for Ketnet, follows a close-knit group of talented teenage footballers whose lives on the pitch, at school and at home are deeply intertwined. When Hannes is offered the chance to join a major rival club, he must choose between pursuing his dream and staying with his friends. Meanwhile, the other members of the group face their own struggles as ambition, family pressure and changing relationships put their bonds to the test.
André Renaud, WBITVP’s GVP of Format and Finished Sales, said the slate reflects the breadth of the company’s current development and production activity. “This year’s Mipcom formats slate brings strong ideas that immediately make their presence felt. Unacceptable turns the most ridiculous opinions into a contest of persuasion, while 100 Cooks combines incredible scale with the simple tension of never knowing when your number will be called. Meanwhile, The Dark Side’s use of generative AI brings a new dimension to true crime on television”.
“Alongside them, our scripted formats challenge characters at pivotal moments in their lives, whether they are hitting rock bottom, experiencing a life-threatening illness or simply navigating the emotional challenges of growing up. It’s a slate with real range, and I’m looking forward to the conversations it will spark in Cannes.”
