Big Brother (American TV series)

*Big Brother*
Big Brother
Also known as	Big Brother USA
Genre	Reality competition
Based on	Big Brother; by John de Mol Jr.
Presented by	Julie Chen Moonves; Ian O'Malley; Jerry O'Connell;
Starring	Big Brother houseguests
Voices of	Multiple producers; Don Wollman;
Narrated by	Dave Walsh; Philip Proctor; Clayton Halsey;
Theme music composer	Marie Maxwell (season 2–5); John Thomas (season 2–5); David Vanacore; Ken Berry;
Opening theme	"Live" by Jonathan Clarke (2000)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	26
No. of episodes	936 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Paul Römer (2000); Douglass Ross (2000); Arnold Shapiro (2001–2006); Allison Grodner (2001–); Rich Meehan (2004–);
Producer	Don Wollman
Production location	Studio City, California
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	20–23 minutes (2000); 40–120 minutes (since 2000);
Production companies	Endemol USA (2000–2014); Evolution Film & Tape (2000); Orwell Productions (2000); Our House Productions (2001–present); Arnold Shapiro Productions (2001); Shapiro/Grodner Productions (2002–2006); Allison Grodner Productions (2007–2009); Fly on the Wall Entertainment (2010–present); Endemol Shine North America (2015–2023); Banijay Americas (2023–present);
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	July 5, 2000 –; present
Related
	Companion shows; House Calls; Big Brother: After Dark; Big Brother: Live Chat; Off the Block; Spin-offs; Big Brother: Over the Top; Big Brother Reindeer Games; Celebrity Big Brother; Adaptation; Big Brother Canada; Related; Gran Hermano; International versions;

Big Brother is an American television reality competition show based on the Dutch reality show of the same name created by producer John de Mol Jr. in 1997; the series takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The American series launched on July 5, 2000, on CBS and since the discontinuation of the Spanish version in 2022, is the longest-running adaptation in the Big Brother franchise.

The show broadly follows the premise of other versions, in which a group of contestants, known as "HouseGuests", live together in a specially constructed house that is isolated from the "Outside World" for a cash prize of $750,000 ($500,000 prior to season 23). The HouseGuests are continuously monitored during their stay in the house by live television cameras as well as personal audio microphones. Throughout the course of the competition, HouseGuests are evicted by being voted out of the competition.

In its inaugural season (which followed the original Dutch format and audience voting determined evictees and the eventual winner), ratings declined, and critical reaction grew increasingly negative, prompting the series to be revamped for the second season, which focused on competition and gameplay.

The show's twenty-seventh season will premiere on July 10, 2025; it will be the show's 25-year anniversary season.