Gameshows Then And Now: Discussion & Wishlist

[Kromm]

Family Feud has been a big success under Steve Harvey, and an even bigger one in prime time in a Celeb version. 

Match Game is coming back with Alec Baldwin hosting.

To Tell The Truth is back with Anthony Anderson hosting, and Betty White (an original panelist from the 50s version) back.

What other revivals would you like to see? Who should host them, and what kind of panelists would you like to see?  What do you think of the existing ones, or speculate about the ones we already know are due back?

[MarkHB]

I'd love to see Jackpot! come back (the show that had 16 contestants at once), and Deion Sanders hosting The Magnificent Marble Machine.

(Also, let me note that Kromm left out The $100,000 Pyramid, hosted by Michael Strahan and sitting between CFF and Match Game on the ABC Sunday schedule.)

[Maverick]

I liked Sale of the Century and Press Your Luck.  However, both had revivals that were absolute dreck.  SotC in particular bore almost no resemblance to the original.   I'd also like to see Concentration / Classic Concentration again.  

[Kromm]

I'd think Password is probably a good one to bring back... except it's probably too close to party games people already play themselves at home.

Little known fact. Woody Allen actually guested on Password. So did Lauren Bacall. And Gene Kelly. And Jerry Lewis. And lots of other stars you'd think are too big to have been on Game Shows.

[Maverick]

CBS  did a revival of Password a few years ago called Million Dollar Password.  And yes, Betty White guested.  

[FormerMod-a1]

Yes, they did and I didn't like it.  They changed too much and made everybody stand.  I understand change and updating, but I'm trying to remember all they changed - it was more than a few things, and I don't just mean cosmetics.

[Totale]

This seems as close as there is to a general game show topic (correct me if I'm wrong), so although it's not exactly "vintage" I'll mention that a long forgotten season pass on my DVR suddenly brought up a boatload of episodes of "Cash Cab", and I really been enjoying watching them.  They're apparently running late night on some channel called Fuse or FM.  Although I'd seen many episodes before, I didn't recall seeing any of these.  I like the concept and host Ben Bailey, and the questions are just the right level of difficulty. I'd watch new ones if they wanted to make them (and Ben or another non-annoying host was available).  I met a woman once a few years back who said she's been on it and have been trying to spot her, but no luck so far.  One side game I've had fun playing is spot the Cash Cab chase vehicle that carries the film crew to catch the contestants as they leave the cab - it's a big grey-silver van that can often be seen through the back window.  NYC traffic being what it is, sometimes it lags behind :).

[Guest]

This thread can be a general game show thread, but as an FYI, there are separate forums for some shows.

Thanks!

[Kromm]

I'm thinking because Drew Carey is so well known to Prime Time audiences that if the ABC gameshows do well then we could see a nighttime (perhaps celeb slanted) counterprogramming by CBS with The Price Is Right.  Also, Wayne Brady does Lets Make A Deal, right?  Again, I could see celeb fronted charity earning night time broadcasts of this for holiday periods or summer.

A big contemporary of To Tell The Truth was What's My Line?  I could see that coming back too. Traditionally that was a CBS show. It's been off the air since 1975, so it's a hard sell for straight nostalgia and more in the category of "shows people have heard of but never seen personally". 

Edited July 14, 2016 by Kromm

[rcc]

Rosie O'Donnell on her blog has said she is thinking of hosting a game show. Whether it is a brand new show or she is going to resurrect one she didn't say. She is very good on game shows as she was just on Pyramid and Match Game on ABC.

[bmasters9]

Here's a game that I'd like to have back, in whatever form: High Rollers.  To that end, here's a rare episode from Independence Day 1975 (Fri. July 4) on NBC with original host Alex Trebek; this was from the first go-round from 1974-76, something that it was thought was completely extinct and kaput. 

[Lola16]

OMG his hair! This is an interesting show. It sounded familiar but when watching it, I don't recognize any of it. Though Ruta Lee's name also seems familiar.

[misty]

anyone else tired of the same ol same ol on the Q..........longing for a little Phillip Watson?...........can't be long now.....Spring should be bursting forth as soon as the Christmas sets are down (such as they are)?

[Maverick]

 NBC is advertising some new game show called The Wall....which looks like a big ass version of Plinko from The Price is Right.

[Jaded]

[bmasters9]

Dale's Supermarket Sweep from 1998 (British version of Supermarket Sweep w/Dale Winton); it was played much the same as the Ruprecht Sweep here in America, with (among other differences) lower base times (one minute to start with), and £2000 being the top prize in the final sweep at the end (unlike our $5000 here).

[friendperidot]

I loved Supermarket Sweep, that ranks among my favorites along with Name That Tune and That's My Dog! 

Currently I am enjoying Wayne Brady on Let's Make a Deal, he really is a treasure for this show. And he's got a pretty good team with him. I like how there's so much interaction between them and that some of the time Jonathon and Tiffany do some of the deals, especially at the end after the Big Deal. And I appreciate that the top winner of the day doesn't always go for the big deal, that they are happy with what they won. If I were on, and the big winner, I would probably give up all motorcycles and scooters, fitness rooms and travel packages. I would probably want to keep kitchens, furniture and cars. But that's just me. 

I used to watch Jeopardy a lot, but I would choose to try out for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? I'm not quick enough on the buzzer to compete on anything but the Senior tournaments on Jeopardy and sometimes, I would need those multiple choice questions on Millionaire. 

[ChiCricket]

On 7/13/2016 at 9:28 AM, Totale said:

<snip> "Cash Cab", and I really been enjoying watching them.  

For anyone else who likes Cash Cab, they are restarting it on Discovery on December 4.  :)

http://deadline.com/2017/11/cash-cab-revival-premiere-date-discovery-ben-bailey-1202204358/

[bmasters9]

Bumping this up: almost 60 years ago today, this 1958 ABC game called Dr. I.Q. starred a then 31-year-old Tom Kennedy (born Jim Narz in Kentucky in Feb. 1927; had taken the stage name of Tom Kennedy to avoid confusion with his big brother Jack); it originally aired Dec. 15, 1958. 

[smittykins]

GSN is showing the Press Your Luck Scandal  documentary on Sunday at 7pm ET, followed by the original PYL episodes. 

[Jaded]

On 1/12/2018 at 7:06 AM, smittykins said:

GSN is showing the Press Your Luck Scandal  documentary on Sunday at 7pm ET, followed by the original PYL episodes. 

Everytime they do one of their "true stories behind game show scandals series" the PYL one is the first one they cover. Is there an anniversary of that event coming up for them to want to do another show about it? I'm not sure many will realize they are having another show about it since they've run a lot of viewers off with the exorbitant amount of time they devote to Family Feud episodes. They are up to 5hr marathons nightly.

[Maverick]

 Yes, they did a whole story about this, showed the original episode and did a reunion episode years ago to kick off the abomination they called a reboot.   I don't know why they're making a big deal about this.  I don't really watch the network anymore since I don't like Family Feud or Deal or No Deal and that's almost all they show.  

[smittykins]

I only watch the episodes of Match Game they show at 8-8:30 am and 1-1:30 pm ET.

[Jaded]

On 1/13/2018 at 8:38 PM, smittykins said:

I only watch the episodes of Match Game they show at 8-8:30 am and 1-1:30 pm ET.

I watch those along with Card Sharks and The $25,000 Pyramid. I wish they'd show 80's episodes of WoF.

[Jaded]

This is GSN's new Facebook cover photo. ?

[penbrat]

I wish they would show Family Feud with Richard Dawson  - I don't mind Steve Harvey but a little of him goes a long way

[smittykins]

One of the 367,253 reasons I wish I got BUZZR.

[funky-rat]

One of our cable system branches picked up Buzzr, so I'm hoping it creeps further north.

I loved High Rollers and Card Sharks (70's version, not big on the later incarnation).  Not so much on Jokers Wild, or Tic Tac Dough, and a little Pyramid goes a long way for me.  I'm in the minority that I liked the update of Press Your Luck better than the original (I like quizzes, and found the questions way too easy).  GSN doesn't show anything I like in the evening, save for Match Game.  I doubt they show much of anything good during the day either, but maybe something a little different.

[DrSpaceman]

On ‎1‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 1:09 PM, penbrat said:

I wish they would show Family Feud with Richard Dawson  - I don't mind Steve Harvey but a little of him goes a long way

You are kinder to him than me.

Steve Harvey absolutely sucks and how he keeps getting hired for things I have no idea.  Not just on Family Feud, but just in general.  I can't watch him

Match Game, Joker's Wild, Tic Tac Dough, I loved those shows.

Joker's Wild WAY BACK in the early 80s or late 70s did a tournament for $250K, which was a huge amount of money then.  That would be like $750K in today's money. 

[Jaded]

All GSN shows every night all night pretty much is Harvey hosted Family Feud. At the end of the older shows I watch the morning when I can (Match Game, Card Sharks and $25,000 Pyramid) they have these bumpers trying to say how great GSN is. One talks about how the whole family can watch and my first thought was definitely not during the hours when Harvey's FF is on. He's allowed that show to become a raunchy mess that he uses to feed his ego. He wasn't that bad when he first started hosting. I quit watching his tenure a few years into it once I saw where it was heading. It's one of the highest rated syndicated shows so plenty of other people like it.

[friendperidot]

GSN has added a couple of new programs, America Says and something to do with Youtube videos. I haven't been able to understand the purpose/premise or reason for the last, I just don't "get it." Please don't bother trying to explain, it's not one of those things I'm ever going to "get." But the host on America Says annoys the holy living crap out of me. Even the ads he does for the show, which see on breaks of Cash Cab, annoy me. And since I'm complaining about programs, I have a b***h about GSN. the woman with the heavy southern accent that does a daily drawing, she's not cute, nothing about her is cute.

[Jaded]

I'm a member of GSN's online feedback panel and not many there (including me) like that dreadful Caroline & Friends video show. 

[Scott]

I love the classic What's My Line, and have been watching the 70s color incarnation that's been on BUZZR this month--man, is it bad.  For me, the beauty of the game is its simplicity (and the manners and style of the 50s/60s are refreshing from a fifty-year-later point of view).  This 70s version adds too much extra fluff--little games or product demos that take enough time away that many of the guests' sessions are ended early, with the panel not having the full chance to guess.  And wow, I can't stand Soupy Sales...

[smittykins]

Looks like GSN now has a two-hour block of 70s Match Game episodes starting at 8 am ET, displacing the 80s $25,000 Pyramid for the second hour.  

[marketdoctor]

If you like BUZZR, it's now streaming as part of Pluto TV (Channel 513 or so.)  Smittykins, I'm not sure if Pluto TV is an option for you, but the web site and app are free.  Good luck.

[funky-rat]

On ‎10‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 10:56 AM, friendperidot said:

 And since I'm complaining about programs, I have a b***h about GSN. the woman with the heavy southern accent that does a daily drawing, she's not cute, nothing about her is cute.

Trish Suhr.  She used to be on a show called "Clean House", with Niecy Nash.  They would clean up and organize people's messy houses.  Trish was supposed to be a professional organizer. I actually learned some good de-cluttering tips on that show, like making boxes and tossing things in the boxes to make sorting easier, how to decide what should stay and go, and things like if you buy a new purse, you get rid of an old one, etc.  I liked her on that show, but how she went from organizing expert to game show hostess is beyond me.

[JTMacc99]

On 10/7/2018 at 10:56 AM, friendperidot said:

But the host on America Says annoys the holy living crap out of me. Even the ads he does for the show, which see on breaks of Cash Cab, annoy me.

He doesn't annoy me enough to offset that I actually like the game. It's a good game to play along with at home, with the proper combination of "I can't believe they don't know that H___ D___ is hot dog!" and "I can't believe that I didn't figure out that D____ V_____ was Darth Vader!" The team aspect is also appealing. Overall, I think it's a good new show.

And I'm still not 100% sure if I like or don't like Common Knowledge. It's a strange game. I was in the kitchen when I hear the host say "A group of Lions is called A. a Den, B. a Pride, C. a Pack." To which I said out loud "Oh my God." And then the contestant says, "I think it's A. a Den!" To which I said out loud, OH MY GOD.

So my where it looses me a little bit is I can't figure out if a show that asks such easy questions should also be able to stump me.

Some of the questions... I'm pretty sure I could have answered when I six years old. But then it can also hit me with a question that I really don't know immediately. Given enough time, I can probably use a little logic to figure it out, but when I don't have time and then get the answer wrong, it makes me feel like a moron. How could I get a question wrong on a show that just asked what a group of lions is called?

[Ubiquitous]

I don't like Steve Harvey and him hosting Family Feud, but I have to admit I love the look he shoots at people who gives stupid answers. It's not enough to watch it regularly, tho.

You know what I want to see in game shows? LESS BANTER. My gawd, I was watching this one whose title I no longer remember and there was so much banter that they only had time for two questions! Dammit, just engage in small talk when you introduce the players and play without the player spending five minutes verbalizing his thinking process!

[JTMacc99]

On 4/17/2019 at 7:47 PM, Ubiquitous said:

I don't like Steve Harvey and him hosting Family Feud, but I have to admit I love the look he shoots at people who gives stupid answers. It's not enough to watch it regularly, tho.

I think he does a good job with FF. 

I’m still enjoying America Says on GSN. It really is a decent concept. 

On the other hand, Common Knowledge is a love/hate thing. They ask ridiculously easy questions in the first two rounds. So I’m on board just to see people like this Jasmine lady right now get ALL FOUR wrong. Mount Rushmore is not in Wyoming Jasmine. Your eyes, not your bones stop growing by the time you are 13 Jasmine. Ugh. 

But then the show looses me when it gets to the money round and asks questions that are NOT common knowledge. 

Such a strange game. 

[Maverick]

 ABC is bringing back all of of their reboot game shows for the summer (Pyramid, To Tell the Truth, Family Feud and Match Game) and adding two new ones:  Card Sharks and Press Your Luck.   I'm interested to see how they'll do with Press Your Luck,  The quick flash of the game board in the commercial looks like the square one from the original show, so hopefully this will be a more faithful remake than that awful Game Show Network one from a few years ago.  

[Jaded]

On 5/15/2019 at 9:44 PM, Maverick said:

 ABC is bringing back all of of their reboot game shows for the summer (Pyramid, To Tell the Truth, Family Feud and Match Game) and adding two new ones:  Card Sharks and Press Your Luck.   I'm interested to see how they'll do with Press Your Luck,  The quick flash of the game board in the commercial looks like the square one from the original show, so hopefully this will be a more faithful remake than that awful Game Show Network one from a few years ago.  

I'm looking forward to Card Sharks and Press Your Luck. I agree that GSN version was pretty bad. It peeved me off that they reran it for so long afterwards too. I found out a few years ago that Peter Tomarken filmed a pilot for it but they went with Todd Newton instead. He filmed it a few years before dying in that plane crash.
 

[smittykins]

I believe Peter also made an appearance on the episode where Ed Long and Janie Litras competed against Michael Larson’s brother(Michael had passed away).

Edited May 17, 2019 by smittykins

[friendperidot]

I adjusted my antenna in the window and most of the time I can get some of the upper numbers of antenna channels, that includes Buzzr. It runs one of 3 favorite old gameshows - Supermarket Sweep! I always enjoyed that silly show so much, I love the run through the supermarket, it's just a fun and silly show. And then there's host David Brubrek's sweaters...

My other 2 favorite games shows of all times are Name that Tune and That's My Dog. I used to be very good at Name That Tune and as long as they stopped the music at the late 70s, I'd be good still. But I can name that tune in 3 notes!

[Jaded]

On 7/27/2019 at 12:24 PM, friendperidot said:

I adjusted my antenna in the window and most of the time I can get some of the upper numbers of antenna channels, that includes Buzzr. It runs one of 3 favorite old gameshows - Supermarket Sweep! I always enjoyed that silly show so much, I love the run through the supermarket, it's just a fun and silly show. And then there's host David Brubrek's sweaters...

I love Supermarket Sweep too. I liked David's sweaters and was always surprised he didn't host any other game shows later on. There's no Buzzr affiliate anywhere in the state I live in. I stream the channel from their website or the Stirr app using my Fire TV. There are some people who've commented on Buzzr's Facebook page about how much they hate Supermarket Sweep which always cracks me up when I see it.

Anyone else remember the other shopping game show that was on around the same time as Supermarket Sweep called Shop til You Drop? When I watched both of them originally they aired on Lifetime. I didn't get to see Supermarket Sweep or Shop 'til You Drop when they were brought back for a few and aired on the PAX channel. 

There are a lot of episodes of both shows on YouTube.
 

Edited July 30, 2019 by Jaded

[Jaded]

On 4/17/2018 at 9:49 AM, DrSpaceman said:

Steve Harvey absolutely sucks and how he keeps getting hired for things I have no idea.  Not just on Family Feud, but just in general.  I can't watch him

His talk show got cancelled this past season and he got replaced by Melissa McCarthy as host of Little Big Shots on NBC. I don't see him loosing the Family Feud gig since it's still getting good ratings with him as a host. I watch it occasionally on GSN and sometimes newer episodes that air at different times on the local NBC channel in syndication. I'm not a prude. Having said that I hate how trashy the show has become. 

I like America Says and Common Knowledge on GSN which were mentioned upthread. The colors used for Common Knowledge's set are some of my favorites so watching it makes my eyes happy as crazy as that probably sounds. I think Joey does a pretty good job as a host. 

Sherri is still kinda clunky when hosting Best Ever Trivia Show. The show as a whole is kinda clunky too. She did a better job hosting GSN's version of The Newlywed Game. I don't watch it as much as I do when it comes to the three GSN originals. I don't know why they decided to air it even earlier then America Says and Common Knowledge.

[friendperidot]

I also enjoyed Shop til you Drop, it was a fun show to watch and it was paired with Supermarket Sweep, I had forgotten that.

[Ubiquitous]

4 hours ago, friendperidot said:

I also enjoyed Shop til you Drop, it was a fun show to watch and it was paired with Supermarket Sweep, I had forgotten that.

My fav shopping show is probably Sale of the Century, but watching reruns on GSN makes me miss the 1980's.

[smittykins]

On 1/7/2019 at 5:43 PM, marketdoctor said:

If you like BUZZR, it's now streaming as part of Pluto TV (Channel 513 or so.)  Smittykins, I'm not sure if Pluto TV is an option for you, but the web site and app are free.  Good luck.

Sorry for the late reply, but I do have the Pluto TV app now. 😀

[Jaded]

I wish Pluto worked decently on my varied Fire TV devices. It always studders and freezes. Stirr works ok as does the Buzzr website but streaming through the website is kinda clunky. There are other channels I'd like to check out too. Hoping some good changes may come regarding performance at least since the app was purchased by Viacom and that they don't ruin it. 

I'm hoping that Buzzr digitizes more episodes of the classic shows they air so they won't have to continue to cycle through the same ones as frequently. I had seen comments about this issue online before Buzzr became more easily available but didn't realize how annoying it could be at times before encountering it myself. 

[shoovenbooty]

The new version of Catch 21 on GSN (or Game Show Network - they keep changing the name back and forth) is so boring. Alfonso seems so stuffy now, and the dealer, Witney (his partner on Dancing with the Stars) seems awkward. Makes me wish they'd brought Mikki Padilla back. And the contestants on the old version seemed a lot more enthisiastic about playing the game.