New CFerg quiz show to ABC

[Bob Jersey]

From Studio Lambert ("Undercover Boss," wasn't it?) comes "The Hustler," where a mysterious celebrity knows all the answers to Craiger's questions, and votes off two of the other four contestants in each episode, leaving the others to figure out who he or she is and, if they do, share with him or her the money prize...

https://deadline.com/2019/10/craig-ferguson-host-the-hustler-game-show-abc-1202759654/ (link)

(GG web went on strike again)

B

[Adam Bowie]

Yep - Studio Lambert made Undercover Boss. They're British and specialise in reality formats. Their big hit for C4 in the UK is Gogglebox - basically a bunch of regular families who sit and critique that week's TV (in an amusing style). Not my cup of tea to be honest, but massively successful for C4. Literally their biggest show. They also have something called The Circle that is a cross between Big Brother and Instagram. I'll let you Google it.

Perhaps more interesting is the creator of this format - which has not aired in the UK - Richard Bacon. He started out as kids' TV presenter before getting fired for taking cocaine (not a good look for kids' TV). He relaunched his career quite successfully on radio in the UK and then branched back into TV. He headed to the US for a bit where he did some presenting on ABC News (mostly their digital stuff I think), and something called "Top 30." Then last year, he caught pneumonia, and came down badly during a flight back to the UK. He was put in an induced coma for several days before recovering.

I'd be amazed if he hadn't hoped to present this format himself, but obviously he's nowhere near the name that Craig is in the US. The reverse would be true in the UK.

Adam

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[Mark Jeffries]

The U.S. version of "Gogglebox" was called "The People's Couch" (since we don't call TV "the box" over here) and ran four series over three years on Bravo to little note earlier this decade.  It may be revived here if CBS notes the success of the Australian version on their recently-acquired Network Ten (although they have to share "Gogglebox Australia" with a cable/sat channel on Murdoch's Foxtel, which enjoys a near-monopoly on cable and satellite in that country.

Mark Jeffries
Saints Spotlight Editor
spotl...@gmail.com

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[Jim Ellwanger]

On Dec 15, 2019, at 4:10 AM, Mark Jeffries <spotl...@gmail.com> wrote:

(since we don't call TV "the box" over here)

Tell that to Jeff Kisseloff, author of this book (which I recommend to any member of this list who hasn't read it): https://www.amazon.com/Box-Oral-History-Television-1929-1961/dp/0670864706

Also, tell that to this forerunner of MeTV/Heroes & Icons/Buzzr: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Box_(American_TV_channel)

and ran four series

But what we really don't do is use the word "series" in this manner.

[Adam Bowie]

Yeah - I'm pretty sure "box" is a British idiom. See also "the idiot box" or indeed "gogglebox." 

As an aside - Strictly Come Dancing was always going to have to change its name to what became Dancing with the Stars because of its contrived title that reference both the Baz Luhrmann film and a mainstay of British TV on the 70s and 80s, Come Dancing, which was a competitive dancing show that aired on BBC1.

It was always "series" rather than "season" in the UK. I assume the primary reason was that our "series" didn't run all year around. I know that's not really the case any longer, but then shows aren't "taped" either :-)

If you picked up a copy of The Radio Times (the BBC version of "TV Guide" - that mostly covers TV despite its title) you would always see "New Series" in italics above something new. And continuity announcers might well inform the audience during the credits of a series' final episode, that said "series" would return next year.

Adam

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