GAME SHOWS 1996: THE YEAR IN REVIEW
Jeremy Soria
Yeah, I know, I may be a little late with this, since most of you on the
newsgroup did a Year in Review thread a few weeks ago, but I traditionally
hold off my contribution to the Year in Review until the last days of the
year. So, here it is.
1996: The Year In Review.
Game shows are making a comeback. Who knew?
The folks on the newsgroup, of course. No matter what those numbskulls
at TV.COM say. GSN's two-year mandate of no new versions of anything GSN airs
has expired, so come next year, we'll be talking about how good or bad the new
versions of Match Game and Card Sharks turn out. More on that later.
GSN is now in its third year of transmitting game show signals from
its headquarters in Culver City, California, home of Sony Pictures
Entertainment. Its signal is now beamed out of Echostar's DISH Network
systems. The multi-cable-operator-owned Primestar will begin carrying GSN on
its lineup next year once their new satellite is launched. GSN is now being
carried on a handful or so cable systems around the country, from Connecticut
to Illinois to Oregon. As more cable systems begin or finish their fiber-op
upgrades (sorry, TCI), GSN may begin to appear on more cable systems' lineups
over the next 12 months. For some of us it's a signal to hopefully sit tight
and wait. For others, it tells them to cut the cable and join the ranks of the
growing DBS population with its higher quality and better service. Your
mileage may vary.
NEW SHOWS
Debt. Bzzz!. The Dating Game/Newlywed Game. Where in Time is Carmen
Sandiego?. Idiot Savants. $hopping $pree. Just a few of the new shows that
debuted this year.
We go back to June, with the woman agonizing over her bills. Wink
appears and helps her get on Debt, the game show where three debt-laden
Americans compete to have them pay off their bills and go home with nothing!
(*scream*) Actually, they go home with a check in the amount of the debt. But
anyway, this excellent concept for a pop culture game show has given Lifetime
new blood in its 6:30pm timeslot. This is a show that some people will
definitely want to get on. New shows kick in next season as tapings will
resume next March. If you have a debt of up to $10,000, you may be eligible to
play! See Chri$ Lambert!'s Game Show Page for links.
On the heels of the success of Debt, three similar shows are either on
the air or in the works: the computer game You Don't Know Jack, a pilot called
Grill Me, and of course, MTV's Idiot Savants. Idiot Savants sees four
contestants battling it out for a whole week, trying to see who knows the most
useless trivia to win a fabulous vacation. And even the prizes in their bonus
round aren't anything to scoff at. A Samsung GXTV, which is great even if you
don't play video games; a KLH speaker system, a Panasonic VCR... these aren't
necessarily those dinky prizes you see frequently on TPiR.
The Family Channel has dumped its interactive games and poorly edited
Hatos/Hall and Sandy Frank games and replaced them with brand-spanking-new
episodes from Jay Wolpert and Reg Grundy. The standout here is Jay Wolpert's
$hopping $pree, which gives two contestants the chance to shop for each other
and continue on to win themselves a Florida vacation. Coming up is Wolpert's
Wait 'Til You Have Kids!, which is basically a revamped version of Chuck
Barris' Parent Game, but with slightly smarter experts. Then there's Small
Talk, from Reg Grundy, which has three contestants determining what seven
school-age children will say.
New network MSNBC has Remember This?, from Sande Stewart, most
recently from Sports on Tap. It's a College Bowl formatted quiz show somewhat
reminiscent of Hit Man, but without all the video game gimmicks and certainly
without Bret Hart. Al Roker does a good job as the friendly host.
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? underwent MAJOR retooling over
the year, and the result: Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?. New set, new
themes, new cast members, new host. So why weren't we excited about its debut?
Too much technobabble ("Chronoskimmer"... "We're low on Fact Fuel, so let's do
a Data Boost"), the host Kevin Schinick is Greg Lee without the excitement, no
live audience, no Rockapella, no Loot/Warrant/Crook board with the flippy
boxes. The only thing left on this show from its predecessor is Lynne Thigpen.
Something *is* missing from this souped up show from Howard J. Blumenthal and
WQED/WGBH: the spirit and excitement of the previous five seasons. Someone
needs to catch Carmen Sandiego now so that we can have it back for next
season, hopefully.
Dating shows also made some comebacks. The new Dating Game show has a
new host and a slightly new format, more of an anecdotal show than a Q&A show
now. Brad Sherwood was great in his Whose Line? appearances, and he shines
here too as host. In Newlywed Game, it's three couples, and there's more
points up for grabs in their various types of questions they have now, from an
either-or to fill-in-the-blank to "That's *My* Wife!". Gary Kroger rounds out
the cozy yet fun atmosphere of the game. The newest entry is Bzzz!, from Ralph
Edwards/Stu Billet (best known for Truth or Consequences and The People's
Court), where a contestant decides upon meeting and chatting face to face
whether to keep that potential date or buzz the date out of their misery.
Annie Wood is really perky as the hyper host of this show.
GAME SHOWS IN THE NEWS
* On July 2, 1996, the game show biz lost a great host to suicide. From Chris
L!'s page: "Ray Combs hanged himself in a Los Angeles hospital on June 2,
1996. Life had not been kind following his firing from Feud; two years after
battling back from paralysis caused by a 1994 automobile accident, Ray
suffered a mental breakdown after a simultaneous firing from "Family
Challenge" and the collapse of his marriage of 18 years."
* On a brighter note, TPiR entered its 25th season on CBS. They had a primtime
[sic] special in August playing an elongated 30-minute game interspersed with
various classic clips and bloopers from the past 25 years of TPiR, whose
reruns can finally be seen on GSN daily. Gena Nolin went off to Baywatch, so
to replace her, TPiR found the lovely Chantel Dubay, who has the beauty of
Gena Nolin with the down-to-earth feel of Holly Hallstrom. And venerable host
Bob Barker has signed on for FIVE MORE YEARS!
* All-American Television has new versions of Match Game and Card Sharks about
ready to go. Match Game will have a new pilot with Michael Burger, while Card
Sharks has Tom Greene taking charge, the game undergoing some changes, most
notably in the Tattletales-spiced new Celebrity Money Cards bonus. Sony is
doing some repairing of its new version of the Pyramid, debating to do a "new"
version or to stick with the classic format. And Kline & Friends is retooling
its Win, Lose, or Draw from the '80s to Pictionary for the '90s, with Alan
Thicke hosting the festivities. The best prospects for next season seem to be
Pictionary and (perhaps) Match Game... But we shall see as NATPE rolls around
in January and the national rollouts begin in the fall.
LOOKING TOWARD 1997
Wheel and Jeopardy! continue to hold its own. Wheel debuts its new set
in February. J! debuted its "sushi bar" set in November, and Alex has his own
Door #2 to walk through. We shall see what devices they will add to their
games, if any, to continue to rake in the viewers.
To quote TV.COM (those jerks), "And anyway, game shows are out"? On
the contrary, they are coming back in, with a very strong vengeance. The new
shows will make some debuts next year, and GSN will be seen in more homes
across the country thanks to Echostar/DISH, Primestar, and very cooperative
and viewer-friendly cable operators.
Stay tuned.
- Jeremy Save yourself from cable's high rates and scare tactics
(ahem-Cox-ahem).... Get a DISH and enjoy what YOU want right now.
--
jes...@infi.net | Pro Wrestling. TPiR. Pinball. And Rosie. | Call Cox and
and a webpage too. | It just doesn't get any better than this. | Ask for GSN!
E-mail me for URL. |---------------------------------------------------------
------------------- If this is the last one, it'll be... TAPED TO THE DESK!
Bruiser, Buddy, Andre, Kerry, Art, Eddie, Big John, Dick Murdoch ... Sigh ...