The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Bob Zager on January 15, 2017, 01:48:59 PM
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Here's a link to an article about the new show:
https://thegrio.com/2017/01/10/funny-you-should-ask-entertainment-studios/
Here's a link to a cartoon drawing of the set, shown on host Jon Kelley's twitter site:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CynYw87UQAMyXMT.jpg
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Part of the Byron Allen media empire, which means it will be done as fast and cheap as possible. I'm honestly a little surprised at the caliber of names they're promoting, since unlike Byron's old "talk shows", the stars would actually have to come to the studio for this rather than just being part of a press junket for whatever they were promoting. From what I hear, it's a simple game of agreeing or disagreeing with celebrities' responses to questions, after the joke answers of course. It's Hollywood Squares without tic-tac-toe. Another Byron Allen "original".
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But a very attractive scenic production!
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Part of the Byron Allen media empire, which means it will be done as fast and cheap as possible. I'm honestly a little surprised at the caliber of names they're promoting, since unlike Byron's old "talk shows", the stars would actually have to come to the studio for this rather than just being part of a press junket for whatever they were promoting.
I noticed a few of the stars were on Byron's sitcoms, The First Family and Mr. Box Office. I know he's done other shows and movies, but I'm pretty sure I've seen Harland Williams on Comics Unleashed. I'm guessing this will get a midday time slot like his court shows, or a late night spot like his press junket shows. No in-between. The one silver lining: if it's anything like his other shows, this will at least have a long shelf life. Byron has to have a record for longest-running shows that no one watches. :P
Interesting that they already have the "premiere" week lineup. As Matt noted, this will probably be mass produced like his sitcoms, with a full season in the can in a short amount of time. IIRC, his sitcoms taped 100 episodes' worth all at once. That way, he knew he could lock in a three- or four-year syndication deal, and not work towards the magic number of 100 eps.
/It is a nice set
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Interesting that they already have the "premiere" week lineup. As Matt noted, this will probably be mass produced like his sitcoms, with a full season in the can in a short amount of time.
Do you think? I have to think the comedians are going to want to use this as a promotional vehicle as well, and the ones that air later in the run won't be able to plug their appearance at Guffaw's Comedy Townhouse on April 23rd.
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Do you think? I have to think the comedians are going to want to use this as a promotional vehicle as well, and the ones that air later in the run won't be able to plug their appearance at Guffaw's Comedy Townhouse on April 23rd.
It's been a long time since I watched Comics Unleashed, but from what I remember, the promotional stuff was very, very generic*. So, I don't think they'd even get that specific. But, I get where you're coming from, so maybe they will be more time-sensitive.
*/With a Byron Allen product, I repeat myself
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It's been a long time since I watched Comics Unleashed, but from what I remember, the promotional stuff was very, very generic*. So, I don't think they'd even get that specific. But, I get where you're coming from, so maybe they will be more time-sensitive.
Could be added in post, too, I suppose. "Check out Bruce Baum on April 12th at Titter's Chuckle Stop in Joliet, IL!"
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Watching the show, I find Lloyd a fine host and the premise is amusing but can see lots of ways for a production company to bungle it.
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Could be added in post, too, I suppose. "Check out Bruce Baum on April 12th at Titter's Chuckle Stop in Joliet, IL!"
FYI, Titter's closed down a few years ago and is now an extermination supplies store. Fartknockerz on the other side of the river is still open, though.
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Could be added in post, too, I suppose. "Check out Bruce Baum on April 12th at Titter's Chuckle Stop in Joliet, IL!"
FYI, Titter's closed down a few years ago and is now an extermination supplies store. Fartknockerz on the other side of the river is still open, though.
For the record, I would totally check out a show at any of these places, esp. the Comedy Townhouse.
/Well not Titter's, since that's closed down apparently :P
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Here's a recent article on Byron Allen pitching "Funny You Should Ask" at NATPE. It appears he's gunning for prime access slots to challenge the old standards (J!, WOF, entertainment newsmagazines) and be taken seriously as a TV heavyweight ...
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/100760/byron-allens-syndie-target-prime-access?utm_source=NetNewsCheck-rss&utm_medium=originals&utm_campaign=originals-Byron-Allen-s-Syndie-Target-Prime-Access?ref=search
May be a pipe dream for Allen to get those slots, as there's simply little wiggle room to add first-run syndie content in 2017-18. Too many syndie shows have multi-year deals, plus you have expanded local news and in-house programming (e.g. T.D. Jakes' talk show from Tegna, "The List" from Scripps) filling all the time slot holes.
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/100586/old-syndie-shows-not-making-way-for-new/page/1
JD
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Here's a recent article on Byron Allen pitching "Funny You Should Ask" at NATPE. It appears he's gunning for prime access slots to challenge the old standards (J!, WOF, entertainment newsmagazines) and be taken seriously as a TV heavyweight ...
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/100760/byron-allens-syndie-target-prime-access?utm_source=NetNewsCheck-rss&utm_medium=originals&utm_campaign=originals-Byron-Allen-s-Syndie-Target-Prime-Access?ref=search
May be a pipe dream for Allen to get those slots, as there's simply little wiggle room to add first-run syndie content in 2017-18. Too many syndie shows have multi-year deals, plus you have expanded local news and in-house programming (e.g. T.D. Jakes' talk show from Tegna, "The List" from Scripps) filling all the time slot holes.
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/100586/old-syndie-shows-not-making-way-for-new/page/1
JD
Is TD Jakes making it? It's not cleared in Flint-Sag on any of the broadcast channels and it seems to not be as prominent on OWN. Our CW affil will need a replacement for CNG in prime access, so they might pick it up. It's a Sinclair station.
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Here's a recent article on Byron Allen pitching "Funny You Should Ask" at NATPE. It appears he's gunning for prime access slots to challenge the old standards (J!, WOF, entertainment newsmagazines) and be taken seriously as a TV heavyweight ...
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/100760/byron-allens-syndie-target-prime-access?utm_source=NetNewsCheck-rss&utm_medium=originals&utm_campaign=originals-Byron-Allen-s-Syndie-Target-Prime-Access?ref=search
May be a pipe dream for Allen to get those slots, as there's simply little wiggle room to add first-run syndie content in 2017-18. Too many syndie shows have multi-year deals, plus you have expanded local news and in-house programming (e.g. T.D. Jakes' talk show from Tegna, "The List" from Scripps) filling all the time slot holes.
http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/100586/old-syndie-shows-not-making-way-for-new/page/1
JD
Is TD Jakes making it? It's not cleared in Flint-Sag on any of the broadcast channels and it seems to not be as prominent on OWN. Our CW affil will need a replacement for CNG in prime access, so they might pick it up. It's a Sinclair station.
Last ratings released publicly on TD Jakes was back in mid-September -- 0.7. It currently airs in Atlanta twice daily at 8am and 2pm and hasn't appeared to make much of a dent ratings-wise.
The Tegna affiliate in Atlanta is reportedly going to launch a locally-produced "African-American-centric" talk show as soon as this fall that, if it does well locally, will expand to other markets.
Another Tegna station in New Orleans (WWL) is reportedly working on a "singing competition show" that, like the Atlanta series, could expand to another markets if it tests well. Articles in B&C and TV News Check don't elaborate outside of "singing competition", so I have no clue if this is a talent show, a music-based game show ("Singing Bee") or something different.
JD
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Here's a recent article on Byron Allen pitching "Funny You Should Ask" at NATPE. It appears he's gunning for prime access slots to challenge the old standards (J!, WOF, entertainment newsmagazines) and be taken seriously as a TV heavyweight ...
..........
May be a pipe dream for Allen to get those slots, as there's simply little wiggle room to add first-run syndie content in 2017-18. Too many syndie shows have multi-year deals, plus you have expanded local news and in-house programming (e.g. T.D. Jakes' talk show from Tegna, "The List" from Scripps) filling all the time slot holes.
STATION MANAGER: Hmmmmm....an hour of Two Broke Girls or a Byron Allen game show? (weighs hands)
/FWIW, I opt for a Test Pattern
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STATION MANAGER: Hmmmmm....an hour of Two Broke Girls or a Byron Allen game show? (weighs hands)
You mock, but one of them costs a whole lot less to acquire, and by that I mean $0. I looked up this (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-12-12/byron-allens-entertainment-factory-produces-low-budget-tv-shows) article the other day to learn more about how Allen operated and found it quite informative.
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I do rag on his work a lot, but I give him a ton of credit for building the system he has. If it works for him (and clearly it does), then more power to him.
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I looked up this (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-12-12/byron-allens-entertainment-factory-produces-low-budget-tv-shows) article the other day to learn more about how Allen operated and found it quite informative.
Ah, yes... I remember a brief discussion (http://www.gameshowforum.org/index.php/topic,25533.0.html) on this forum a while back. I think this quote from the article is still relevant:
While long-running shows such as Judge Judy feature actual plaintiffs and defendants who have agreed to accept the legal outcomes of their televised trials, Allen’s versions star scripted actors who go through the motions of a trial but have nothing at stake. [...] People love legal programs, Allen says, because they have “a winner and a loser.”
Given the format of Funny You Should Ask, they shouldn't need to interfere with the contestants. Still, I'd watch the end credits very carefully for disclaimers.
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I looked up this (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-12-12/byron-allens-entertainment-factory-produces-low-budget-tv-shows) article the other day to learn more about how Allen operated and found it quite informative.
Ah, yes... I remember a brief discussion (http://www.gameshowforum.org/index.php/topic,25533.0.html) on this forum a while back. I think this quote from the article is still relevant:
While long-running shows such as Judge Judy feature actual plaintiffs and defendants who have agreed to accept the legal outcomes of their televised trials, Allen’s versions star scripted actors who go through the motions of a trial but have nothing at stake. [...] People love legal programs, Allen says, because they have “a winner and a loser.”
Given the format of Funny You Should Ask, they shouldn't need to interfere with the contestants. Still, I'd watch the end credits very carefully for disclaimers.
"For the purposes of making the program entertaining, celebrities and actors playing contestants have been given the questions and answers and the outcomes are pre-determined."
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Bumping this thread to indicate that the airdate schedule (http://syndication.pathfire.com/shows/Funny%20You%20Should%20Ask/2017%20-%202018%20SEASON/broadcast-air-schedule) is now available on the Pathfire website.
Would someone please help me interpret this? There is an "A" feed and a "B" feed. I presume that the "B" feed will be shown in markets with double runs, correct? If that's the case, then it appears that all 260 episodes (http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/distribution/entertainment-studios-funny-you-should-ask-go-fall-2017/165831) will air over the course of 10 months (through June 2018).
Does that mean that for double run markets the show will be completely reruns for the 2018-19 season?
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Does that mean that for double run markets the show will be completely reruns for the 2018-19 season?
It's a Byron Allen joint. Who'd know the difference?
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Does that mean that for double run markets the show will be completely reruns for the 2018-19 season?
It's a Byron Allen joint. Who'd know the difference?
Thanks for the editorial comment. Dealing in fact, though, is my presumption correct?
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Chris is on to something though. When Byron produced his sitcoms a few years ago, they taped 100 episodes all at once so that they would have several seasons of content.
I'm guessing he's doing a similar method here, although I'm guessing he'll still do new episodes as long as ratings allow*. But, I don't recall Byron Allen shows doing double runs to begin with.
*Not that this really matters in the Byron Allen universe
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Byron Allen-produced daytime court shows are offered for double-run broadcast. I know in Atlanta, both "America's Court" and "Justice with Judge Mablean" air in one-hour blocks, two episodes each.
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Here's a promo video I found on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3YPQtgJm9k
You'll see some links to other clips from the show there.
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It's finally happened. I actually intentionally laughed at something produced by Byron Allen. :P
Jokes aside, this seems like it could be worth a watch...kinda had a Hollywood Squares vibe to it. Just wish it had a later time slot in my market (10:30 am).
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Jokes aside, this seems like it could be worth a watch...kinda had a Hollywood Squares vibe to it. Just wish it had a later time slot in my market (10:30 am).
9am here. That's what DVRs are for. That, and getting past the dull parts, but there's a chance this won't have too many.
Think Hollywood Squares without tic-tac-toe and without dead-weight celebrities. Everybody brings the funny, but it comes down to a game of agreeing or disagreeing with the "real" answer, played for points.
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9am here. That's what DVRs are for.
Believe it or not, I'm probably one of the very few people who still doesn't have a DVR. I've considered it, but not sure how much use it would get.
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Believe it or not, I'm probably one of the very few people who still doesn't have a DVR. I've considered it, but not sure how much use it would get.
You will get lots of use out of it. No question. Aside from the obvious, I've grown so accustomed to be able to pause & rewind live shows, that you really do feel it when you're somewhere without that ability.
-Jason
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You'll find things to record.
I've got about 40 movies I haven't watched yet on mine.
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9am here. That's what DVRs are for.
Believe it or not, I'm probably one of the very few people who still doesn't have a DVR. I've considered it, but not sure how much use it would get.
I live and die by the DVR. I typically use it for news, but still....
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Perhaps I'm older school - still using my DVD recorder and loving it!
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If you can't wait another week for "Funny You Should Ask" to premiere and you get Byron Allen's comedy.tv channel (281/1281 on U-Verse), my DVR says it's airing this Monday through Friday for an hour at 10 AM, 2 PM, 6 PM, 10 PM, and 2 AM Eastern.
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My thoughts about this...
Host: Jon Kelley
Announcer: As with every other Byron Allen show, John Cramer
Theme: "Happy" by Pharrell Williams (Hey, another entry for the theme songs with lyrics thread!)
Game: As was described to me by a friend, it's "Hollywood Chairs"--Hollywood Squares without the annoying scaffolding and gridwork and 2/3 of the celebrities. Two contestants agree or disagree with answers given by 6 comedians, all of whom on this episode are name comics including Louie Anderson, Bill Bellamy, and Howie Mandel, a trio of former game show hosts. (Comedians on the second episode shown on comedy.tv are Jon Lovitz, Loni Love, Tim Meadows, Caroline Rhea, Tom Arnold, and Anderson.) Round 1 was one question per comic, alternating between contestants, at $100 apiece. Round 2 plays the same, but with the stakes upped to $200. Round 3...wait for it...the game's the same, but for $300 a question! The person with the most money plays the bonus round for an additional $5000.
The bonus round consists of three questions. Three right answers gets the cash, with less than perfection worth nothing. The first question has 3 comics giving answers, one of which is right. The second question has 4 possible answers. The final question has 6 possible answers. There are also gag answers in the round, for better or worse.
My thoughts: Jon Kelley is so dry that I need an IV of saline, maybe due to the game's repetitiveness. The comedy is there, albeit with comedy veterans. The comedy level will never confuse anybody with "Hollywood Squares." Will this show continually get well-known comedians who are funny, or will we be treated to young comics that aren't very funny? The 10:30 PM time slot here should aid me in getting to sleep.
Misc.: The show promoted a web presence at http://funnyyoushouldask.tv/, but it's not active yet. I'm guessing it won't roll out until the show officially debuts in a week.
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Ah, Jon Kelley. Perpetually thinking he's good enough for Hollywood, perpetually proving he's not good enough for local news in Chicago.
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Lovitz and Meadows you'd figure would be regulars due to past association with ES, no?
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Lovitz and Meadows you'd figure would be regulars due to past association with ES, no?
That's what I'm thinking too. Wouldn't be surprised if a few of the other ES sitcom stars or even Byron himself appear.
Although Mike's list is pretty solid (B-list?), I imagine there will be a few others from "Comics Unleashed" of about 10 years ago.
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Game: As was described to me by a friend, it's "Hollywood Chairs"--Hollywood Squares without the annoying scaffolding and gridwork and 2/3 of the celebrities.
So no broken-up word puzzle or triangles with numbers at the points? Are the questions at least of the kind where you could pry a zinger out of the comedians?
/In Seattle it looks to be on at 8:30 in the morning, so that's telling in a way.
//I liked Jon Kelley on The Mole: 2008 so I guess that makes me the entirety of his fan club.
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Game: As was described to me by a friend, it's "Hollywood Chairs"--Hollywood Squares without the annoying scaffolding and gridwork and 2/3 of the celebrities.
So no broken-up word puzzle or triangles with numbers at the points? Are the questions at least of the kind where you could pry a zinger out of the comedians?
That's the entire point of the exercise. The comedians are there to give funny answers to the questions. It's Hollywood Squares without tic-tac-toe and everybody's Paul Lynde.
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The celebrities on the first episode were Howie Mandel, Sheryl Underwood, Louie Anderson, Bill Bellamy, Natasha Leggero, and Tom Arnold. It's definitely a good B-list, with everybody a veteran of game shows in some capacity--I mentioned the 3 hosts earlier, Arnold and Underwood were on "Celebrity Name Game", and Leggero made a number of appearances on "@midnight".
One concern I found while watching the reruns is that every question in the bonus round has a joke answer and it's always the last choice given, i.e. (paraphrasing) "Experts believe Abraham Lincoln suffered from what disease?" with a joke answer of "a hole in the head." Realistically, you have a 50:50 chance on the first question, 1 in 3 on the second question, and 1 in 5 on the last.
Speaking of reruns, for those who have comedy.tv and missed the episodes at 10 AM, fret not! The other airings throughout the day are the same two episodes. I'm pretty sure that's the MO of Byron Allen's networks; at least that's the case with Justice Central, the one Entertainment Studios network I don't have blocked on the cable box*.
*Unblocked comedy.tv last night strictly for this show.**
** Highly considering putting the block back on after this week.
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If I'm not mistaken, Natasha Leggero appeared on Pyramid last year and contributed to an abysmal Winner's Circle performance.
/It also included a very un-PC clue for "Things You Hit"
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If I'm not mistaken, Natasha Leggero appeared on Pyramid last year and contributed to an abysmal Winner's Circle performance.
/It also included a very un-PC clue for "Things You Hit"
That was Natasha Lyonne...who is definitely not a comedian.
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Just looked her up on Google. Definitely had my Natashas mixed up. :P
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Until I read it twice, I did to.
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Lovitz and Meadows you'd figure would be regulars due to past association with ES, no?
That's what I'm thinking too. Wouldn't be surprised if a few of the other ES sitcom stars or even Byron himself appear.
That's just what happened on the first show aired in NYC on Channel 55. The host is stiff as starch but the celebs make this watchable for me. But really, $5,000 as top prize in 2017?
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That's just what happened on the first show aired in NYC on Channel 55. The host is stiff as starch but the celebs make this watchable for me. But really, $5,000 as top prize in 2017?
No one is watching this for the money, just for the funny.
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But really, $5,000 as top prize in 2017?
Did you just criticize a Byron Allen show for being cheap with no irony whatsoever?
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Well somebody has to pay the royalties for "Happy" every time the theme is played!
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I am throughly enjoying this show, and hope it gets an audience. The "zingers" are better than anything the stars had in the "H2" reboot, and I like the fact there is a host who isn't trying to be the real center of attention. It's "game show 101", which I find refreshing in this overproduced, over the top loud, climate of the shows today.
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I finally got to catch the last five minutes. Am I correct that the bonus round is simply pick the correct answer out of six, the last of which is a gag answer?
This morning's question involved picking the right survey percentage, which seems like a huge shot in the dark for $5K.
I still want to see more, but the portion of the bonus round I saw seems really light.
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This morning's question involved picking the right survey percentage, which seems like a huge shot in the dark for $5K.
For more information, see: Allen, Byron
I still want to see more, but the portion of the bonus round I saw seems really light.
It literally is Hollywood Squares without tic-tac-toe, and that's all it is. Contestants don't even select celebrities. For each question, there's the ha-ha funny answer (and the writing isn't horrible), and then the "real" answer that the contestant agrees or disagrees with. Except they don't use that language, because that would be a little too on-the-nose. Contestants decide whether a star's answer is "right" or "wrong", that's how they get the...dollars.
Also, a surprising but nice touch for those monetarily inclined: The $5K bonus is *in addition* to money won in the main game, usually in the neighborhood of $1500 or so.
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It literally is Hollywood Squares without tic-tac-toe, and that's all it is.
Which makes one wonder why the penny-pinching producer paid for the rights to a format that he really isn't using (assuming he did; maybe the whole thing is in the public domain by now). He could just as easily have done the same show with a different title. It's not as if the original show had a legion of fans just begging for a revival.
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It literally is Hollywood Squares without tic-tac-toe, and that's all it is.
Which makes one wonder why the penny-pinching producer paid for the rights to a format that he really isn't using (assuming he did; maybe the whole thing is in the public domain by now). He could just as easily have done the same show with a different title. It's not as if the original show had a legion of fans just begging for a revival.
Merill Heather's probably at home saying "they stole the format of one of my shows and the title of another..." :)
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It literally is Hollywood Squares without tic-tac-toe, and that's all it is.
Which makes one wonder why the penny-pinching producer paid for the rights to a format that he really isn't using (assuming he did; maybe the whole thing is in the public domain by now). He could just as easily have done the same show with a different title. It's not as if the original show had a legion of fans just begging for a revival.
It's far enough removed that 99.98% of the world wouldn't know that there even was an original at this point. You do bring up an interesting point though with...
maybe the whole thing is in the public domain by now
He's credited as the creator in the end credits. This opens up a question about what happens to game show formats if they die and the rights holders might barely remember they existed.
Merrill Heather's probably at home saying "they stole the format of one of my shows and the title of another..." :)
I tried to weave this into mine but you beat me to this. I nearly spat coffee on a new laptop. Bravo! :)
On the tangent of Squares and Heatter reworking his own idea multiple times and Byron Allen, the two have crossed paths before: Allen did a few weeks of Marshall Squares towards the end of that show's run (and it wouldn't faze me if he did Battlestars too given it was on at Real People's peak).
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Which makes one wonder why the penny-pinching producer paid for the rights to a format that he really isn't using (assuming he did; maybe the whole thing is in the public domain by now). He could just as easily have done the same show with a different title. It's not as if the original show had a legion of fans just begging for a revival.
I don't think Byron paid anybody for the rights to anything. As far as he's concerned, this is his own original show.
Also, I can't tell specifically if you're referring to the obscure 60s game Funny You Should Ask or not, but I've seen several people on Facebook claim that this is a remake of that (including an overeager Wikipedia editor), and that's just not the case. Aside from the title, and the fact that the celebrities seem randomly strewn around the set, the two shows are not the same game. Just as there are several completely different shows that are called Break The Bank, and a 50s game called Wheel of Fortune that has nothing to do with Hangman, this is just a different show that happens to use a common phrase as its title. It wouldn't surprise me at all of Byron was completely unaware the earlier show with that title even existed.
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Which makes one wonder why the penny-pinching producer paid for the rights to a format that he really isn't using (assuming he did; maybe the whole thing is in the public domain by now). He could just as easily have done the same show with a different title. It's not as if the original show had a legion of fans just begging for a revival.
I don't think Byron paid anybody for the rights to anything. As far as he's concerned, this is his own original show.
Also, I can't tell specifically if you're referring to the obscure 60s game Funny You Should Ask or not, but I've seen several people on Facebook claim that this is a remake of that (including an overeager Wikipedia editor), and that's just not the case. Aside from the title, and the fact that the celebrities seem randomly strewn around the set, the two shows are not the same game. Just as there are several completely different shows that are called Break The Bank, and a 50s game called Wheel of Fortune that has nothing to do with Hangman, this is just a different show that happens to use a common phrase as its title. It wouldn't surprise me at all of Byron was completely unaware the earlier show with that title even existed.
Yes, I was under the impression that it was a remake (albeit in name only) based on the existence of the earlier show and the similar positioning of celebrities. Your explanation makes more sense, though.
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The program is using questions from the original HS series. On today's airing, Louie Anderson received the opportunity to deliver Paul Lynde's response to "How many balls are there on a billiard table?"
"That depends. How many guys are playing?"
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The program is using questions from the original HS series. On today's airing, Louie Anderson received the opportunity to deliver Paul Lynde's response to "How many balls are there on a billiard table?"
"That depends. How many guys are playing?"
Actually, it was Charley Weaver who said that classic line, to give credit where it's due.
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Don't look for the show to much of an impact. It is not even making a ratings dent in some markets. The highest will probably be 0.4.
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Don't look for the show to much of an impact. It is not even making a ratings dent in some markets. The highest will probably be 0.4.
Source please.
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Don't look for the show to much of an impact. It is not even making a ratings dent in some markets. The highest will probably be 0.4.
Entertainment Studios programming has never really made much of an impact in syndication, so that doesn't surprise me. It's inexpensive programming, usually for late night or weekend schedules. In the case of his sitcoms or Comics Unleashed, it's set up to run for several years in reruns or on his cable networks.
Much as we rag on him, he has a pretty solid business model. That said, someone posted a trade ad stating massive ratings improvement from Sept. 2016 programming. If it was a late-night program (infomercials, sitcom reruns), I imagine program directors are happy regardless.
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Aside from the title, and the fact that the celebrities seem randomly strewn around the set, the two shows are not the same game. Just as there are several completely different shows that are called Break The Bank, and a 50s game called Wheel of Fortune that has nothing to do with Hangman, this is just a different show that happens to use a common phrase as its title.
Mark Goodson had to change the game "Blank Check" to "Check Game" because Barry/Enright sued them...eleven years after their game went off the air (and five after Blank Check's game debut).
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Mark Goodson had to change the game "Blank Check" to "Check Game" because Barry/Enright sued them...
Do we have a source for this?
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Do we have a source for this?
Yep; Golden-Road.net's FAQ.
http://www.golden-road.net/faq/index.php?title=Pricing_Game_Notes
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Mark Goodson had to change the game "Blank Check" to "Check Game" because Barry/Enright sued them...
Do we have a source for this?
Just a lot of similar mentions on various fan sites. According to the Golden Road FAQ, Barry-Enright filed a lawsuit, and rather than fight it, Goodson chose to (emphasis mine) change the name of the pricing game, which is a much different thing than being forced to, and therefore has very little to do with my original point.
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Mark Goodson had to change the game "Blank Check" to "Check Game" because Barry/Enright sued them...
Do we have a source for this?
Just a lot of similar mentions on various fan sites. According to the Golden Road FAQ, Barry-Enright filed a lawsuit, and rather than fight it, Goodson chose to (emphasis mine) change the name of the pricing game, which is a much different thing than being forced to, and therefore has very little to do with my original point.
You wonder why B&E filed lawsuit over the use of the name of a game that flopped big time. I believe Art James at the GSC in 1998 said the show's "alternate" title was, "Blank Mind".
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You wonder why B&E filed lawsuit over the use of the name of a game that flopped big time.
Because if you don't protect your copyrights, you lose them. Simple as that.
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I've also wondered if finances may have had something to do with it. Both of B&E's flagship shows were cancelled in 1986 after years of declining ratings, and perhaps someone there thought an easy out-of-court settlement would provide a quick cash infusion.
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I do think it bears noting that Barry-Enright named a show Bullseye years after there was a TPIR pricing game by that name. (Two, if you want to get technical.)
/Looking forward to the upcoming lawsuit when whomever owns the B-E properties decides to sue over Hot Seat.
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/Looking forward to the upcoming lawsuit when whomever owns the B-E properties decides to sue over Hot Seat.
Hot Seat was H-Q.