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Alternate Timeline: Jack Barry's heart attack is not fatal

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aaron sica:
If this happened, and it only sidelined him for a short time, how much longer would "The Joker's Wild" have lasted?

Before you reply with "He was going to retire that September and Jim Peck was going to take over", is that true? I couldn't find any sources on it.

Jimmy Owen:
"Divorce Court" was a go before Jack Barry died, so Jim Peck would have been unavailable.  Ronnie Greenberg could probably confirm (if he still checks the forum).  As far as the show with Barry, our local station moved it from prime access to 4pm in the 83 season, to make room for WOF.  Maybe a couple more years; same as it did with Bill.

TLEberle:

--- Quote from: aaron sica on May 15, 2019, 12:16:08 PM ---If this happened, and it only sidelined him for a short time, how much longer would "The Joker's Wild" have lasted?

--- End quote ---
I don't think it makes a lick of difference who hosted--Jeopardy returning in 1984 and getting stronger time periods in 1985 absolutely eats their lunch. Contestant...defeated.

RMF:

--- Quote from: TLEberle on May 15, 2019, 12:44:39 PM ---I don't think it makes a lick of difference who hosted--Jeopardy returning in 1984 and getting stronger time periods in 1985 absolutely eats their lunch. Contestant...defeated.

--- End quote ---

I'm also having trouble imagining any other substantial change that occurs with a living Jack Barry- the general trends that were taking place involving television game shows, combined with Barry's age, almost certain means that Barry and Enright Productions is still shut down sometime in the early 1990s. The one lingering question is if Kline and Friends still emerges as an independent company if Jack Barry was still alive- and, given how that company fared, their productions being Barry-Enright programs doesn't seem likely to result in substantial changes.

TLEberle:
Given that Tic Tac Dough is basically toast at that point and Jack isn't feeling great, just not dead in this scenario I think that since everyone and their dog are flooding the zone with syndicated fare in 1985 and a good chunk don't survive past 1986 my advice would have been to pull Joker's Wild at the end of 1984, play it cool for a few years and then bring it back with harder material and a faster pace in 1987.

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