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Catchphrase

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Casey:
I’ve been watching a lot of the older UK Catchphrase lately, along with what exists on YouTube of the US version, and I’ve been wondering about why the US run was so short compared to the UK version when the game is substantially the same.  Is it just a matter of the tastes of the viewing audiences at that time?  I do find Roy Walker to be a more personable host than Art James appeared to be, so perhaps with a different (looser) host, the show might have had more legs?

I’d be interested in the thoughts from the group as well.  I find Catchphrase to be a fun show to watch, so it’s a shame it didn’t last longer here...

BrandonFG:
I wonder if it was just the state of syndication? By the start of the 1985-86 season, there were by my count, at least 13 games in syndication alone:

-Wheel
-Jeopardy!
-Tic Tac Dough
-Joker's Wild
-LMaD
-$ale of the Century
-Love Connection
-Catch Phrase*
-Newlywed Game*
-Headline Chasers*
-TPiR*
-$100K Pyramid*
-Break the Bank*

*Fall '85 premieres

Out of that list, there were six new shows, and only two made it to a second season. I'm guessing the combination of it being a crowded market and Wheelmania. I do wonder how well it does on a network or as an original on USA's afternoon block. From 1985 through the end of the decade, not too many syndicated games made it to season two. Off the top of my head, $1M Chance of a Lifetime, Hollywood Squares, Dating Game, Win Lose or Draw, and Fun House.

Interestingly enough, I believe Bob Goen said in an interview that Perfect Match, Telepictures's replacement series, performed well enough to get a renewal, but the similarities between that and The Newlywed Game and a potential lawsuit from Chuck Barris led to the cancellation. I'm curious to know how both shows did in the ratings for comparison.

Jimmy Owen:
Check the trade magazines of the time. The syndicator guaranteed ratings success and had an "insurance policy" if the show did not meet ratings expectations. Result: "Perfect Match."

WarioBarker:

--- Quote from: BrandonFG on May 17, 2019, 05:05:38 PM ---I wonder if it was just the state of syndication? By the start of the 1985-86 season, there were by my count, at least 13 games in syndication alone
--- End quote ---
If I'm not mistaken, there was also a "best of" rerun package for Family Feud.

BrandonFG:

--- Quote from: Dan88 on May 17, 2019, 07:43:09 PM ---
--- Quote from: BrandonFG on May 17, 2019, 05:05:38 PM ---I wonder if it was just the state of syndication? By the start of the 1985-86 season, there were by my count, at least 13 games in syndication alone
--- End quote ---
If I'm not mistaken, there was also a "best of" rerun package for Family Feud.

--- End quote ---
You're not mistaken. :)



/13 first-run game shows :P

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