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"The little things" you miss on shows

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BrandonFG:
The things you miss from TPiR inspired this thought: what are the "little things" you miss from shows that don't exist as much, either due to changes in technology or because TV shows just aren't done that way anymore? It can be quirky stuff but let's not go overboard or make this too much of a "get off my lawn" thread.

-After the set of consolation prizes, they'd display the legal stuff like sponsors, eligibility requirements, wardrobe, etc. on an unfocused closeup of a prominent set piece. For Pyramid it was one of the spikes atop the big pyramid...on PYL the light pattern on the contestant island. Bonus points for Split Second using the lines of the game board.

-Dedicated time for the closing credits. I'm not asking for two minutes of the audience church clapping to the theme song*, but I see a show like America Says where the credits literally start the moment the team gives the winning answer. It all feels rushed, esp. when John Michael Higgins spends so much time asking the team what they'd do with $15K. He's a decent ad-libber but they could've shaved off :15 here and there.

-Contestants who were the right mix of guy/girl next door with a touch of oddball. Now it seems like the secret talent is mandatory to get some juicy social media content.

*/I actually would love that, but I know that's pretty much a thing of the past

Jimmy Owen:
Announcers reading fee plugs, Hosts who are not actors or stand-up comics, live-to-tape shows that aren't edited to ribbons. Lots more stuff.

Ian Wallis:

--- Quote from: BrandonFG on September 22, 2022, 05:26:52 PM ----Dedicated time for the closing credits. I'm not asking for two minutes of the audience church clapping to the theme song*, but I see a show like America Says where the credits literally start the moment the team gives the winning answer. It all feels rushed, esp. when John Michael Higgins spends so much time asking the team what they'd do with $15K. He's a decent ad-libber but they could've shaved off :15 here and there.

*/I actually would love that, but I know that's pretty much a thing of the past

--- End quote ---

I certainly agree with that.  Sometimes the credits go by so fast that you can hardly read them.  It's almost a case of why even bother?  I guess the art of the well-crafted melodic theme song is long in the past.  You never seem to hear more than about 20 seconds of themes these days anyway.

One thing I really miss is the spontaneity - sometimes technical errors would occur, or set pieces would malfunction, or the host might read the wrong question - things like that.  Today's shows are edited so heavily that you'd never see things like that - they're missing the charm of yesterday's shows, where you just never knew what might happen.  I think it takes some of the human element out of it, which is too bad.

Another thing I miss are the sets of yesteryear.  They were more charming than a computer-generated image.

SamJ93:

--- Quote from: Ian Wallis on September 22, 2022, 06:00:27 PM ---I guess the art of the well-crafted melodic theme song is long in the past.  You never seem to hear more than about 20 seconds of themes these days anyway.

--- End quote ---

And even if it is a catchy melody, it still sounds like it was recorded using 2 Casio keyboards and a drum machine acquired from a pawn shop--GSN's recent original shows are particular offenders in this regard. I definitely miss the full orchestrations and use of real horns, strings and percussion on the old shows. Of course, Edd Kalehoff and other composers made extensive use of synths as well, but in a way that either complemented (rather than replaced) the orchestra or fit the show's vibe (e.g. the first J! '84 theme), whereas today it just sounds cheap.

TimK2003:
I miss the era when there were in-show pitches for contestants, as well as if you wanted to just see the show in person...and how simple it was to do so (postcard or SASE).

Now many shows PAY for audiences and look for specific caffeine-hyped wannabe actors.

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