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Best Game Show Finales – Your Picks?
Otm Shank:
Of the episodes that announced "you'll be seeing some choice shows", Play the Percentages at least got Judge Von Eric on camera and Geoff had a chance to riff on some of the staff members on camera as only he could do.
Loogaroo:
I wholeheartedly agree with Chelsea that Super Password was not just a finale for the show itself but also for the era of three networks airing two hours of game shows five days a week. The closing theme song, which was already among the best in the genre, got to play for an extended time thanks to the extra-long credit roll.
I'm surprised to not see the 1975 finale of The Joker's Wild in more people's lists. That one was especially unique in the way they turned off all the stage lights towards the end of the broadcast, ending with the slot machine slides being turned off one by one. Would've been nice if they'd "accidentally" left off the Devil slides in the final playing of the bonus round, but that's something that B&E would've never gotten away with doing at the time.
BrandonFG:
--- Quote from: Loogaroo on January 04, 2025, 03:21:17 PM ---I wholeheartedly agree with Chelsea that Super Password was not just a finale for the show itself but also for the era of three networks airing two hours of game shows five days a week.
--- End quote ---
I think what bums me out more was we lost three shows in one week. I have fond memories of watching game shows in 1989, but the cancellations of $ale, Card Sharks, and Super Password were the beginning of the end. The daytime genre basically coasted on fumes for the next five years, although I'd take daytime TV of 1989 over what we have now.
Which reminds me, I'd also like to add $ale to my list. Jim gave a similar heartfelt thank you to the viewers on the Christmas '88 episode which makes me think they knew it was only a matter of time. IIRC they got an unexpected 13-week renewal in January '89.
Jeremy Nelson:
--- Quote from: BrandonFG on January 04, 2025, 04:52:30 PM ---Which reminds me, I'd also like to add $ale to my list. Jim gave a similar heartfelt thank you to the viewers on the Christmas '88 episode which makes me think they knew it was only a matter of time. IIRC they got an unexpected 13-week renewal in January '89.
--- End quote ---
Agreed on this finale, and uniquely, this is one of the rare shows that acknowledged it aesthetically too, with the stripped down shopping area giving "Going out of Business" vibes that whole week.
Eric Paddon:
--- Quote from: calliaume on January 04, 2025, 12:04:06 PM ---Which may have been why Winters was only booked on the daytime version once. Someone else with more experience can determine whether he was made the Secret Square frequently (or not) on the syndicated run.
Dawson told Maxine Fabe "Some of the worst celebrities on game shows are the stand-up comics. They're getting big bucks with an ad lib and the contestant's ten thousand bucks is going down the drain. All someone has to do on Match Game is to try that once and they're never invited back."
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If anything, Winters' antics would have been slightly less annoying on the daytime version because at least on the daytime version the contestants don't get screwed if time runs out whereas on nighttime his antics were costing contestants their one shot. More than once I've heard Peter remind the stars to move quick because on nighttime the contestants don't come back.
Dawson may not have had her in mind, but his sentiments explain why I always found Patti Deutsch the most insufferable of the semi-regulars because she was always trying to come up with a punchline.
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