Disappointments

[BrandonFG]

I remember enjoying the initial week of Deal or No Deal in December 2005. When it became a regular series they turned it into a circus and added idiotic gimmicks and scripted banter, and I was done. Things like having the kids in the peanut gallery say "We're gonna kick some Banker Butt!" or putting the contestant's church choir in the audience. No Deal for me.

When Temptation hit the States in '07, I watched the first couple weeks before realizing just how watered down they made this version. Like I said when the pilot was posted, it was as if the producers tried to recreate the Aussie version from memory, but while nursing a hangover.

When Card Sharks came back in '19, I don't think I made it through the first match. Given how well ABC did with most of their other reboots, I was surprised they made this one so obnoxious. Felt like was watching a Endemol show from about a decade earlier.

[wdm1219inpenna]

Brandon your post reminded me of yet another disappointment from episode 1 of Card Sharks 2001!  That was just a horrible attempt at a reboot.

Tic Tac Dough 1990 was a let down...rappin' dragon and Patrick "YOOOU WIIIN!" Wayne notwithstanding, the fact that they would reset the pot to $0 after a tie game was just plain wrong!  I did prefer the 1990 end game although I would have rather they did 4 Xs 4 Os and 1 dragon and ditch the dragon slayer dude, and I did love how the players hit a button to stop the shuffle both with categories and the bonus game board.

I also echo how Joker '90 was a big time disappointment and also I was pleasantly surprised that I actually found myself enjoying Snoop Dogg's version of Joker, and was disappointed when it did not come back after a second season.

Also, the original rules for Play the Percentages was an awesome game.  My first disappointment was when they amended the bonus game as the giant percent sign on the floor malfunctioned and they had to change the rules, but even worse was when they got rid of the married couples format and made it a 1 vs 1 player which was extremely boring.

[TimK2003]

Scrabble '93 - a cheapened version of a popular 80s show that I loved

Add to that it's 30-minute.companion, Scattergories.

Mind you when Scattergories came out, I wasn't aware yet of other game shows from the past (if any) where the main game was played against pre-recorded answers (like Personality and Hollywood's Talking).

It looked awkward when Dick Clark at times was having a normal conversation with a paused video of a celebrity as if the star was live in-studio.  I guess Grundy thought he'd save money if he didn't have to have 5 celebrities come to the studio for an afternoon taping of 5 episodes.

On top of that, when the Scattegories theme was just a remixed clone of the Scrabble '93 version theme, you KNEW you were in for a disappointment.

I'll also add to the disappointment list Kline & Friends' stab at Pictionary...I preferred the original WLoD franchise way better.

[BrandonFG]

I guess Grundy thought he'd save money if he didn't have to have 5 celebrities come to the studio for an afternoon taping of 5 episodes.

Which to me makes little sense, considering you have to dispatch your camera crew to five different locations. Dunno the logistics of it all, but I imagine that was a lot more cumbersome in 1993 as opposed to having the celebrities do a taping day and pay them $1,500 or so for their troubles.

I know Reg's Small Talk had a similar format a few years later, but IIRC the kids were all in the same setting (a school library I wanna say?)

[TimK2003]

I guess Grundy thought he'd save money if he didn't have to have 5 celebrities come to the studio for an afternoon taping of 5 episodes.

Which to me makes little sense, considering you have to dispatch your camera crew to five different locations. Dunno the logistics of it all, but I imagine that was a lot more cumbersome in 1993 as opposed to having the celebrities do a taping day and pay them $1,500 or so for their troubles.

I know Reg's Small Talk had a similar format a few years later, but IIRC the kids were all in the same setting (a school library I wanna say?)

What if 2-5 "remote" celebrities gave the same word(s)? I assume each celebrity had to be filmed giving MULTIPLE answers for each question. Now you have to make extra videos that won't make the cut. 

[The Ol' Guy]

Another vote for 1990's Joker and Dough. The reboot of Blockbusters, stripped down to two players and a computerized board, was also a letdown. The high point was Bill Rafferty's riffing. Maybe it was a placeholder, but talk about going from a Cadillac set to a Yugo...

[BrandonFG]

What if 2-5 "remote" celebrities gave the same word(s)? I assume each celebrity had to be filmed giving MULTIPLE answers for each question. Now you have to make extra videos that won't make the cut.

Ah I forgot the possibility of a repeat. Point taken.

[rjaguar3]

What if 2-5 "remote" celebrities gave the same word(s)? I assume each celebrity had to be filmed giving MULTIPLE answers for each question. Now you have to make extra videos that won't make the cut.

Ah I forgot the possibility of a repeat. Point taken.

I think the recorded answers also prevented a situation of the jury ruling that a contestant's answer was unacceptable when a celebrity also gave that answer ("FONDLING" by Joseph Wapner comes to mind), by having the producer direct the jury to unanimously rule the answer acceptable.

[steveleb]

Getting more current, I'll add the current GSN reboot of TTD to my list of disappointments.  I am a huge fan of Brooke's and believe she's doing the best given what she has to work with.  I've also gone on record at being understanding of GSN's economics and their belief in their formulaic structure of self-contained, estimated 1-2/week $10,000 wins with $1,000 payoffs for daily champs for just about all of their originals.  All of that said, this was not a format that should have been backed into those constraints.  And given that Joker was successfully modernized for a three-season run on far more popular networks, TTD could/should have had similar potential.  My personal feelings, to be sure, but I contend somewhat educated.

[TLEberle]

With you there, Steve. Perhaps if you’re going to the trouble of creating a virtual set, go with the 70s basement/rec room from forty years ago instead of the blandness we got.

It would be simple enough to have each box worth $100/$200and whoever wins the most can try to increase to a grand prize, but playing for points is such a dead fish in this format.

[whewfan]

I was underwhelmed with Headline Chasers. To me, the headline solving element looked too much like Wheel, and I don't recall the top amount being won much in the bonus game.

Regarding TJW 90, I was stunned by all the changes, but I did like when they made the show closer to the original with three jokers on the machine and categories instead of dollar figures... too bad they didn't also change the definitions. Although, looking back, I guess I don't mind the definition format all that much, but the bonus game was still weak for me.

With O'Hurley TTTT, while I thought it was a solid revival overall, Paula Poundstone was quite annoying trying way too hard to be funny. Her random questions about The Waltons made no sense... then they tried to throw her a curve by having Earl Hamner on the show... only she knew who he was and had to "recuse" herself. When I heard Dave Coulier was on the panel, I thought he would go overboard with the comedy, but he was fine... he played the game and cracked jokes when it was appropriate.

[GSRebich]

Here's one: Winning graphics no longer flashing on the screen.

Classic Concentration: When the show first aired on May 4, 1987, a champion's total winnings after the car round would display flashing on the screen. But on April 18, 1988, the total winnings would no longer be flashing when displayed on the screen.

Family Feud: Starting in 1989 on the 1988-95 version, winning Fast Money would have a winning graphic of the cash prize (depending on what version) flashing on the screen. But in 1990, the winning graphic stopped flashing and the colors: red, orange, and yellow swept through the graphic rapidly. However, originally the $5,000 graphic on the CBS daytime version would do that on special celebrity weeks only while the $10,000 graphic on the syndicated nighttime version did that regularly, but then in the spring/summer of 1991, the $5,000 graphic would do that regularly. Then in late 1991 for both versions, the winning graphics would have sparks of light run through them and they kept those graphics for the rest of that version's run, although the winning graphics returned to flashing briefly during the special Opryland episodes. When the 1999-current version first aired, the winning graphic of the cash prize would be flashing on the screen for the first 4 seasons. But starting the 5th season, the current version followed the 1988-95 version's winning graphic by having it no longer flashing and have different animations throught the season; however, the winning graphics returned to flashing briefly during John O'Hurley's final season (with brief return of the "Bullseye" game). (NOTE: The original version had a rare $10,000 winning graphic on the Friday show of "TV's All-Time Favorites" in 1983, but it wasn't flashing.)

Jeopardy!: When the current version first aired on September 10, 1984, the champion's post-Final Jeopardy! total winnings would display flashing on the screen in a Helvetica Black text. But since season 8, the total winnings would no longer be flashing when displayed on the screen.

Wheel of Fortune: Starting on October 1983 on the nighttime show, winning the bonus round would have a winning graphic of the contestant's final total winnings flashing on the screen (the daytime version didn't do that sort of thing until December 1984). Starting in January 1985, the contestant's final total winnings would be flashing on the screen regardless of the outcome of the bonus round. But, since September 30, 1996, the bonus round totals stopped flashing.

The Price Is Right: The show started having winning graphics since the double showcase bonus was installed in 1974. And these graphics would be flashing, whenever a contestant won money on the big wheel or a cash award game, the cash prize would be flashing; whenever a contestant won both showcases, the words: "Double Showcase Winner" would be flashing; or when a contestant wins his/her showcase, his/her final total would be flashing. But, since March 2009, the winning graphics stopped flashing.

And that's the first disappointment of game shows for me that I posted on this subject. I'd like it better when winning graphics are flashing, not doing various of animations. And I want any game shows in current production that used to do that to bring that back and any current game shows that has their winning graphics originally in various of animations have them be flashing too. I'm serious I want winning graphics to be flashing again.

[BrandonFG]

I was underwhelmed with Headline Chasers. To me, the headline solving element looked too much like Wheel, and I don't recall the top amount being won much in the bonus game.

1985-87 was that weird era where there were several Hangman games on TV with Wheel, Scrabble, this, and eventually $1M Chance of a Lifetime. The former two were unique enough to work, whereas the latter two were basically Wheel in a different package and fizzled out quickly for a reason.

[Kevin Prather]

Who Wants to be a Millionaire finally got back to its original format with its original hot seat and original music... and it's all celebrities.

[Jeremy Nelson]

Mchale's Card Sharks was a disappointment if for no other reason than the previous ABC revivals were all so much better. The pacing was just so bad.

I was excited for the prospect of Jeopardy having a set postseason, but this is ridiculous. The Jeopardy Playoffs last longer than the NBA's and the NHL's.