The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => Game Show Channels & Networks => Topic started by: Shredder on July 02, 2004, 12:47:54 PM
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Here's something I never did understand. They create a few gameshows that could have long runs... Russian Rhoulette, Whammy, and Lingo to name a small sampling. Yet they cancell them after two seasons...
If they want to attract younger viewers, why not just renew the NEW gameshows and put those in the prime time lineup, along with creating more new originals? As many have stated, Reality dosn't repeat well. I was looking forward to seeing the Mole again, but I remembered more of it than I thought, and stopped watching after a while. I'll be watching the Mole 2, since I didn't tune in after they stopped showing it for a year, but I have yet to check out the other new shows they've added..except for Spy TV wich looks rather fun...
BTW, anyone know how ratings are going for the new shows? I'm extremly curious to see if their plan is working...
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The ratings are better compared to the abysmal-ish low ratings of Mid-2003, and the month-to-month ratings, through May, have held flat (As opposed to five straight months of gains from October to March)
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I would say reality repeats well only if it is repeated within a week of the original airing. If someone missed it on the over-the-air network, they could still catch up with it through a cable airing and not look like a doofus the next week at the watercooler.
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I wouldn't mind seeing Hollywood Showdown make a comeback. Never understood why that got the hook in the first place.
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I think this is something GSN needs to consider, given a USA Today story on 6-28-2004 that the creators of some of the most recent "reality" shows are starting to "rip-off" some of the other shows. (One example cited: Fox's upcoming Trading Spouses, which was a "rip-off" of ABC's upcoming Wife Swap, which in turn was a "rip-off" of a similarly-themed British series.)
A better move for GSN would be to go with game/reality shows having more "game" and less "exploitation." (The Mole series on ABC was a good example, and played even better in its "celebrity" version, IMO.) In fact, I have an idea for a GSN limited-run series that might be interesting: The Pinball Decathalon.
The concept: Ten pinball machines from various eras, each one of which is at least loosely related to a classic television game show. Get some "B-list" celebrities to play them over a series of shows (they would probably want the TV exposure), and present cash awards to the celebrities favorite charities to the players, in order of finish. (I'll have my list later, for those who might be interested.)
Michael Brandenburg
(But why no "A-list" celebrities? Because they typically don't want to look stupid after things don't go right for them in play.)
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[quote name=\'Michael Brandenburg\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 01:28 PM\'] (But why no "A-list" celebrities? Because they typically don't want to look stupid after things don't go right for them in play.) [/quote]
Thing is, Celebrity Blackjack has...if not "A" list celebrities, then definitely "B+" and absolutely the best celebrity group that a GSN original has ever served up. I bet you could find some similarly luminous stars to play pinball.
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[quote name=\'Michael Brandenburg\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 12:28 PM\'] I think this is something GSN needs to consider, given a USA Today story on 6-28-2004 that the creators of some of the most recent "reality" shows are starting to "rip-off" some of the other shows. (One example cited: Fox's upcoming Trading Spouses, which was a "rip-off" of ABC's upcoming Wife Swap, which in turn was a "rip-off" of a similarly-themed British series.) [/quote]
The title alone is a rip-off of a "Chappelle's Show" sketch...a very funny one, might I add. :-)
As for GSN, I thought Hollywood Showdown was an excellent original. I'd love to see that, along with Russian Roulette and MAYBE Whammy proposed for syndication. Could Bob Boden still be able to at least get RR proposed, even though he's no longer at the network?
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[quote name=\'Michael Brandenburg\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 10:28 AM\'] The concept: Ten pinball machines from various eras, each one of which is at least loosely related to a classic television game show. [/quote]
Again:
Playing pinball is fun.
Watching other people play pinball is not NEARLY as much fun.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 03:34 PM\'] Again:
Playing pinball is fun.
Watching other people play pinball is not NEARLY as much fun. [/quote]
As evidenced by The Magnificent Marble Machine.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 02:34 PM\'] [quote name=\'Michael Brandenburg\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 10:28 AM\'] The concept: Ten pinball machines from various eras, each one of which is at least loosely related to a classic television game show. [/quote]
Again:
Playing pinball is fun.
Watching other people play pinball is not NEARLY as much fun. [/quote]
I would have thought that too, but how can one explain the popularity on the part of viewers and players of Plinko!?
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 01:21 PM\'] I would have thought that too, but how can one explain the popularity on the part of viewers and players of Plinko!? [/quote]
Because it's...um, how do I put this delicately....NOT PINBALL?
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 03:32 PM\'] [quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 01:21 PM\'] I would have thought that too, but how can one explain the popularity on the part of viewers and players of Plinko!? [/quote]
Because it's...um, how do I put this delicately....NOT PINBALL? [/quote]
You don't see any similarites? Maybe Michael should pitch "Celebrity Pachinko" instead.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 01:47 PM\'] [quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 03:32 PM\'] [quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 01:21 PM\'] I would have thought that too, but how can one explain the popularity on the part of viewers and players of Plinko!? [/quote]
Because it's...um, how do I put this delicately....NOT PINBALL? [/quote]
You don't see any similarites? [/quote]
Not enough to call it pinball, no.
Maybe Michael should pitch "Celebrity Pachinko" instead.
I KNEW you were gonna come back with this. (And unsurprisingly, because we both know where Plinko got the name.) I'd be even LESS likely to watch people play Pachinko for a half-hour than I would pinball.
I mean, going back to Plinko. It's great in three-minute chunks. Would you watch it for a half-hour?
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 06:17 PM\'] I mean, going back to Plinko. It's great in three-minute chunks. Would you watch it for a half-hour? [/quote]
Tell that to the person that proposed a 30-minute show called "Plinko!: The All New Drop Your Chips!"
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[quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 04:19 PM\'] Tell that to the person that proposed a 30-minute show called "Plinko!: The All New Drop Your Chips!" [/quote]
The ONE reason I'd like to go to the Perfesser's little ring-kissing soiree in LA this summer is to see what kind of drek hits the table at the Pitch Yer Show panel...
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 07:24 PM\'] [quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 04:19 PM\'] Tell that to the person that proposed a 30-minute show called "Plinko!: The All New Drop Your Chips!" [/quote]
The ONE reason I'd like to go to the Perfesser's little ring-kissing soiree in LA this summer is to see what kind of drek hits the table at the Pitch Yer Show panel... [/quote]
And you, sir, would be the perfect heckler for it. :)
I'm prepared to get flamed for this, but about watching Plinko in 30-minute increments?? I can't even watch it for THREE minutes. It's my least-favorite pricing game. To me, it's boring.
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Initially, I wondered why people like watching Plinko! more than watching pinball, and I guess the answer is that Plinko! is in small chunks. Would combining pinball with something beyond high scores (i.e. building a poker hand, spelling a word or knocking off targets in sequential order, etc.) be more attractive to a viewer)
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 05:31 PM\'] Would combining pinball with something beyond high scores (i.e. building a poker hand, spelling a word or knocking off targets in sequential order, etc.) be more attractive to a viewer) [/quote]
Didn't seem to work too well for Art James. ;)
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 07:32 PM\'] [quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 05:31 PM\'] Would combining pinball with something beyond high scores (i.e. building a poker hand, spelling a word or knocking off targets in sequential order, etc.) be more attractive to a viewer) [/quote]
Didn't seem to work too well for Art James. ;) [/quote]
True, Art's game show career went down the drain after that.
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[quote name=\'Dsmith\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 06:19 PM\'] [quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 06:17 PM\'] I mean, going back to Plinko. It's great in three-minute chunks. Would you watch it for a half-hour? [/quote]
Tell that to the person that proposed a 30-minute show called "Plinko!: The All New Drop Your Chips!" [/quote]
Yeah, I seem to recall being somewhat responsible for that game, though give Alex most of the credit. I see the game died a quick death, though.
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[quote name=\'Shredder\' date=\'Jul 2 2004, 11:47 AM\'] Here's something I never did understand. They create a few gameshows that could have long runs... Russian Rhoulette, Whammy, and Lingo to name a small sampling. Yet they cancell them after two seasons... [/quote]
I agree with you...especially in the case of Lingo. From what I remember reading, it was the network's highest rated original and I think it only got better with each new season. I don't understand why GSN has seemingly abandoned it.
I understand the push for reality (even though I despise reality TV) and I think there is room on the network for both. I just hate to see three pretty good originals get forgotten.
Russian Roulette is a solid contemporary game show and the second season of Whammy! fixed all of the minor issues with the game. They both deserve a chance.
Do we know for sure that Lingo is dead?
ITSBRY
itsbry@juno.com
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Ok, after seeing the above post, I decided to call GSN and find out the story. Here's how it goes. Right now, whether or not Lingo or any of the other originals for that matter are going to have new seasons is up in the air. No decision has been made. They should make a decision sometime in the next 3 months.