The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: edward1978 on June 15, 2012, 02:00:01 PM
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Do you guys remember when daytime television had a whole conucopia of game shows, like Sale of the Century, Scrabble, Pyramid, Press Your Luck just to name a few back in the 70's and 80's. The talk shows had wiped network game shows except The Price Is Right in the 90's and had been this way for 15 years until Let's Make A Deal replaced Guiding Light in 2009. I was hoping that network daytime game shows would return when LMAD premiered, but all hope for game shows return to prominence died when CBS replaced As The World Turns with The Talk, then ABC replaces All My Children and One Life To Live with The Chew and The Revolution respectively. Now that The Revolution has been cancelled will a game show replace it, I hope so if not will Game Shows ever return to prominance on network daytime television.
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Do you guys remember when daytime television had a whole conucopia of game shows,
Yes I do, Geoff.
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Now that The Revolution has been cancelled will a game show replace it
It is my believe that an hour-long edition of Good Morning America (which, I presume, will be retitled to fit the time of day) will be on at 2:00 New York time as a stop gap until autumn when General Hospital moves up to 2:00 (its first time period move since the late 1970s) freeing up 3-4pm for local ABC stations to fill with their own fare, which many will use for overpaid blowhard Katie Couric's daily syndicated offering.
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They won't. A big problem with daytime game shows has historically been the older demographics of the audience. There are other economic and demographic reasons not to bring back game shows. I'm afraid the ship has sailed.
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Y&R and B&B still do pretty well at CBS. And as long as a) Julie Chen remains married to Les Moonves, and/or b) Les remains president of CBS, The Talk will likely be around for awhile. If that one ever goes away, there's a chance, since CBS had considered Pyramid.
Another scenario: if NBC ever decides to free up one of the 17 hours of the Today show, or gets rid of Days of Our Lives, there might be a shot, if they don't give the hour(s) back to the affiliates. In the case of NBC and ABC, I think they're both doing what they can to keep their only soaps. I really don't think either wants to be the first network to completely wipe them off the daytime schedule, but when it comes down to money, I'm sure that's a small price to pay for either.
At this point, I'd say you're better off looking at primetime or syndication. In the last 10 years, it's kinda felt like primetime is the new daytime with all the games that have popped up since 1999. And like daytime in the 70s and 80s, some shows lasted and became iconic and even spawned syndicated counterparts (Millionaire, Weakest Link, Deal or No Deal), while others fizzled after a few weeks (Winning Lines, Show Me the Money).
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I question whether we'll see another new network-daytime show that's not news/talk of any kind, ever.
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They won't. A big problem with daytime game shows has historically been the older demographics of the audience. There are other economic and demographic reasons not to bring back game shows. I'm afraid the ship has sailed.
As the traditional networks continue to lose relevance--due to cable previously, due today to both cable and sites like Hulu, Netflix, etc.--maybe new game shows could find success via non-traditional media channels. Cash Cab certainly showed that a modest game show in a creative venue could be successful, at least for a little while...maybe a similar GS produced for YouTube could do the same? Perhaps such a things is still a few years away from being feasible (I'm aware the prize budget would likely be next-to-nil).
I also think Hip Hop Squares is a good trial for seeing if it's possible for game shows to find acceptance among the younger generation. If it's successful, it could pave the way for other classic formats produced in a similar vein (MG, of course, but maybe even panel shows like WML and TTTT).
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What really gets me to scratch my head is despite all the 60-minute syndicated talk, court, and freak shows (coughcoughSpringercoughcough), as well as the 30-minute shows of the same genres -- plus game shows -- that air back-to-back in one hour blocks by many stations during the daytime hours, I have yet to hear of anybody ever trying to crank out a full 60-minute game show for syndication.
Yes, Dawson's '94-95 Feud run was technically 60-minutes, but it really was defined as two 30-minute segments that stations could elect to take as the full hour, or they could air only the latter of the two halves, so I really don't count that show as a real 60-minute show.
This is where I'd love to see a 60-minute version of Pyramid play out, with three matches per show, the full 7-answers-in-30-seconds format, and un-rushed pacing, similar to that of the early years of Pyramid -- they should have no problem filling the 44 minutes of content needed per show. Filling the 44 minutes of content with competent celebrity players, on the other hand....
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They won't. A big problem with daytime game shows has historically been the older demographics of the audience. There are other economic and demographic reasons not to bring back game shows. I'm afraid the ship has sailed.
As the traditional networks continue to lose relevance--due to cable previously, due today to both cable and sites like Hulu, Netflix, etc.--maybe new game shows could find success via non-traditional media channels. Cash Cab certainly showed that a modest game show in a creative venue could be successful, at least for a little while...maybe a similar GS produced for YouTube could do the same? Perhaps such a things is still a few years away from being feasible (I'm aware the prize budget would likely be next-to-nil).
I also think Hip Hop Squares is a good trial for seeing if it's possible for game shows to find acceptance among the younger generation. If it's successful, it could pave the way for other classic formats produced in a similar vein (MG, of course, but maybe even panel shows like WML and TTTT).
Does it count if there's already a bit of IGaS on the remake of Nickelodeon's Figure it Out?
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I don't think more daytime game shows are out of the question (not a full renaissance..maybe one or two more) down the line and I'll tell you why. I don't like to speak for the group, but I think I can confidently say that prior to 2009, very few of us ever thought there would be another network daytime game show besides "Price". And look - we're coming up on 3 years of "Deal" already...
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Is Deal anybody's favorite game show? It's just "there." The Flint market runs it on the My affiliate.
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Is Deal anybody's favorite game show? It's just "there."
That's kinda how I feel about it. An okay show that could be so much better. I watch it if it's on, but don't go out of my way to do so.
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Is Deal anybody's favorite game show? It's just "there."
That's kinda how I feel about it. An okay show that could be so much better. I watch it if it's on, but don't go out of my way to do so.
Guess I'm one of the few who actually really enjoys the show, then. No, it's not "Deal" the way Monty did it, but their way is just as fun to watch, IMHO, and Wayne and Jonathan have great chemistry.
Again, I think shows like that and Hip Hop Squares may be the way of the future for game shows...they have to have a freewheeling atmosphere, and have a little bit of variety show thrown in to keep modern-day viewers engaged. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see faithful revivals of "Pyramid," "Split Second," and other more cerebral games, but they may not have a chance in today's market.
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It's just "there."
My thoughts exactly. Deal isn't awful, but it's not that good either. I simply cannot get into it.
Am I the only one who is surprised at how mellow Wayne Brady is on the show, considering his flamboyance on Whose Line Is It Anyways?
Apart from what you see on CBS, I highly doubt there's going to be anything else. Daytime programming in general is more content to squeeze out talk show after talk show.
Then again, I'm amazed Deal has lasted this long.
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I like Deal, but at least for me, it doesn't seem right as an hour-long. It would make more sense to condense it to a half-hour and maybe put a revival of Press Your Luck (or Whew!... a man can dream) before it.
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Again, I think shows like that and Hip Hop Squares may be the way of the future for game shows...they have to have a freewheeling atmosphere, and have a little bit of variety show thrown in to keep modern-day viewers engaged. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see faithful revivals of "Pyramid," "Split Second," and other more cerebral games, but they may not have a chance in today's market.
I understand that this is a common thought about "brainier" game shows, but really, there hasn't been a solid, genuine effort to put a Split Second or another quiz revival on air for a long time. I think there's a place for another one; it's probably not going to be in daytime like we once saw, but if a good quizzer was made, people would come, Ray.
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Apart from what you see on CBS, I highly doubt there's going to be anything else. Daytime programming in general is more content to squeeze out talk show after talk show.
NBC can expand Today ad nauseam. Without LMAD what would CBS do? Expand CBS This Morning by one hour? Give the time slot back to the affiliates (not a great idea)? Expand The Talk to two hours? Rerun Alice and All In the Family? Remount Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour?
It's cheaper to produce something in house than to pay a Fremantle to produce something.
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Who wouldn't want another hour of Charlie Rose?
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Please forgive if it seems harsh, but to adapt Mr. Clementson's tag, most of America's daytime viewers are ignorant and gullible. For the most part, either you make a game something as simple as possible, where even a guess can win, or you raise hopes of people wanting something for nothing. Millionaire and Jeopardy at least champion some mental and strategic achievement. But compared to what we have today, we have victims on parade with the endless court shows and Maury clones (which are often stacked with actors playing roles). Vapid interviews with with people whose fourth-billed appearance in a moderate hit movie qualifies them for the term "star", and gab fests that echo the talking points of the political parties of their choice. And they're done on the cheap. Just an opinion - we'll have to return to a national mindset of rewarding achievement and respect for each other - or at least crediting the home audience with a brain - before we see networks considering a return to something more stimulating than today's current fare. Victimhood sells. I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere there's a lawyer thinking about calling past losers on Jeopardy and telling them they were victims of an inadequate educational system and that they deserve financial justice ;-).
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I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere there's a lawyer thinking about calling past losers on Jeopardy and telling them they were victims of an inadequate educational system and that they deserve financial justice ;-).
I am waiting for that phone call.
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Just an opinion - we'll have to return to a national mindset of rewarding achievement and respect for each other - or at least crediting the home audience with a brain - before we see networks considering a return to something more stimulating than today's current fare. Victimhood sells.
The Warren Hull version of Strike It Rich subscribed to that theory, and look where that got them.
Awaiting a "calling on the carpet" from Warren's ghost,
Tammy
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Ha! Thought of you when I wrote that. But I wouldn't figure you for one who would jump in such an action. To elaborate, I mentioned games that give people something for nothing, like LMAD or DoND. But on these shows, the contestants do give something. Their emotions and their dignity. That's the currency the producers elicit, because that's what we like to watch. And sometimes, people are certainly humiliated. Many people can lose with dignity and their head up high after a fair fight. But some people will always take the sting of losing as a personal affront and a national humiliation and demand satisfaction. Our fearless leader sinking to that level? Naaaahhhhhh....
[Besides..if you were to claim an inadequate education, would you ever be allowed back on the MSU campus?? :-)]
Ah - good point, Tammy. But again, shows like that made up a smaller percentage (Queen For a Day, Strike It Rich, On Your Account) of the overall game makeup. Just like, say, if I had my way, there would be no Dating or Newlywed Games on tv - but I am not the majority, and the whole audience would soon be bored with my choices. As long as there's a little something for everyone, let a few come on, if they're well done. I have a channel changer.
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I don't really have a problem with the D/NDs or LMaDs (current version) as much as I can't stand how they're produced (the former more). I don't want sob stories, and I don't want to see people crying because they don't know if $450,000 is enough money for them. And I sure as hell don't want goofy gimmicks and family reunions, or the manufactured drama.
Although these elements go back to the 50s, at least the shows from that era knew it was goofy and melodramatic. I just want to see everyday people as contestants, folks like my neighbor or the grandmother I see at the supermarket. Not waiters in-between gigs on whatever primetime drama is on hiatus.
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For the most part, either you make a game something as simple as possible, where even a guess can win, or you raise hopes of people wanting something for nothing.
I help out with a puzzle event every summer. As part of this event, we have some puzzles that lead to "challenge tokens", which they then bring to the main cafe we have set up as headquarters and perform in various games and events that can earn their team bonus points, ranging from playing a song in Rock Band to driving a remote-controlled boat and answering trivia questions to a communications game to identifying song riffs tied together with my awful Casey Kasem impression.
At the end, to keep everyone busy while we are tabulating the final scoring, we post all of the puzzle solutions on the wall of the cafe and give everyone green and red stickers that we invite them to stick to the answer sheets to say "I particularly enjoyed this" or "I really hated this", as a form of rudimentary feedback. We also have sheets explaining all of the challenges so those can be rated as well.
Invariably, the challenges that get the most green stickers are the ones that required the least effort to complete, and the ones that get the most reds are the ones that make people work a little for those 20 points, regardless of how creative they were or how much production value they might have had. And these are coming from people who signed up for a puzzle event of their own volition and ostensibly want to be challenged.
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Again, I think shows like that and Hip Hop Squares may be the way of the future for game shows...they have to have a freewheeling atmosphere, and have a little bit of variety show thrown in to keep modern-day viewers engaged. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see faithful revivals of "Pyramid," "Split Second," and other more cerebral games, but they may not have a chance in today's market.
I understand that this is a common thought about "brainier" game shows, but really, there hasn't been a solid, genuine effort to put a Split Second or another quiz revival on air for a long time. I think there's a place for another one; it's probably not going to be in daytime like we once saw, but if a good quizzer was made, people would come, Ray.
For whatever limited perspective I can give, it's unbelievably hard to get a decently paced quiz show seriously considered in this country. If I approached any American company with a quiz, 90% of the time the answer is, "Good luck getting a network interested in a show like this." I take it to a more European-minded company and I sign the papers for it a week or two later. Whenever Fox picked up The Chase all of us exchanged basically the same thought: "We love the show, we'd love to see a fast paced and tough quiz in America again, but we're floored they gave it a shot and we can't see it going anywhere." Hopefully I'm wrong. I've seen pitches and presentations for some really, really good quiz shows for America. The interest just isn't there initially. Then they go to England or the Netherlands or France, get popular, and then American networks take interest.
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I understand that this is a common thought about "brainier" game shows, but really, there hasn't been a solid, genuine effort to put a Split Second or another quiz revival on air for a long time. I think there's a place for another one; it's probably not going to be in daytime like we once saw, but if a good quizzer was made, people would come, Ray.
I think we're not even having the right conversation. One of my running jokes is that if I were to win Mega Millions or Powerball I would set aside ten million dollars or so to build up a Revision3 for game shows. For those who don't know, Rev3 is an internet television network that puts out video podcasts on a whole bunch of topics. They're all polished and well done, and I defy someone to go there and not find something that would interest him.
Instead of bemoaning the dearth of daytime game shows, what we should be thinking about is the paradigm shift that's underway to online programming. Let's assume that a really well done quality game show could regularly pull in 100,000 viewers. No network would touch that, but if you were to put that online in some form, you can bet that sponsors would line up to back it, and you could find a devoted presence that would watch. Sure, the prizes would be lower than what we're now used to, but is that necessarily a bad thing?
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I seem to recall a online game show attempt a few years back. I think it was called PlayCafe.
It was a lot of fun, the hosts were good and it was fun to chat with fellow GSF members (before Facebook).
Shame it went down, what happened to it?