Fremantle has been sending out surveys to certain members of their focus group, and their most recent one makes it clear that they are working with the idea of bringing What\'s My Line? back to TV. The survey and accompanying \"sizzle\" reel notes that they are looking towards Whoopi Goldberg to be the lead panelist. This is how the proposed format would go:
The first round would be the Mystery Guest round, where the guest becomes the fourth panelist for the rest of the program. Rounds two and three would be traditional play at $1,000 a \"No\", with the third contestant having a more \"extreme\" occupation. Video highlights will accentuate the reveal afterwards. An extra round would blindfold the panelists who will have to identify the line by feeling the uniform/accessories the contestant is wearing for his job.
There\'s no network or host or anything like that attached yet, but it\'s clear the wheels are starting to move. I think the reassignment of the Mystery Guest is clever and while I really don\'t think \"Touch the Guest\" is needed, if that\'s where they want to contain the apparently nowadays necessary \"teehee\" humor, that\'s fine.
Whaaaat do you think?
Mr. Ottinger, please define \"mixed feelings\".
I hope that doesn\'t become another classic format Fremantle messes up with. Since most of us were around for CS 2001 and (previously) MG \'98, we know how much they can change beloved formats into something barely resembling the original.
Brian
Not sure why they need to turn it into a money game. Not overly *offended* by this, mind you, but it seems like it takes away from the point of the show.
Not sure why they need to turn it into a money game. Not overly *offended* by this, mind you, but it seems like it takes away from the point of the show.
I\'ll respectfully disagree. In this day and age, IMHO, most people associate game shows with the idea of winning some money. Dangle ten grand in front of someone and I believe you\'ll find more people with interesting occupations \'wanting\' to be on the show, instead of central casting just going thru their vast rolodex of vacuous pretty people.
Million dollar What\'s My Line is just dumb though.
I like the idea of the Mystery Guest staying and playing. That\'s clever.
Just my opinion.
Not sure why they need to turn it into a money game. Not overly *offended* by this, mind you, but it seems like it takes away from the point of the show.I\'ll respectfully disagree. In this day and age, IMHO, most people associate game shows with the idea of winning some money. Dangle ten grand in front of someone and I believe you\'ll find more people with interesting occupations \'wanting\' to be on the show, instead of central casting just going thru their vast rolodex of vacuous pretty people.
Million dollar What\'s My Line is just dumb though.
I like the idea of the Mystery Guest staying and playing. That\'s clever.
Just my opinion.
My concern is how many potential A- or B-list celebs, that would be willing to be a Mystery Guest for 5-7 minutes, would change their mind if they had to stay for the whole show and play panelist as well???
Not sure why they need to turn it into a money game. Not overly *offended* by this, mind you, but it seems like it takes away from the point of the show.I\'ll respectfully disagree. In this day and age, IMHO, most people associate game shows with the idea of winning some money. Dangle ten grand in front of someone and I believe you\'ll find more people with interesting occupations \'wanting\' to be on the show, instead of central casting just going thru their vast rolodex of vacuous pretty people.
I think you can go somewhere in between. Knock down the money (at most $250 per no, $5K for all 10), and comp contestants for for flight, 2-3 nights hotel, and a small per diem for food. And hell, you can even make Round 1 be for charity.
I like the idea of the Mystery Guest staying and playing. That\'s clever.
Just my opinion.
Seconded. Never would have thought of that. But then again, panel shows aren\'t really my thing.
Interesting concept...the Mystery Guest idea is growing on me.
I wonder if by \"extreme\" they mean Mike Rowe/\"Dirty Jobs\"-type occupations?
I wonder if by \"extreme\" they mean Mike Rowe/\"Dirty Jobs\"-type occupations?
An example they cited was a nose repairer for the figures on Mount Rushmore.
I like the idea of the Mystery Guest staying and playing. That\'s clever.
Just my opinion.
I\'ve actually thought about a new What\'s My Line? and in fact even thought of Whoopi as a regular panelist. So I find this to be oddly amusing/
I don\'t like the idea of loading the game full of cash. You kind of suck the fun out of it by making it so...serious. $100 a no and $2000 for stumping is perfectly acceptable, but I suppose I\'m just old school. I think if you find the right panelists and occupations, you don\'t need all that cash. In any case, I\'d love to see What\'s My Line? return to television.
*at least that one time.
/still waiting for TTTT to come back this decade and continue its streak.
Just my opinion.
No, that\'s fair. And I fully understand it\'s hard to get worked up over ten large.
Whaaaat do you think?
I don\'t totally hate it. The only totally new-to-WML? idea in that description is the guessing by touch, and if executed properly (because that can go down Clusterf*** Alley very easily in my mind) it could work. I would at least sit through a whole pilot.
I wonder if by \"extreme\" they mean Mike Rowe/\"Dirty Jobs\"-type occupations?An example they cited was a nose repairer for the figures on Mount Rushmore.
That actually sounds pretty cool. Thanks!
The phrase \"If it ain\'t broke, don\'t fix it.\" has never been more relevant.
When I hear that Whoopi Goldberg is on board I don\'t think of the dignified (if staid) affair hosted by John Charles Daily that I would eagerly watch for two weeks every December--I think of the over-the-top salaciousness of the 2000-2001 version of To Tell the Truth.
I think that\'s a valid concern. Then again, I rather enjoyed GSN\'s revival of IGAS.
The phrase \"If it ain\'t broke, don\'t fix it.\" has never been more relevant.
\"Relevance\" is a touchy term when discussing a show that hasn\'t aired a new episode in 38 years. Didn\'t they kinda fix what wasn\'t broken in 1968 by adding Soupy Sales and demonstrations?
The phrase \"If it ain\'t broke, don\'t fix it.\" has never been more relevant.
\"Relevance\" is a touchy term when discussing a show that hasn\'t aired a new episode in 38 years. Didn\'t they kinda fix what wasn\'t broken in 1968 by adding Soupy Sales and demonstrations?
While I haven\'t seen a full episode of the second run, from what I\'ve heard of it, it seems like they were merely adding small touches to liven up the gameplay rather than changing it as radically as this proposed version will. I\'ve read before that the demonstrations didn\'t happen in the first run because Daly didn\'t like them, but the demonstrations as they occurred in the second run didn\'t really change the basic gameplay very radically.
Not a fan of the \"touchy-feely\" idea, but I do like the Mystery Guest sitting on the panel.
I, too, liked the GSN \"Secret\". They had the perfect panel and host. I wish it had caught on, and had gone on longer.
Here\'s hoping WML? goes, and goes over well.
I think it\'s overreacting a bit to call these changes \"radical\". It\'s still celebrities questioning someone with a quirky hobby. Just because it\'s not being done the same exact way it was in the 50s/60s/70s does not mean the changes are \"radical\", even with the \"touchy-feely\" part.
I\'m not a Fremantle fan in the slightest, but I\'m not going to get up in arms over a few updates to bring it into the 21st century.
I\'ve Got a Secret is a completely different show than What\'s My Line. The mood is as different as can be.
True, but the mood of the syndie revival was a lot closer. Put it this way: I\'d welcome a revival of IGAS. A revival of WML that feels like IGAS would be the next best thing to that.
Is Whoopi based out of NYC? If so, this would be good. Tom Bergeron might even be coaxed into hosting if its a short-term show for ABC.
Is Whoopi based out of NYC?
The View is, and I wanna say Everybody Hates Chris was shot in NYC, so I\'d say yes.
Is Whoopi based out of NYC? If so, this would be good. Tom Bergeron might even be coaxed into hosting if its a short-term show for ABC.
Oooooh. I like that. A lot....
I\'d give any version of WML a look. The idea of the MG staying and playing sounds like a good twist. Whoopi would add funny moments like Soupy Sales did.
Million dollar What\'s My Line is just dumb though.
Rats, once again I am four pages behind.
/Oh, well, still +1 though.
I\'d watch it for awhile.
Side question: does Fremantle even own the rights to What\'s My Line anymore? I thought they sold off the rights (along with IGAS, which is why it\'s been brought back with a couple of different production companies) around 1955 or so.
Side question: does Fremantle even own the rights to What\'s My Line anymore? I thought they sold off the rights (along with IGAS, which is why it\'s been brought back with a couple of different production companies) around 1955 or so.
Gil Fates talks about that in his memoirs. At around 1955, CBS bought the show outright from Goodson-Todman and then commissioned them to continue producing it. In a really confusing business deal--which Ira Skutch explains in his memoirs and even then I still didn\'t get it--Garry Moore somehow became the owner of WML? around the time that the CBS version came to an end. Shortly before he retired, Garry Moore sold all of his assets to a conglomerate, and Fates noted that at the time of his writing, What\'s My Line? was owned by Dannon Yogurt. My own totally unresearched guess is that the rights to the show went back to Goodson at some point in the 1980s--I\'ve seen a 1987 interview where he mentions that a new version is one of the projects that his company is working on--and if that\'s the case, that would logically put it in Fremantle\'s hands today.
![Mark Goodson approves.*](\"http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2609/5744556130_4ed00638c1_z.jpg\"){kind=link}