This summer, there are a plethora of game shows airing in prime time. Many are revivals of classics such as To Tell the Truth, Press Your Luck, Card Sharks and College Bowl. But what should be the next game shows to return to prime time network TV? Here's what HSGN picks for 10 shows to return.
1. Hollywood Squares. It's been over 30 years since NBC canceled the long running comedy game that spawned two syndicated versions in the 1980s and 1990s. There were also two versions on cable channels Hip Hop Squares and Country Squares that didn't get the square. So the time is right for a new version of the famed tic-tac-toe game that could also be a big hit.
2. Truth or Consequences. Last time Truth or Consequences was on TV was in a short-lived syndicated incarnation in 1987. With the hour long time period that almost all the prime time games have, this show would be perfect since there would be time for several silly stunts and occasional reunions that made the original Ralph Edwards and network and syndicated shows with Bob Barker a long running success.
3. Concentration. NBC should take notice. They still own the rights to the network's longest running daytime game show that hasn't been on since Classic Concentration ended production in 1991. Contestants could play for valuable prizes if they solve the puzzle. This is a show that would work well in an hour time period with two separate games or a number of games that would continue for the hour.
4. High Rollers. Why hasn't this show been back on the air since the recent syndicated version ended in 1987? In the previous incarnation that was hosted by Alex Trebek, it was a very simple game that was canceled too soon all because NBC needed the time period for a new talk show starring a then unknown comedian named David Letterman. Sticking to the format from that version would also work in an hour slot.
5. Beat the Clock. Last time this classic stunt show was on, it was buried on a network called Universal Kids. It deserves better than that. The original Bud Collyer version was a big prime time success as well as daytime. The show's appeal came from the often messy and offbeat stunts. The right host and the right execution to the show would make it a prime time success.
6. Tic Tac Dough. When Tic Tac Dough last aired in 1990, it was a huge flop, marred by a terrible host in Patrick Wayne. It was a simple game that home viewers could play along as they tried to answer the questions in the nine categories. Just don't include any pot related questions like the Snoop Dogg revival of The Joker's Wild that aired on TNT.
7. You Don't Say. The original version with Tom Kennedy was a huge hit, running from 1963 to 1969. But in 1975, the show returned to ABC daytime with a four celebrity format that was axed 15 weeks later to make room for the move of the soap opera The Edge of Night from CBS. A later syndicated version came and went due to low ratings and clearances. Should You Don't Say be revived, whoever produces the show should go back to the original celebrity-civilian format. A show that's long overdue for a return.
8. The Newlywed Game. ABC has attempted to revive old Chuck Barris shows such as The Gong Show and now Celebrity Dating Game. So how about The Newlywed Game? The original Bob Eubanks version was a prime time success on Saturday nights when it was paired with The Dating Game. The network should put the show between The Bachelor or Bachelorette and Celebrity Dating Game if it does return and there would be a whole night of love in prime time.
9. Child's Play. Here's where CBS should get on the prime time game bandwagon. It would make a perfect companion to Kids Say the Darndest Things though the original Bill Cullen version only latest one season. It would make a good comedy game with the humor coming from the youngsters definitions of words.
10. Pantomime Quiz. Since the original Mike Stokey version made the rounds of four networks (including the defunct Dumont network) in the 1940s and 1950s, the perennial summer replacement has aired sparingly under the titles Stump the Stars and Celebrity Charades. The charades format was a staple of early TV but has been on the air with limited success in shows such as Showoffs and Body Language. It would be a fun show to watch if they get the right celebrities and host.
Those are HSGN's picks for future game show revivals. Hopefully some of them will return in the next few years.
No comments:
Post a Comment