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Game Shows-Was there a time that TPIR, Wheel and J! the only game shows to watch?
- Thread starter dxtrfn
- Start date
> If there was it was before GSN was founded.
>
There have always been at least a few others in syndication and on cable, but the pickings were pretty slim in the mid-90s before Millionaire came along and revived the genre.
I'm not even sure if any game shows remained on network schedules in the first few years following the rigging scandal of the 50s, although it didn't take long for a new crop of shows to pop up.
>
There have always been at least a few others in syndication and on cable, but the pickings were pretty slim in the mid-90s before Millionaire came along and revived the genre.
I'm not even sure if any game shows remained on network schedules in the first few years following the rigging scandal of the 50s, although it didn't take long for a new crop of shows to pop up.
> > If there was it was before GSN was founded.
> >
> There have always been at least a few others in syndication
> and on cable, but the pickings were pretty slim in the
> mid-90s before Millionaire came along and revived the genre.
>
>
> I'm not even sure if any game shows remained on network
> schedules in the first few years following the rigging
> scandal of the 50s, although it didn't take long for a new
> crop of shows to pop up.
>
After the scandals, game shows became largely the province
of daytime. In primetime in the 1959-60 season (the first
after the scandals), ABC had two celebrity panel shows:
Keep Talking (with Merv Griffin) and Take A Good Look (with
Ernie Kovacs). CBS had the Goodson-Todman panel trio of
What's My Line?, I've Got A Secret, and To Tell The Truth;
it also had Masquerade Party (not a G-T show) in the fall
of '59. NBC hung onto the original, Bill Cullen-hosted
Price Is Right; You Bet Your Life (with the one, the only
Groucho); People Are Funny (Art Linkletter); and, from
January-September 1960, Masquerade Party.
In daytime, ABC had About Faces, Beat The Clock, and Who
Do You Trust? (with Johnny Carson). NBC had Dough Re Mi,
Play Your Hunch (Merv again), The Price Is Right, Concentration,
Truth Or Consequences (Bob Barker), It Could Be You, and
Queen For A Day. Also, GE College Bowl (with Allen Ludden)
aired Sunday afternoons on CBS.
It would take too long to go through the schedule of games
in the '60s, but such classics as Password, Match Game,
Let's Make A Deal, Jeopardy!, The Dating Game, The Newlywed
Game, and Hollywood Squares debuted during the decade.
The introduction of the primetime access rule, giving 7:30
(ET/PT) back to the affiliates, was a real boon to games in
the '70s. Some stations carried five-a-week shows such as
What's My Line?, To Tell The Truth, Truth Or Consequences,
Beat The Clock, Concentration, Joker's Wild, and Tic Tac
Dough; others chose weekly or twice-weekly shows such as
Let's Make A Deal, Hollywood Squares, Match Game PM, Name
That Tune, $25,000 Pyramid, Treasure Hunt, and Family Feud.
Although some of these (such as Squares, Match Game, and Feud)
expanded to five nights a week by the '80s, viewers seemed to prefer
PM Magazine, ET, and shows of that type; also, given the
near-invincibility of Wheel and Jeopardy!, game shows were
hard to come by in the '80s and '90s, and still are.
Likewise, daytime viewers seem to prefer courtroom shows
and "trash talk."
> >
> There have always been at least a few others in syndication
> and on cable, but the pickings were pretty slim in the
> mid-90s before Millionaire came along and revived the genre.
>
>
> I'm not even sure if any game shows remained on network
> schedules in the first few years following the rigging
> scandal of the 50s, although it didn't take long for a new
> crop of shows to pop up.
>
After the scandals, game shows became largely the province
of daytime. In primetime in the 1959-60 season (the first
after the scandals), ABC had two celebrity panel shows:
Keep Talking (with Merv Griffin) and Take A Good Look (with
Ernie Kovacs). CBS had the Goodson-Todman panel trio of
What's My Line?, I've Got A Secret, and To Tell The Truth;
it also had Masquerade Party (not a G-T show) in the fall
of '59. NBC hung onto the original, Bill Cullen-hosted
Price Is Right; You Bet Your Life (with the one, the only
Groucho); People Are Funny (Art Linkletter); and, from
January-September 1960, Masquerade Party.
In daytime, ABC had About Faces, Beat The Clock, and Who
Do You Trust? (with Johnny Carson). NBC had Dough Re Mi,
Play Your Hunch (Merv again), The Price Is Right, Concentration,
Truth Or Consequences (Bob Barker), It Could Be You, and
Queen For A Day. Also, GE College Bowl (with Allen Ludden)
aired Sunday afternoons on CBS.
It would take too long to go through the schedule of games
in the '60s, but such classics as Password, Match Game,
Let's Make A Deal, Jeopardy!, The Dating Game, The Newlywed
Game, and Hollywood Squares debuted during the decade.
The introduction of the primetime access rule, giving 7:30
(ET/PT) back to the affiliates, was a real boon to games in
the '70s. Some stations carried five-a-week shows such as
What's My Line?, To Tell The Truth, Truth Or Consequences,
Beat The Clock, Concentration, Joker's Wild, and Tic Tac
Dough; others chose weekly or twice-weekly shows such as
Let's Make A Deal, Hollywood Squares, Match Game PM, Name
That Tune, $25,000 Pyramid, Treasure Hunt, and Family Feud.
Although some of these (such as Squares, Match Game, and Feud)
expanded to five nights a week by the '80s, viewers seemed to prefer
PM Magazine, ET, and shows of that type; also, given the
near-invincibility of Wheel and Jeopardy!, game shows were
hard to come by in the '80s and '90s, and still are.
Likewise, daytime viewers seem to prefer courtroom shows
and "trash talk."
M
MGDForEver
Guest
> Although some of these (such as Squares, Match Game, and
> Feud)
> expanded to five nights a week by the '80s, viewers seemed
> to prefer
> PM Magazine, ET, and shows of that type.
>
Being a game show fanatic in the 70s, I've never quite gotten my head around why people in the 80s suddenly lost interest in them, especially the night-time versions that aired at 7:30. I realize that the 80s were markedly different from the 70s in many many ways, but I wonder what cultural factors may have turned people away from game shows. Any thoughts?
> Feud)
> expanded to five nights a week by the '80s, viewers seemed
> to prefer
> PM Magazine, ET, and shows of that type.
>
Being a game show fanatic in the 70s, I've never quite gotten my head around why people in the 80s suddenly lost interest in them, especially the night-time versions that aired at 7:30. I realize that the 80s were markedly different from the 70s in many many ways, but I wonder what cultural factors may have turned people away from game shows. Any thoughts?
J
Joseph_Gallant
Guest
The Nielsen numbers claim that "The Price Is Right" has the oldest average audience of any daytime show on network television. However, were out-of-home viewing factored-in, "TPIR" would probably go from being the oldest-skewing show in daytime TV to one of the youngest-skewing since it is extremely popular with college students who watch it between classes.
A friend of mine who has a college-age son tells me that the TV lounge at his son's college is quite filled-up between 11 A.M. and 12 Noon, with students between classes watching "Price Is Right". My friend's son says that this pattern is repeated at just about every college in the country.
A friend of mine who has a college-age son tells me that the TV lounge at his son's college is quite filled-up between 11 A.M. and 12 Noon, with students between classes watching "Price Is Right". My friend's son says that this pattern is repeated at just about every college in the country.
> The Nielsen numbers claim that "The Price Is Right" has the
> oldest average audience of any daytime show on network
> television. However, were out-of-home viewing factored-in,
> "TPIR" would probably go from being the oldest-skewing show
> in daytime TV to one of the youngest-skewing since it is
> extremely popular with college students who watch it between
> classes.
>
> A friend of mine who has a college-age son tells me that the
> TV lounge at his son's college is quite filled-up between 11
> A.M. and 12 Noon, with students between classes watching
> "Price Is Right". My friend's son says that this pattern is
> repeated at just about every college in the country.
>
And I would bet that's true of every military installation as well. Is The Price Is Right on AFRTS TV for our troops overseas? You'd think it would be given the show's long history of support for the military.
But of course, all those college/military viewers don't have Nielsen boxes and henceforth don't register.
To reply to the previous post, it's not so much that game show viewing declined in the 80s as it was that it was mostly confined to that 7:30/6:30 slot, which Wheel, Jeopardy, and Hollywood Squares (to a lesser extent) owned.
> oldest average audience of any daytime show on network
> television. However, were out-of-home viewing factored-in,
> "TPIR" would probably go from being the oldest-skewing show
> in daytime TV to one of the youngest-skewing since it is
> extremely popular with college students who watch it between
> classes.
>
> A friend of mine who has a college-age son tells me that the
> TV lounge at his son's college is quite filled-up between 11
> A.M. and 12 Noon, with students between classes watching
> "Price Is Right". My friend's son says that this pattern is
> repeated at just about every college in the country.
>
And I would bet that's true of every military installation as well. Is The Price Is Right on AFRTS TV for our troops overseas? You'd think it would be given the show's long history of support for the military.
But of course, all those college/military viewers don't have Nielsen boxes and henceforth don't register.
To reply to the previous post, it's not so much that game show viewing declined in the 80s as it was that it was mostly confined to that 7:30/6:30 slot, which Wheel, Jeopardy, and Hollywood Squares (to a lesser extent) owned.
> Being a game show fanatic in the 70s, I've never quite
> gotten my head around why people in the 80s suddenly lost
> interest in them, especially the night-time versions that
> aired at 7:30. I realize that the 80s were markedly
> different from the 70s in many many ways, but I wonder what
> cultural factors may have turned people away from game
> shows. Any thoughts?
>
I don't think there was any big cultural shift that caused game shows to go out of style...just that a lot of the shows that had been around for years were becoming stale.
The genre had a rebirth of sorts around the middle of the decade, not just with Wheel and Jeopardy, but other syndicated and network daytime shows (The Joan Rivers/Shadoe Stevens era Hollywood Squares, Press Your Luck, The $1 Million Chance of a Lifetime, Win Lose or Draw and others). Of course, these shows fell by the wayside, leaving the Big Three...Wheel, Jeopardy and TPIR, still standing.
> gotten my head around why people in the 80s suddenly lost
> interest in them, especially the night-time versions that
> aired at 7:30. I realize that the 80s were markedly
> different from the 70s in many many ways, but I wonder what
> cultural factors may have turned people away from game
> shows. Any thoughts?
>
I don't think there was any big cultural shift that caused game shows to go out of style...just that a lot of the shows that had been around for years were becoming stale.
The genre had a rebirth of sorts around the middle of the decade, not just with Wheel and Jeopardy, but other syndicated and network daytime shows (The Joan Rivers/Shadoe Stevens era Hollywood Squares, Press Your Luck, The $1 Million Chance of a Lifetime, Win Lose or Draw and others). Of course, these shows fell by the wayside, leaving the Big Three...Wheel, Jeopardy and TPIR, still standing.
TPiR is the WPVI of game shows. That's one reason I like it so much - it has barely changed over the years. I couldn't stand the Doug Davidson version of the show because not only was the host different, but it was too much of a change from the classic Barker version.
BTW: My favourite pricing game would be "3 Strikes".<P ID="signature">______________
From WNBC-TV New York this is Liiiiive at Fiiiiive!</P>
BTW: My favourite pricing game would be "3 Strikes".<P ID="signature">______________
From WNBC-TV New York this is Liiiiive at Fiiiiive!</P>
During the late 70's and early 80's,game shows enjoyed a comeback of sorts in nighttime and still going in daytime as well. In daytime,you could watch The Price Is Right,Family Feud,Wheel Of Fortune(Chuck and Susan and later Pat and Susan before Pat and Vanna),Blockbusters,Password Plus,Battlestars,Card Sharks,$25,000 Pyramid,and Press Your Luck. Nighttime,you could watch Tic Tac Dough,The Joker's Wild,Face The Music,Bullseye,Play The Percentages,Newlywed Game and The Dating Game among others.
After Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy came along in nighttime,more game shows came along in daytime such as Scrabble,Classic Concentration,Super Password,Trivia Trap,a revival of Let's Make A Deal which lasted from 1984-1986,and $1,000,000 Chance Of A Lifetime.
And I won't forget the revival flops that would come along later: Match Game '98,To Tell The Truth(which lasted 1 1/2 seasons from 2000-2002), Card Sharks(which didn't last half a year in 2001),and Let's Make A Deal which lasted only 3 episodes on NBC in 2003.
After Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy came along in nighttime,more game shows came along in daytime such as Scrabble,Classic Concentration,Super Password,Trivia Trap,a revival of Let's Make A Deal which lasted from 1984-1986,and $1,000,000 Chance Of A Lifetime.
And I won't forget the revival flops that would come along later: Match Game '98,To Tell The Truth(which lasted 1 1/2 seasons from 2000-2002), Card Sharks(which didn't last half a year in 2001),and Let's Make A Deal which lasted only 3 episodes on NBC in 2003.
There was also "Super Pay Cards" and "Chain Reaction", which were both produced in Montreal by CFCF. In Toronto, "Definition" was produced by CFTO. All three of these came from the 80s. "Food For Thought" was produced by Global in Ontario, and "Supermarket Sweep" was produced somewhere in Ontario, but was hosted by CKCO's Tino Monte. A number of games were produced out west as well, mainly by CKVU in Vancouver, but also one or two from Channels 2&7 (CFAC) in Calgary. "Acting Crazy", "The Next Line", and "Kidstreet" were all produced out of CKVU. There was an earlier version of "The Next Line" that came from CFAC. I remember spotting a dating game on PRIME TV a few years back, that came from 1986, and I believe was also produced by CKVU, or at least someone in Vancouver. Also from Vancouver was "Talk About", produced by CBUT and seen across the CBC network. Host was Wayne Cox, who is now at BCTV.
Some games were seen across networks (Definition on CTV), while others were syndicated. Many of the syndicated ones were seen on CHCH at one point or another. Chain Reaction was also on Global in Ontario. Were any of these seen Stateside?
Although most of these games were cheap - CBC's "Talk About" was arguably the best one - and had prizes that greatly dwarfed those on American game shows at the time, there was no shortage of game shows in the Great White North in the 80s and early 90s.<P ID="signature">______________
From WNBC-TV New York this is Liiiiive at Fiiiiive!</P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by mjlarochelle on 12/25/05 02:57 PM.</FONT></P>
Some games were seen across networks (Definition on CTV), while others were syndicated. Many of the syndicated ones were seen on CHCH at one point or another. Chain Reaction was also on Global in Ontario. Were any of these seen Stateside?
Although most of these games were cheap - CBC's "Talk About" was arguably the best one - and had prizes that greatly dwarfed those on American game shows at the time, there was no shortage of game shows in the Great White North in the 80s and early 90s.<P ID="signature">______________
From WNBC-TV New York this is Liiiiive at Fiiiiive!</P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by mjlarochelle on 12/25/05 02:57 PM.</FONT></P>
Another game show that I have not seen mentioned was "History I.Q." that was on the History Channel, hosted by "Double Dare" host, Marc Summers.
Which brings me to ask, do we consider the shows on Nick like "Double Dare" and "Family Double Dare" as game shows? There're games and shows?! They were on in the 70's too. There were a couple other ones as well, but the names escape me. Can someone fill me in?<P ID="signature">______________
"What's That?" "French Horns!"
</P>
Which brings me to ask, do we consider the shows on Nick like "Double Dare" and "Family Double Dare" as game shows? There're games and shows?! They were on in the 70's too. There were a couple other ones as well, but the names escape me. Can someone fill me in?<P ID="signature">______________
"What's That?" "French Horns!"
</P>
K
KML0224
Guest
There was a "Supermarket Sweep" game show which aired on Lifetime first and then PAX/I for some time.<P ID="signature">______________
#13 Dan Marino...2005 Football Hall Of Fame Inductee
</P>
#13 Dan Marino...2005 Football Hall Of Fame Inductee
</P>> do we consider the shows on Nick
> like "Double Dare" and "Family Double Dare" as game shows?
> There're games and shows?! They were on in the 70's too.
Yes, they're game shows all the same. But Nick's Double Dare didn't even debut until 1986. Nick didn't even come into existence until 1979.
There was a "Double Dare" game show in 1976, but that one was a straight quiz show on CBS, hosted by Alex Trebek, with isolation booths and the ability to "dare" or "double dare" the other contestant to answer the question.
> like "Double Dare" and "Family Double Dare" as game shows?
> There're games and shows?! They were on in the 70's too.
Yes, they're game shows all the same. But Nick's Double Dare didn't even debut until 1986. Nick didn't even come into existence until 1979.
There was a "Double Dare" game show in 1976, but that one was a straight quiz show on CBS, hosted by Alex Trebek, with isolation booths and the ability to "dare" or "double dare" the other contestant to answer the question.
C
can_hfx
Guest
> And I would bet that's true of every military installation
> as well. Is The Price Is Right on AFRTS TV for our troops
> overseas? You'd think it would be given the show's long
> history of support for the military.
The Price Is Right doesn't air on AFRTS and rarely has (save for some Primetime specials that prempet a regular program). AFRTS is commerical free and TPIR has too many product plugs for it to be aired on AFRTS. WOF and Jeopardy! are both shown however, with PSA's during commercial breaks and the "promotional consideration provided by" plugs edited out.
> as well. Is The Price Is Right on AFRTS TV for our troops
> overseas? You'd think it would be given the show's long
> history of support for the military.
The Price Is Right doesn't air on AFRTS and rarely has (save for some Primetime specials that prempet a regular program). AFRTS is commerical free and TPIR has too many product plugs for it to be aired on AFRTS. WOF and Jeopardy! are both shown however, with PSA's during commercial breaks and the "promotional consideration provided by" plugs edited out.
> The Price Is Right doesn't air on AFRTS and rarely has (save
> for some Primetime specials that prempet a regular program).
> AFRTS is commerical free and TPIR has too many product plugs
> for it to be aired on AFRTS.
Then how was TPIR able to reach overseas personnel, due to AFN's anti-commercial stance? In their prime-time salute to the armed forces, I noticed that some of these salutes came from AFN facilities.
> WOF and Jeopardy! are both
> shown however, with PSA's during commercial breaks and the
> "promotional consideration provided by" plugs edited out.
>
What about the prize plugs and the "jackpot" sponsor?
Since Wheel is looking for more and more commercial opportunities, I imagine it'll become more difficult for AFN to desponsor the program.
> for some Primetime specials that prempet a regular program).
> AFRTS is commerical free and TPIR has too many product plugs
> for it to be aired on AFRTS.
Then how was TPIR able to reach overseas personnel, due to AFN's anti-commercial stance? In their prime-time salute to the armed forces, I noticed that some of these salutes came from AFN facilities.
> WOF and Jeopardy! are both
> shown however, with PSA's during commercial breaks and the
> "promotional consideration provided by" plugs edited out.
>
What about the prize plugs and the "jackpot" sponsor?
Since Wheel is looking for more and more commercial opportunities, I imagine it'll become more difficult for AFN to desponsor the program.
H
HomerJay
Guest
> > do we consider the shows on Nick
> > like "Double Dare" and "Family Double Dare" as game shows?
>
> > There're games and shows?! They were on in the 70's too.
>
> Yes, they're game shows all the same. But Nick's Double Dare
> didn't even debut until 1986. Nick didn't even come into
> existence until 1979.
>
> There was a "Double Dare" game show in 1976, but that one
> was a straight quiz show on CBS, hosted by Alex Trebek, with
> isolation booths and the ability to "dare" or "double dare"
> the other contestant to answer the question.
>
And then there was the syndicated Double Dare (Nick spin-off). And Family Double Dare began on Fox before contuing its life on Nick.
But to me, the best cable game show of all time has to be Remote Control (which also begat a broadcast version, once a week for one season). A classic!
> > like "Double Dare" and "Family Double Dare" as game shows?
>
> > There're games and shows?! They were on in the 70's too.
>
> Yes, they're game shows all the same. But Nick's Double Dare
> didn't even debut until 1986. Nick didn't even come into
> existence until 1979.
>
> There was a "Double Dare" game show in 1976, but that one
> was a straight quiz show on CBS, hosted by Alex Trebek, with
> isolation booths and the ability to "dare" or "double dare"
> the other contestant to answer the question.
>
And then there was the syndicated Double Dare (Nick spin-off). And Family Double Dare began on Fox before contuing its life on Nick.
But to me, the best cable game show of all time has to be Remote Control (which also begat a broadcast version, once a week for one season). A classic!
>
> Then how was TPIR able to reach overseas personnel, due to
> AFN's anti-commercial stance? In their prime-time salute to
> the armed forces, I noticed that some of these salutes came
> from AFN facilities.
There are also military bases here in the United States and Guam that carry The Price Is Right and also military people who take furloughs and are able to get tickets to go see The Price Is Right and see if they get to come on down. You see quite a few Army,Navy,Marines men and women on there from time to time some even wearing civilian clothes to the show.
> Then how was TPIR able to reach overseas personnel, due to
> AFN's anti-commercial stance? In their prime-time salute to
> the armed forces, I noticed that some of these salutes came
> from AFN facilities.
There are also military bases here in the United States and Guam that carry The Price Is Right and also military people who take furloughs and are able to get tickets to go see The Price Is Right and see if they get to come on down. You see quite a few Army,Navy,Marines men and women on there from time to time some even wearing civilian clothes to the show.
TPIR was shown back in the mid-70's as well on AFN TV in Europe.
Bear in mind they were kinnies and weeks old by the time they were aired.<P ID="signature">______________
"What's That?" "French Horns!"
</P>
Bear in mind they were kinnies and weeks old by the time they were aired.<P ID="signature">______________
"What's That?" "French Horns!"
</P>
> > Although some of these (such as Squares, Match Game, and
> > Feud)
> > expanded to five nights a week by the '80s, viewers seemed
>
> > to prefer
> > PM Magazine, ET, and shows of that type.
> >
> Being a game show fanatic in the 70s, I've never quite
> gotten my head around why people in the 80s suddenly lost
> interest in them, especially the night-time versions that
> aired at 7:30. I realize that the 80s were markedly
> different from the 70s in many many ways, but I wonder what
> cultural factors may have turned people away from game
> shows. Any thoughts?
>
I don't think it was a cultural shift as much as overexposure
of the games. In 1975, for example, there were some 30 game
shows on the networks and in syndication; although that number
decreased gradually between 1975 and 1980, there were still
a LOT of them on the air, and people simply got tired of them.
One thing that didn't help the network daytime games was the
expansion of the soaps to an hour. The classic case is
ABC's Break The Bank, which aired at 2:30 (ET) in the spring
of 1976. Good ratings to the contrary, ABC dumped it in July
of that year, replacing it with a 45-minute One Life To Live
(which went to an hour in January 1978, along with General
Hospital). Likewise, Family Feud, which had done well for
ABC at 1:30, was moved to 11:30 AM in the spring of 1977 to
make way for an hour-long All My Children. NBC had been
running games at 1:30 as well, until Days Of Our Lives went
to an hour in 1975. And the second half of Guiding Light
(if you get it in the afternoon) is where Match Game was
in the '70s.
Add to that the fact that the networks found it more and
more difficult to get the affiliates to clear 10-11 AM
(ET), noon-12:30 (ET) (where the original Jeopardy! once
aired), and 4-4:30 (ET) (where Tattletales, among other
games, aired). All those time slots were given back to
the affiliates, which put talk and courtroom shows into
the time as a rule, except at noon, when most of them
air local news.
Whatever people are looking for in their games, Price, Wheel,
and Jeopardy! obviously have it. With Price, you get to
test your shopping skills; Wheel is about guessing the puzzle
before the contestants do (and anyone of reasonable intelligence
should be able to), and with Jeopardy! you get to test your smarts
against the contestants. Despite the difficulty of some Jeopardy!
material, all three shows are very viewer-friendly.
Another factor, I think, is the host. Some have the skills to
replace a well-known predecessor and do it well; few people today
know that Bill Cullen, not Bob Barker, was the original host of
TPIR; that Chuck Woolery was the original host of Wheel; or that
Art Fleming was the original host of Jeopardy! But too many don't.
Family Feud has never been as good without Richard Dawson (and even
he wasn't up to form when he came back in '94), Let's Make A Deal
just doesn't work without Monty Hall, The Newlywed Game doesn't
work without Bob Eubanks. And look how many people have tried
and failed to make To Tell The Truth work since Garry Moore
retired in '77 (Joe Garagiola, Robin Ward, Gordon Elliott, Lynn
Swann, John O'Hurley, even Alex Trebek couldn't make it a hit again),
despite the fact that it may be the closest thing to the perfect
game show (the viewer and the panel are on an equal footing, and
most of the impostors lie so well we all get fooled).
Finally, there's plenty of competition from video games, where
a person is actively, not vicariously, participating. Also, the
reality shows do fill in a gap where the games were, even though
it's network primetime.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by bpatrick on 12/27/05 02:14 AM.</FONT></P>
> > Feud)
> > expanded to five nights a week by the '80s, viewers seemed
>
> > to prefer
> > PM Magazine, ET, and shows of that type.
> >
> Being a game show fanatic in the 70s, I've never quite
> gotten my head around why people in the 80s suddenly lost
> interest in them, especially the night-time versions that
> aired at 7:30. I realize that the 80s were markedly
> different from the 70s in many many ways, but I wonder what
> cultural factors may have turned people away from game
> shows. Any thoughts?
>
I don't think it was a cultural shift as much as overexposure
of the games. In 1975, for example, there were some 30 game
shows on the networks and in syndication; although that number
decreased gradually between 1975 and 1980, there were still
a LOT of them on the air, and people simply got tired of them.
One thing that didn't help the network daytime games was the
expansion of the soaps to an hour. The classic case is
ABC's Break The Bank, which aired at 2:30 (ET) in the spring
of 1976. Good ratings to the contrary, ABC dumped it in July
of that year, replacing it with a 45-minute One Life To Live
(which went to an hour in January 1978, along with General
Hospital). Likewise, Family Feud, which had done well for
ABC at 1:30, was moved to 11:30 AM in the spring of 1977 to
make way for an hour-long All My Children. NBC had been
running games at 1:30 as well, until Days Of Our Lives went
to an hour in 1975. And the second half of Guiding Light
(if you get it in the afternoon) is where Match Game was
in the '70s.
Add to that the fact that the networks found it more and
more difficult to get the affiliates to clear 10-11 AM
(ET), noon-12:30 (ET) (where the original Jeopardy! once
aired), and 4-4:30 (ET) (where Tattletales, among other
games, aired). All those time slots were given back to
the affiliates, which put talk and courtroom shows into
the time as a rule, except at noon, when most of them
air local news.
Whatever people are looking for in their games, Price, Wheel,
and Jeopardy! obviously have it. With Price, you get to
test your shopping skills; Wheel is about guessing the puzzle
before the contestants do (and anyone of reasonable intelligence
should be able to), and with Jeopardy! you get to test your smarts
against the contestants. Despite the difficulty of some Jeopardy!
material, all three shows are very viewer-friendly.
Another factor, I think, is the host. Some have the skills to
replace a well-known predecessor and do it well; few people today
know that Bill Cullen, not Bob Barker, was the original host of
TPIR; that Chuck Woolery was the original host of Wheel; or that
Art Fleming was the original host of Jeopardy! But too many don't.
Family Feud has never been as good without Richard Dawson (and even
he wasn't up to form when he came back in '94), Let's Make A Deal
just doesn't work without Monty Hall, The Newlywed Game doesn't
work without Bob Eubanks. And look how many people have tried
and failed to make To Tell The Truth work since Garry Moore
retired in '77 (Joe Garagiola, Robin Ward, Gordon Elliott, Lynn
Swann, John O'Hurley, even Alex Trebek couldn't make it a hit again),
despite the fact that it may be the closest thing to the perfect
game show (the viewer and the panel are on an equal footing, and
most of the impostors lie so well we all get fooled).
Finally, there's plenty of competition from video games, where
a person is actively, not vicariously, participating. Also, the
reality shows do fill in a gap where the games were, even though
it's network primetime.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by bpatrick on 12/27/05 02:14 AM.</FONT></P>
K
KingDaevid
Guest
> And I won't forget the revival flops that would come along
> later: Match Game '98,To Tell The Truth(which lasted 1 1/2
> seasons from 2000-2002), Card Sharks(which didn't last half
> a year in 2001),and Let's Make A Deal which lasted only 3
> episodes on NBC in 2003.
...for whatever my opinion may be worth, those flops seem to mirror the reasons why talk shows today don't have the same entertainment level as Carson, Cavett, Griffin and Snyder did in the '70s and early '80s -- neither the host or the celebrity panelists/players are of the same mettle. Of the panelists on the most recent revival of "To Tell The Truth," it seemed as if Paula Poundstone was the only one that would have fit in well had she been around for the Garry Moore/Joe Garagiola years. John O'Hurley was too full of himself as emcee. And as for that wretched revival of "Match Game" that only had five celebrities to match, I couldn't even tell you what the non-entity hosting it looked like, let alone his name...
<P ID="signature">______________
King Daevid MacKenzie
WLSU Wisconsin Public Radio, La Crosse
heard weekly on http://www.radio4all.net/
"Kill Ugly Radio." FRANK ZAPPA</P>
> later: Match Game '98,To Tell The Truth(which lasted 1 1/2
> seasons from 2000-2002), Card Sharks(which didn't last half
> a year in 2001),and Let's Make A Deal which lasted only 3
> episodes on NBC in 2003.
...for whatever my opinion may be worth, those flops seem to mirror the reasons why talk shows today don't have the same entertainment level as Carson, Cavett, Griffin and Snyder did in the '70s and early '80s -- neither the host or the celebrity panelists/players are of the same mettle. Of the panelists on the most recent revival of "To Tell The Truth," it seemed as if Paula Poundstone was the only one that would have fit in well had she been around for the Garry Moore/Joe Garagiola years. John O'Hurley was too full of himself as emcee. And as for that wretched revival of "Match Game" that only had five celebrities to match, I couldn't even tell you what the non-entity hosting it looked like, let alone his name...
<P ID="signature">______________
King Daevid MacKenzie
WLSU Wisconsin Public Radio, La Crosse
heard weekly on http://www.radio4all.net/
"Kill Ugly Radio." FRANK ZAPPA</P>
- Status