Things you like that everyone seems to hate

[JMFabiano]

For me, the Match Game/Hollywood Squares Hour comes on top of the list, full stop.  Yes, I know it paled in comparison to its separate parts, and I know all the ways the game was "broke" by heart.  But I don't think it was a bad show, nor a bad idea.  MG and HS fit together as shows driven by celebrity humor, after all.  Had Mark Goodson not made HS more SRS Business (compared to the Marshall run), it would have clicked better.  But to this day I still like the show and watching any "undiscovered" episodes on YouTube.  And Jon Bauman wasn't awful...I've seen worse...

As for overrated opinions...
- Family Feud with Richard Karn mocking.  Not that I don't find the DOUBLE THE POINTS meme funny or rooted in truth, not that I think it was the BEST version of FF.  But that particular chapter of the 1999+ series helped shape its high points, starting with the O'Hurley run.  The set started looking like a mix between the Anderson one and the classic one, and they brought back a semblance of the classic rules.  
- Mike Richards hate.  Then again, I like TPIR and LMAD all right and think the core of both games still exist.  
- TTD '90 ruined EVERYTHING about Tic-Tac-Dough.  OK, if there was a better host and NO RAPPING CHARACTERS*, maybe people wouldn't be so hard on it.  But the game didn't really change save for altered shuffling, the pot reset, and altered bonus game.  

* - I admit it, though, the Rapping Dragon is a guilty pleasure...

[TLEberle]

An opinion can be overrated?

[BrandonFG]

There's a difference between hating something/someone and having a strong opinion against it. I don't think anyone here "hates" Mike Richards...they might not like the direction he's taken with his two shows, but "hate" is a bit much.

Same for the other examples; there is some disdain for TTD90 and the "Double The Points!" thing, but it's always looked like ridicule for what were, IMO, pretty silly gimmicks.

[Twentington]

Beyond a few changes in the chrome of TTD'90, I also didn't think Patrick Wayne was the worst host.

Karn actually had moments of competence. I've seen a few episodes not long after the reversion to single-single-double-triple where Karn was actually fairly smooth and able to get in a few decent ad-libs. Later on, he would just stiffly repeat stuff, stammer, and laugh awkwardly as he floundered about in a futile attempt to make a funny.

Also, it seems nearly aspect of Wheel lately has its hatred. Toss-Ups. Jackpot. Prize Puzzle. +$1000 on Final Spin. Eleventy zillion categories. But I'm fine with all of that. The Toss-Ups mean more puzzles per game, and they determine who starts Rounds 1 and 4 — and I think that helps level the playing field instead of the red player always having the slight advantage by pretty much getting guaranteed to start two rounds. Pretty much the only problem I have with the show is that sometimes the writing is a little off. (Even Pat made fun of this when the answer was I LOVE MY PASSPORT PHOTO.)

There's also a lot of Clue Crew hatred, but I don't mind them. Sometimes their clues ramble a little, but overall, I like having the occasional visual aid on a clue.

(However, I do agree that they should generally stop having celebs read the clues. Some of them, such as Oprah, are ungodly slow readers.)

[JMFabiano]

There's a difference between hating something/someone and having a strong opinion against it. I don't think anyone here "hates" Mike Richards...they might not like the direction he's taken with his two shows, but "hate" is a bit much.

Same for the other examples; there is some disdain for TTD90 and the "Double The Points!" thing, but it's always looked like ridicule for what were, IMO, pretty silly gimmicks.

OK maybe "hate" is a strong word, as our parents told us countless times.  

And with the examples you named, my point was that some things that weren't so bad otherwise WERE done in by cheesy gimmicks and elements.  But without those elements they wouldn't have been so bad.  

Maybe I should rephrase my topic: what show(s)/etc. did you like, but it seemed like not many others do?

[rjaguar3]

As a child, I enjoyed Peer Pressure and Pressure 1.

[MTCesquire]

"Merv Griffin's Crosswords" isn't the piece of crap that everyone claims it to be.  Was it the perfect game show format?  No, it wasn't.  Did it have its flaws just like every beloved classic has but no one wants to admit to?  Of course it did.  I don't see the hate for it at all.  I loved it, and Ty Treadway was not as terrible a host as a lot of people would say.

I thought "Taboo" was a great show.  It was the closest thing to "Pyramid" we had at the time, and if you strip away the crazy presentation along with the cracked-out host, there was a pretty good word game there.  Call it the word-game enthusiast in me but there you have it.

I could go on and on...

/One for the road: Drew Carey era > Bob Barker era.

[Marc412]

I'm with Ernie on "Taboo".  The game was there, but the presentation was awful.  Why not a cuckoo or simple buzzer like in the actual game, instead of a loud "TABOO!" and people throwing things at you?

[TLEberle]

I'm with Ernie on "Taboo".  The game was there, but the presentation was awful.  Why not a cuckoo or simple buzzer like in the actual game, instead of a loud "TABOO!" and people throwing things at you?

Because that wouldn't fit with the Spike demography.

[clemon79]

"Merv Griffin's Crosswords" isn't the piece of crap that everyone claims it to be.  Was it the perfect game show format?  No, it wasn't.  Did it have its flaws just like every beloved classic has but no one wants to admit to?  Of course it did.

Do those "beloved classics" also have flaws so big that a person with a one-word vocabulary can win the game simply by speaking that one word at the right moment?

[TLEberle]

And with the examples you named, my point was that some things that weren't so bad otherwise WERE done in by cheesy gimmicks and elements.  But without those elements they wouldn't have been so bad.  

If they were done properly, yes, they wouldn't be so bad. But Richard Karn decided that his three squares a day were going to be the set, Set For Life forgot to include a game, et al. I don't judge based upon what might have been, but based on what did happen. Tic Tac Dough had laughable music, lousy host, stupid theme weeks, and they cheaped up on the money. If you fix all those things, then yes in an alternate universe we're amazed that Tic Tac Dough is about to go into their 25th year. But they didn't.

[Johnissoevil]

Here's mine.

*The 1994 New Price is Right.  Sure, no contestants' row, but the Pricing Games were still there.  I also liked The Price WAS Right for a Showcase Showdown.

*TJW '90.  While I am a big fan of the classic version that enjoyed two runs between 1972 and 1986, and the format was different from its predecessor, it was still an enjoyable game.  When they brought the categories back, I thought it was a neat little merger between old school Joker's Wild and the new version.

*John Davidson.  Some were annoyed by some of his mannerisms, but when it came to Squares, at least he wasn't as obnoxious as Bowzer was.

[MTCesquire]

"Merv Griffin's Crosswords" isn't the piece of crap that everyone claims it to be.  Was it the perfect game show format?  No, it wasn't.  Did it have its flaws just like every beloved classic has but no one wants to admit to?  Of course it did.

Do those "beloved classics" also have flaws so big that a person with a one-word vocabulary can win the game simply by speaking that one word at the right moment?

So a Spoiler who spends the entire game trying to break through to the front finally manages to do so on what happens to be the last question of the game and all of a sudden the whole show is ruined?  I still don't understand how timing and a bit of luck sprinkled into an otherwise straight-forward quiz game completely destroys the format.

[SamJ93]

As a child, I enjoyed Peer Pressure and Pressure 1.

Meh...I liked "Shop 'til You Drop" a lot as a kid, too.  When I watch it now...well, it's not as bad as its reputation suggests, but it's still a cheesy cable game show from the '90's...with all the elements that such a description implies.

/One for the road: Drew Carey in Seasons 39-40 > Bob Barker in Seasons 32-35.

Fixed that for you.

Do those "beloved classics" also have flaws so big that a person with a one-word vocabulary can win the game simply by speaking that one word at the right moment?

I dunno..."Joker's Wild" had built-in potential for a similar situation, Wheel has it quite frequently, and one could even argue that J! does as well (think a trailing contestant betting the farm on a lucky Daily Double).  I'm not saying Crosswords was less flawed than that--in fact, I've never seen the show--but even the most cerebral game shows usually have some elements of luck and unpredictability thrown in.  If it's a pure test of knowledge you want, watch quiz bowl.

[thewhammy_2000]

Here is one for me.

I had a liking to Match Game '98 after watching Match Game '90 that many years ago. To me, MG98 had a bright and fresh look and feel to it, despite having one less panelist. In addition, with a channel change, it was my lead-in from Price. Also, I had a liking to all the panelists, including Judy. She made me laugh and smile when it was her turn to joke around and such.

Then a year or so of discovering the internet, I basically read a lot a negativity about this version, saying [any post-'73-'82 version] was not as good as the Rayburn '73-'82 version in terms of panelists, hosts, and payouts. As a result, I gave in a little to the opinions and understood why they were bad, until GSN and YouTube reminded me of the Shafer and Burger versions. Still the MG90 and MG98 versions were decent for me.

Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, besides the awesome theme, though...