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Author Topic: Shows you were excited about initially...  (Read 14821 times)

BrandonFG

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #15 on: October 18, 2012, 09:16:46 AM »
Deal or No Deal. The show promos were all over the place, and I knew nothing about the format — but hey, game show with lotsa hype, must be good, right? Then I realized it was basically $1,000,000 Hit the Buzzer, Win a Cookie.
The first week from December 2005 was actually pretty good. I loved Howie's intro to the show, where he'd walk from the vault and into the studio, talking about how someone could win a million bucks. It was a great dramatic preamble that shows just don't use anymore. When it returned in February (?) 2006 as a regular series, it became the circus that it did...and started using all the gimmicks that so many other shows started emulating.

I seem to remember having high hopes for Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, only to be greatly disappointed.
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Jay Temple

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #16 on: October 18, 2012, 10:09:05 AM »
Here's what might be an interesting topic...

Were there ever any shows that you were excited about seeing when they premiered, but once you saw it, you were disappointed? One show comes to mind for me, and it was the first "$100,000 Pyramid". Now keep in mind I was only 11 at the time :) I figured with a title that had $100,000 in it, the first trip to the WC would be worth $50,000 and then $100,000 the second. I was quite disappointed that the WC amounts were exactly like the daytime version and that the $100,000 was only for tournament play...
I was disappointed for much the same reason. I didn't necessarily expect $25,000 in the first game and $100,000 in the second, althought that idea did occur to me, but I figured I'd be able to watch a $100,000 winner every week.

I was also disappointed in Million Dollar Pyramid.
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DrBear

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #17 on: October 18, 2012, 11:36:21 AM »
TTTT2K. John O'Hurley was the only good thing about that show; the producers made no effort to understand why the game worked.
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Kevin Prather

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #18 on: October 18, 2012, 01:24:44 PM »
Deal or No Deal.
The first week from December 2005 was actually pretty good. I loved Howie's intro to the show, where he'd walk from the vault and into the studio, talking about how someone could win a million bucks. It was a great dramatic preamble that shows just don't use anymore. When it returned in February (?) 2006 as a regular series, it became the circus that it did...and started using all the gimmicks that so many other shows started emulating.
I'll add DoND to my list as well. In Palace, we were watching the live stream of Holland's DoND before the show came to the US. I was hoping for something kind of resembling that, which is a very well-done show IMO.

geno57

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #19 on: October 18, 2012, 01:41:32 PM »
"To Tell The Truth" and "Feud" -- Hurley versions.  Loved him in "Seinfeld", but the character is not a real person.

Also hated "Million Dollar Password".  Americans are just no longer smart enough for word games, and "Password" doesn't need "think" music to raise the tension.

JMFabiano

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #20 on: October 18, 2012, 05:54:05 PM »
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Most everything that's come out in the past 10 years or so. "Temptation" and LMAD were probably tops among them.

I knew Temptation was sunk when they announced Rossi Moreale would host (haw, haw, cause he was on Temptation Island!  How clever!).  Not that other unlikely hosts never surprised us, but I guess my expectations are lower given many of today's entertainers.  And yeah, there's the Fremantle (nee Pearson) stigma, even though Feud was improving at the time (O'Hurley premiered a season before, no?)  

LMAD I don't mind at all.  Yeah yeah, "it's not Monty," "they can't use Pricing Games," "one-person Big Deal," "Improv sketches!," "Mike Richards raped my childhood!" etc. etc.  Whatever, I still enjoy the show.  After Big Deal and Bush LMAD, I can't complain.  At least it doesn't gut the format like a, say, CS2001.  

Quote
The first week from December 2005 was actually pretty good. I loved Howie's intro to the show, where he'd walk from the vault and into the studio, talking about how someone could win a million bucks. It was a great dramatic preamble that shows just don't use anymore. When it returned in February (?) 2006 as a regular series, it became the circus that it did...and started using all the gimmicks that so many other shows started emulating.

Yep.  I don't remember contestants being as overcaffinated and obnoxious as they got there.  And the trend has leaked into other shows indeed.  Plus it got old when everyone tried to imitate the "I will do so-and-so...after these messages" tagline.  

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I was also disappointed in Million Dollar Pyramid.

Did you mean $1M Password?  (Cause I can see how one would be confused).  Or the $1M Pyramid pilot?  

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TTTT2K. John O'Hurley was the only good thing about that show; the producers made no effort to understand why the game worked.

The format was there, the host was there, but they tried to be too 2000s at times.  And don't get me started on Paula Poundstone.  I didn't expect much out of it anyway seeing as Pearson's reign of terror was just beginning with one mediocre show (Anderson FF) and one bad show (MG98).  

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"To Tell The Truth" and "Feud" -- Hurley versions. Loved him in "Seinfeld", but the character is not a real person.

Also hated "Million Dollar Password". Americans are just no longer smart enough for word games, and "Password" doesn't need "think" music to raise the tension.

Yeah I hated the Hurley version.  It got on my nerves how he called everyone "dude," plus... we all know him, the contestants, etc. are really meant to be in purgatory  

(Bad) joking aside...TTTT thoughts are above.  As for Feud, I appreciate the classic elements and competent hosting that John brought to the show.  Maybe he was vanilla compared to Steve Harvey, but I think he did OK.  Now how about adding HARVEY Feud to our list?  Yes the ratings are good and Steve fits the bill as the humorous host of Feuds past.  But the show was never perfect, from little things like the microscopic introduction (thanks in part to Joey Fatone Soundboard) to the Refuge in Vulgarity questions.  

MDPW doesn't hold up at all, really.  I liked it cause it was different from the DOND type shows, and hey, they cared enough to bring back Betty White, always a good thing.  But there's the elephant in the room; namely, IT WAS NOT PASSWORD.  It was just Pyramid without the pyramids.  Plus the point made above...as I said before, there were too many "Oh noes, I can't has opposite!  Must pass!"  moments.  I haven't gotten my tapes of The Pyramid yet, so I haven't seen much beyond the first week, but the reason I wanted the revival to do well was to re-educate people on word games.  Still, I don't know if anyone has gotten Chain Reaction (say, who produced that again?) bad yet.

Given the anti-hype it's gotten this week, can MG Canada fit here too?
« Last Edit: October 18, 2012, 06:02:40 PM by JMFabiano »
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Jay Temple

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #21 on: October 18, 2012, 08:09:40 PM »
Quote
I was also disappointed in Million Dollar Pyramid.

Did you mean $1M Password?  (Cause I can see how one would be confused).  Or the $1M Pyramid pilot?
Whoops. I thought I fixed that. Yes, I meant Million Dollar Password. Although, even with my disappointment, I still thought it was a better revival of Pyramid than Pyramid.
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JMFabiano

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #22 on: October 18, 2012, 08:30:07 PM »
Quote
I was also disappointed in Million Dollar Pyramid.

Did you mean $1M Password?  (Cause I can see how one would be confused).  Or the $1M Pyramid pilot?
Whoops. I thought I fixed that. Yes, I meant Million Dollar Password. Although, even with my disappointment, I still thought it was a better revival of Pyramid than Pyramid.

Aha...I assume by the lack of "The" you mean Donnymid, of course.  

Not that the footage of the 2009 pilot was without its disappointments.  But just cosmetic ones.  It seemed generally good (with things I admit to wishing made it to The Pyramid), but TP improved on set space and settling on a host.
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PYLdude

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #23 on: October 18, 2012, 08:40:54 PM »
Not that the footage of the 2009 pilot was without its disappointments.  But just cosmetic ones.  It seemed generally good (with things I admit to wishing made it to The Pyramid), but TP improved on set space and settling on a host.

Am I the only one who thinks the host is one of the major issues with The Pyramid?

To me it seems he's just way too robotic and stiff.
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TLEberle

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #24 on: October 18, 2012, 08:43:31 PM »
Am I the only one who thinks the host is one of the major issues with The Pyramid?

To me it seems he's just way too robotic and stiff.
Probably not, but if you haven't seen any other complaints, then that's a safe bet too.
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PYLdude

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #25 on: October 18, 2012, 08:55:53 PM »
Am I the only one who thinks the host is one of the major issues with The Pyramid?

To me it seems he's just way too robotic and stiff.
Probably not, but if you haven't seen any other complaints, then that's a safe bet too.

So it is then.

To me, it just seems like he's working from a script...and I mean in the Ty Treadway style of doing it. The only difference is that Mike is trying too hard to not make it noticeable.

YMMV, of course.
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WarioBarker

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #26 on: October 18, 2012, 09:00:04 PM »
My let-downs:
* Game Show Marathon: it worked elsewhere in the world, so how could they...oh. Bad editing, mediocre hosting, and relegating the six good, funny, and very recognizable celebrities to being the Match Game panel (come on, you had Betty White right there!).

* Chain Reaction (2006): it's Chain Reaction, complete with Instant Reaction bonus game. How could they possibly screw this up? Well, they did...mainly with the contestants (really, you couldn't get the connecting word of TEN PIN DROP?!). And Instant Reaction changed about as many times it did in 1980.

* Temptation: "The New Sale of the Century", which made me think "Oh, it's Sale, it's going to be good." Aside from the use of Instant Bargains, Instant Cash, and the shopping endgame...pick something, it was "off" at the very least: Instant Cash capping at $5,000, the vast majority of the contestants being female (and the prizes almost always for them), the five-day limit, "Temptation Dollars", no ability to buy all the shopping prizes, etc. When you air out-of-order despite using returning champs, you're doing that wrong as well.

* Merv Griffin's Crosswords: it was Merv's last game, damn right I was going to watch on Day 1. Jeez...Treadway was just robotic, the "Spoiler" mechanism was broken (among other things, you shouldn't have to deliberately get a question wrong to have any chance of winning!), and sometimes it was damn near impossible to win the bonus round. And the cheapness. And the lack of returning champs. And an audience. And any sense of order to the airing schedule.

* Duel (Season 1): great idea, but then I saw the clear use of caricatures ("The Fireman", "The Alligator Wrestler", etc.) and the fact the contestants acted like tools when greeting each other. Plus the fact all the buildup to the big final duel for more than Two Million Damn Dollars was rendered anticlimactic on the first question.

* Million-Dollar Password: see JMFabiano's thoughts on it, because I agree wholeheartedly. Add to that the generic music and sounds, the obvious dubbing, the rule against giving two guesses in a row, and the fact that Password really doesn't need a million-dollar prize. Jimmy Fallon since proved you don't need glitz or even prizes to make Password work -- just five people having a good time with a variant of the late-60s format and set.

* Family Feud (Harvey): see JMFabino's comments, again. I had high hopes from seeing the YouTube clips, but then the show began clearly seeking out those kinds of moments by getting vulgar questions and answers, throwing out questions for "not enough points", making a solo Fast Money win impossible, and...well, just what is Fatone doing anyway that he can't actually be present in the studio?

* Million-Dollar Money Drop: it's solid elsewhere, why not in the Sta.......oh, right -- FOX.

* Million-Dollar Mind Game: not so much the show itself (which was great) but how ABC treated an actual hard quiz based around logical thinking -- sitting on it for a long time, then shoving it to Sunday afternoons against football.

* Who's Still Standing?: an actual rapid-fire quiz on NBC! Oh, wait, it has caricatures and inconsistent rules that favor the "Hero", commercial breaks during questions (that should be illegal), and thinks viewers are goldfish. And it's by the geniuses behind Minute To Win It. The "after the Hero leaves" rapid-fire last-man-standing game among the remaining Strangers was better than everything else about the show, and really should've been the format -- winner stays on, faces a new group of challengers, games can straddle if need be (but only after someone falls out of the game or a full game is completed); possibly have a stipulation that losing means forfeiting half of what you've accumulated (and hence have the option to quit upon seeing the next group of challengers).

* Match Game (Canada): I was hoping it'd be in the "goofy" vein of the 1973-82 era, but instead the show opted to use the 1990-91 format that IMO had too much "game" because the Match-Up doesn't really fit and basically gives less room to goof off. And then there's the cheapness, the crappy announcer ("Get ready to make a match!"? Really?), and the inconsistent panel.

Yep. I don't remember contestants being as overcaffinated and obnoxious as they got there. And the trend has leaked into other shows indeed. Plus it got old when everyone tried to imitate the "I will do so-and-so...after these messages" tagline.
And the "suspenseful" aka "abrupt" commercial outros (The Moment of Truth and especially Who's Still Standing?), the trend of dark sets, generic music, and million-dollar prizes, the apparent necessity to edit the show within an inch of its life...and gimmicks. Holy crap the gimmicks.
« Last Edit: October 19, 2012, 05:27:50 PM by Dan88 »
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spb1962

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #27 on: October 18, 2012, 09:38:18 PM »
The Magnificent Marble Machine.  I was a huge pinball fan, pinball was big in 1975 (it was the summer of Tommy the movie, which I saw without my parents at age 12 - not necessarily a bright idea), so what wasn't to like?  Plenty.

I was also a huge pinball fan and actually liked this show.  Also, pinball was so big in 1975 our family actually bought a used pinball machine for our rec room.  Gave us many good years of service through the early 2000's.

spb1962

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #28 on: October 18, 2012, 09:42:21 PM »
Mindreaders.

Viewers in our city were not excited about Mindreaders from day one.  Our station aired it by tape delay at 3 in the afternoon due to local programming in the 11 am-12 noon hour.  Complaints were so strong, the station pulled it after just two days and replaced it with a tape delayed Password Plus.

TimK2003

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Shows you were excited about initially...
« Reply #29 on: October 18, 2012, 10:48:00 PM »
When I saw that they were bringing back "The Joker's Wild" in 1990, I was excited.  The promotional clips looked good, the logo looked okay, and even Pat Finn looked promising...until the moment in the premiere episode when he reminded us that TJW was a game of definitions.

By the time they brought back the classic category format, it was too late.