Nickelodeon expands retro programming, includes game shows again

[MSTieScott]

After four years of "The '90s Are All That," a block of programming that launched with the potential of a wide range of memory-jogging Nickelodeon programs (and then devolved into a repetitive mix of the same four or so cartoons), the TeenNick channel is expanding its outreach toward millennials by doubling the length of the programming block, renaming it "The Splat," and once again drawing from a wide range of '80s and '90s Nickelodeon programming.

The official web site is devoid of any actual information. Game shows have been absent from the first four days, but on Friday, the schedule promises "Double Dare" and "Legends of the Hidden Temple." Whether the game shows stick around this time, and whether any other Nick game shows will air (the official web site only lists "Legends" and "Guts") is unknown.

[chad1m]

On Friday, the schedule promises "Double Dare" and "Legends of the Hidden Temple." Whether the game shows stick around this time, and whether any other Nick game shows will air (the official web site only lists "Legends" and "Guts") is unknown.

The theme of the launch week is "First Time For Everything," and they're showing the first aired or produced episodes of most of the shows scheduled this week, so some very early Double Dare is in store. Sunday night also sees Guts and Figure It Out aired as part of the premiere.

[SuperMatch93]

I for one was very surprised to see You Can't Do That on Television on the schedule. I had heard that the masters were destroyed in a fire at CJOH, but apparently Nickelodeon has kept their copies all these years.

[cmjb13]

I for one was very surprised to see You Can't Do That on Television on the schedule. I had heard that the masters were destroyed in a fire at CJOH, but apparently Nickelodeon has kept their copies all these years.

I'm very disappointed I missed this and it doesn't seem to be on next week's schedule. Though maybe my satellite listings haven't updated yet.

According to one of the You can't do that on Television message boards, the masters are safe as they were kept in a separate part of the building. Apparently the Nickelodeon copies were already edited for commercials.

[geno57]

Oh wow! I'm a bit older than the target for You Can't Do That On Television ... but I always enjoyed it.  Fun show.  And seeing Alanis Morissette in her youth is just one of the pluses.

[jcs290]

Watching non-Family DD for the first time in decades really showed me how long it took the show to grow legs. In the two eps they showed last night one of the first rounds had no physical challenges or any of the famously hard questions to force them into playing. Many of the toss-ups were visually tough to follow. And those were some darn easy physical challenges to boot.

Marc still needed to loosen up a bit, and Harvey was laying on the DJ talk rather thick.

[TLEberle]

Watching non-Family DD for the first time in decades really showed me how long it took the show to grow legs.

From my perspective everything after the original format was a managed decline.

In the two eps they showed last night one of the first rounds had no physical challenges or any of the famously hard questions to force them into playing.

I never liked the Impossible questions; it always seemed a needless affectation of the show's--as if to say that we've spent all this time preparing these elaborate physical challenges so by golly we're going to do them.

[Thunder]

That's not what they seemed, that's exactly what they were.

[MSTieScott]

Watching non-Family DD for the first time in decades really showed me how long it took the show to grow legs. In the two eps they showed last night one of the first rounds had no physical challenges or any of the famously hard questions to force them into playing.

I think the problem was that the kids were too eager to give an answer, even if they were just guessing. In that first round, I identified a couple of questions that I suspect the show was expecting to go to a physical challenge, but then one of the contestants wanted to answer. (I think especially that no one expected an 11-year-old to know aurora borealis.)

And then after that first round, when suddenly every round two question was impossible to answer...

Am I correct in assuming that the second episode they aired was taped before the first episode they aired? The scoreboards were different and the shot was framed poorly. I did get a chuckle out of seeing the Human Hamster Wheel just hanging out in the background, even though it wasn't one of the eight obstacles in that episode.

(And while I'm on the subject of things in the background of first seasons of Nick game shows: In one of the "Legends" episodes that aired last week, the rooms in the temple changed between the Temple Games and the actual Temple Run itself. That must have been a rough taping session, if they couldn't complete the episode before the end of a taping day.)

[snowpeck]

Am I correct in assuming that the second episode they aired was taped before the first episode they aired? The scoreboards were different and the shot was framed poorly. I did get a chuckle out of seeing the Human Hamster Wheel just hanging out in the background, even though it wasn't one of the eight obstacles in that episode.

They advertised them as the first two produced, but I think only the second show they aired qualifies as being among the earliest taped.

The first one they aired last aired on the Nick main channel as part of a 20th anniversary marathon in 1999 and has replaced fee plugs from around that time. I think because of that their numbering got jumbled somewhere.

The first one they showed was listed as 2H, while the second one was 3B.

[JasonA1]

Am I correct in assuming that the second episode they aired was taped before the first episode they aired?

Everything with the "digital dollar sign" was first, and I've seen at least 8 shows with those scoreboards. The episode aired as the premiere in 1986 had the standard DD scoreboards.

I never liked the Impossible questions; it always seemed a needless affectation of the show's--as if to say that we've spent all this time preparing these elaborate physical challenges so by golly we're going to do them.

At times it was quite ridiculous, but I think it's functionally similar to the "What an [Inanimate Object] Might Say" boxes on Pyramid. They're not in the spirit of the Winner's Circle as originally intended, but many game shows develop into something else as they go along, whether it's because players get better, there's a lack of material in the original head space of the show, etc.

I'm sure kids didn't mind. While Make the Grade managed to get three orders in total before it was taken off, I don't think the Nickelodeon audience was hurting for a pure trivia contest unsullied by the likes of a non-standard question. Come to think of it, especially when watched today, I'm surprised Make the Grade hung around for that long. Perfectly acceptable gaming, but in a strange venue for it.

-Jason

[jw2001]

A long ago I received a copy of the first taped episode, Express vs. High Flyers (featuring Nightmare as the first obstacle), as part of a trade, but the quality was a bit rough, so I was hoping they would have aired it on Friday night. I don't think they ever aired on Nick GAS either.

[TLEberle]

At times it was quite ridiculous, but I think it's functionally similar to the "What an [Inanimate Object] Might Say" boxes on Pyramid. They're not in the spirit of the Winner's Circle as originally intended, but many game shows develop into something else as they go along, whether it's because players get better, there's a lack of material in the original head space of the show, etc.

Sure, I suspect that Fun House came along and changed the paradigm. I remember watching the original article (and it was nice to have a cultural touchstone to share with kids my age who weren't keen on Jeopardy) but I don't remember anything specific about it. I do remember watching Family DD and thinking "c'mon guys, move it along" with the long setups to the toss-ups and challenges, and rolling my eyes as some unfortunate team was asked what area Claudius annexed in 43 AD because everyone knew it was merely a vehicle to get someone to play the physical challenge. In the old days the physical challenge was the escape hatch to not have to give a wrong answer, later it became the main thrust of the show. I'm not saying that in and of itself is bad because other than that you have kids behind a desk for twenty minutes and a minute of scurrying about. I'm saying that they made a few choices that I wouldn't have.

I'm sure kids didn't mind. While Make the Grade managed to get three orders in total before it was taken off, I don't think the Nickelodeon audience was hurting for a pure trivia contest unsullied by the likes of a non-standard question. Come to think of it, especially when watched today, I'm surprised Make the Grade hung around for that long. Perfectly acceptable gaming, but in a strange venue for it.

Watching old episodes today I think that with a better host Think Fast could have been the standard bearer Nick game show; a good mix of brain and brawn. As a kid I loved that there was a game show that was just about answering quiz questions, but my word why did everyone on Make the Grade sound so darn bored? (I think I started watching after Lew was gone so Robbed of Any Personality Edward Morris was my first exposure to the format. )

My problem with the landmine question is that it essentially forces the hand of the team that is unlucky enough to draw it rather than letting them play their own game. And if they also draw one of the difficult physical challenges that the show had later on, well that's double icky isn't it.

[Mr. Armadillo]

(And while I'm on the subject of things in the background of first seasons of Nick game shows: In one of the "Legends" episodes that aired last week, the rooms in the temple changed between the Temple Games and the actual Temple Run itself. That must have been a rough taping session, if they couldn't complete the episode before the end of a taping day.)

I've been on a Legends kick, and just happened to read an interview with Kirk Fogg the other day that probably answers this one - for Legends, they taped five shows a day, but not sequentially - they'd tape all five Moat runs first, then all five Steps of Knowledge rounds, then the Temple Games, then finally the five Temple Runs.  With that setup,  it makes a little more sense.

[clemon79]

Makes massive amounts of sense, seeing as they recruited park guests as contestants, didn't they?