$25k Pyramid: Cancellation and resurrection

[TLEberle]

Yesterday was the last episode of the initial CBS run, today was the first episode of the reprieve after Blackout failed to make a mark. From go Pyramid came out guns blazing: in the first Winner's Circle the team had 30 seconds to get the 300 box for the $10,000 prize but they fail to pick up "Things You Plan." They also show what a horrible idea six in 20 seconds was: Betty White takes ten seconds to describe "a bottle," and plows through the remaining six answers to win the Mystery Seven prize and send her partner to London, England.

I forget how much longer this version lasted, but they're certainly making the most of the reprieve.

[BrandonFG]

I forget how much longer this version lasted, but they're certainly making the most of the reprieve.

13 weeks...ran from April 4-July 1, 1988.

[TLEberle]

Why not let Blackout run until Family Feud premiered, though, assuming that Feud is going to take the place of whatever was in its spot? At that point you had TPIR, Card Sharks, $25,000 Pyramid--am I forgetting something here, because that's a two-hour Murderer's Row of game shows there if Feud and Pyramid co-exist.

[tyshaun1]

As poorly as Pyramid did near the end of its run, Blackout did even worse. From what little glimpses I've seen of the numbers, Pyramid and Card Sharks were at a draw ratings wise, although both were losing out to their NBC counterparts; Pyramid to $OTC, Card Sharks to Classic Concentration. I'm sure there is someone that can add more definitive info......

Tyshaun

[TLEberle]

As hard as it is for me to believe it, maybe people were just burned out on it after five years. Good info, thanks, Tyshaun.

[JonSea31]

As hard as it is for me to believe it, maybe people were just burned out on it after five years. Good info, thanks, Tyshaun.

Viewers obviously are not burned out by The Price is Right and it's still on the air after 44 years, and no end in sight.

[PYLdude]

As hard as it is for me to believe it, maybe people were just burned out on it after five years. Good info, thanks, Tyshaun.

Viewers obviously are not burned out by The Price is Right and it's still on the air after 44 years, and no end in sight.

And?

[aaron sica]

As poorly as Pyramid did near the end of its run, Blackout did even worse. From what little glimpses I've seen of the numbers, Pyramid and Card Sharks were at a draw ratings wise, although both were losing out to their NBC counterparts; Pyramid to $OTC, Card Sharks to Classic Concentration. I'm sure there is someone that can add more definitive info......

Tyshaun

That helps shed some light on an odd situation.....I always wondered why Pyramid came back if it was only going to be replaced in three months anyway. That *was*  the game plan all along, no?

[JasonA1]

In getting rid of tapes, I came across three episodes of Blackout I haven't seen in a while, and I enjoyed them. Granted, I'm not the average audience member from 1988. I tried playing along at points, muting the TV for 20 seconds, and listening to the blacked-out portion. No other show was asking its viewers to do that much legwork to participate. Going from 84 words of gameplay & two Winner's Circles on Pyramid to (up to) 9 words & 1 endgame on Blackout had to be like replacing Jeopardy with Deal or No Deal for some people.

In the four months prior to Blackout's premiere, Pyramid averaged a 15 share against Sale, which was pulling a 13. When Blackout debuted, its first two weeks averaged a 12 share to Sale's 14. The remainder of Blackout's run averaged a 9 share to Sale's still-steady 14. When Pyramid returned, it averaged a 12 share to Sale's 14 share for those final 13 weeks. The returning Family Feud was neck-and-neck with Sale for the next 28 weeks, before pulling ahead during Sale's final months.

If that looks a little odd to you, regarding why CBS would want to get rid of Pyramid: from May to September, Pyramid was losing to Sale of the Century - at some points, with Sale having a 14 share vs. Pyramid's 11 share.

-Jason

[PYLdude]

I can kind of understand the burnout perspective, if only for this reason:

Sure, the daytime Pyramid had been on for five plus years at that point, but if you look at it closer, you have had at least one Pyramid series on the air for fourteen consecutive years to that point (fifteen when production on the nighttime show wrapped at the end of the season). Maybe it wasn't simply that the $25K Pyramid had run its course but the entire series had largely been done in by viewer apathy.

Look at the series that have been done since then. Would it have mattered if John Davidson or Dick Clark was the host of the 1991 series? Honestly, with all the crap they did to it (which was largely unnecessary) I don't think it would've been very long for the world anyway. Pyramid? Even though I enjoyed the series (really in spite of itself), I think getting two years was a fortunate twist for them. The Pyramid was okay, not spectacular, but you would think that going back to a format that the overall series did well with would've at least garnered a second season even if we're talking GSN here.

[Sonic Whammy]

I concur with the GSN revival. Especially since if you're going to fuss gameplay being a factor in that one season, you have to recognize that it was destined to happen because everyone's 9 years removed from the game by that point, including your only veteran player, Melissa Peterman. You need a 2-season investment in that show to really get the kind of expert play reminiscent of the classic days from the celebs who prove themselves the quickest learners.

Then again, it can also be said that Pyramid's time has passed because we as a nation don't know how to communicate clearly anymore and don't want to be bothered to try.

[aaron sica]

Then again, it can also be said that Pyramid's time has passed because we as a nation don't know how to communicate clearly anymore and don't want to be bothered to try.

That said, the next version of Pyramid will have no spoken words....The celebrity  texting the contestant the words, and the contestant texting back the answer.

[MSTieScott]

That said, the next version of Pyramid will have no spoken words....The celebrity  texting the contestant the words, and the contestant texting back the answer.

>   /= LOL

>   :'-(

ding

[Thunder]

...Then again, it can also be said that Pyramid's time has passed because we as a nation don't know how to communicate clearly anymore and don't want to be bothered to try.

"Horsecrap" can also be said. I know how to clearly communicate. My kids know how to clearly communicate. Clear communication can be a life/death situation in my line of work and we pull it off flawlessly.

I get aggravated at people who use false lamentations to indict society on mythical problems.

[TLEberle]

"Horsecrap" can also be said. I know how to clearly communicate. My kids know how to clearly communicate. Clear communication can be a life/death situation in my line of work and we pull it off flawlessly.

I get aggravated at people who use false lamentations to indict society on mythical problems.

So says the guy who posts non-sequitur image macros in lieu of actually making a point. Sorry, Herschel, I'm not buying what you're selling.

There's a board game from the early 1990s, "Inklings," where you score points by writing down clues to a keyword and the shorter your clue is the more points it is worth. The Mole: Australia used then-spanking new SMS technology to play some of the games. That said I think it is silliness of the highest order to say that the Pyramid franchise is dead and buried because we have a generation of young people with their nose in their phones and using truncated language. (I personally bristle when my sister says "say again?", but only because I find it brusque and rude when compared to "I beg your pardon, could you please repeat that?")