ABC bringing back Match Game

[TLEberle]

If there is a definitive-answer question (which is still up to the contestant to give that answer), it can serve to avoid a 6-6 tie, since the other contestant will have a question not geared towards a sweep. It is just chalked up to the randomness of the selections.

Then the opening should not be "Get ready to match the stars," it should be "Get ready to spin the fickle finger of fate."

[jage]

I enjoyed it the most of the 3 shows by far. As time goes on, I'm sure they'll figure out which types of questions work the best. There were always unfair moments with one person getting a slam dunk question in the 70's version as well but the show was still fun. It's not Jeopardy, you expect things like this to happen here. And yay for a show in 2016 not using overly suspenseful music to reveal the result of the head to head match. The chemistry of the panel for day 1 made it look like they've been there for awhile.
Sure, little things. NO dings when the contestant won the game which seems very trivial but it sounded like something was missing. The really long cue after winning $5,000. The one used when the second contestant won 2 grand would have been fine if they want to insist on music there. Overall 9/10.

[Neumms]

I didn't like the answer cards. Too square, green was wrong, and the black dotted trim looked cheap.

[Joe Mello]

I didn't like the answer cards. Too square, green was wrong, and the black dotted trim looked cheap.

I had gotten it in my head that the answer cards and question cards were printed on the same stock.

I didn't think the writing was atrocious, but I'll agree it wasn't good. Of the 8 questions, I only thought 3 were good, and a 4th could've been better. That's not a great batting average when that's all we get for a week. A lot of the non-game stuff (e.g. jokes from the prompter) I could do without, too.  All in all, it wasn't bad, but I didn't get a much-watch vibe from it.

[colonial]

I'll keep watching MG, but I agree there are some flaws with the show.

The question writing, as others have noted, needs work. There were a couple of good ones (liked the ones about the Baldwins, Mr. Potato Head and, yes, Trump). But getting into edgy territory proved problematic. It's something that takes time (MG 7X had its fair share of clunkers), so we can only hope they can work on those issues.

Alec Baldwin tried. He seemed enthused about hosting, enjoyed the rapport with contestants and celebrities, and generally appeared to have a good time. But there were times he tried to take over the show and have the last word on everything. Contestant tells a joke in the intros? Alec needs to one-up them. He has to be funniest guy in the room, so he's going to out-joke everyone on stage. It didn't work.

I forget the question, but I am hoping someone got into JB Smoove's face after delivering a blank card as an answer. There's a difference between giving a bad answer and not trying, and JB wasn't trying.


JD

[snowpeck]

Question writing aside, which purportedly will improve as the show goes on, I have to say JB Smoove was my biggest pet peeve. Too much copying off the other celebs and really, a blank answer card? I wouldn't be upset if they didn't invite him back.

[Marc412]

I forget the question, but I am hoping someone got into JB Smoove's face after delivering a blank card as an answer. There's a difference between giving a bad answer and not trying, and JB wasn't trying.

He called a group of Baldwin brothers a nothingness, which is what his blank card represented.

[petek66]

I liked MG and Pyramid and agree with most of what's been noted so far.

Something was up, though, with a middle-aged woman saying she looked forward to
spending her money on a New Kids on the Block cruise which Rosie then just
happens to be able to arrange. And on Pyramid someone said they wanted to
go to Disneyworld... coaching contestants on their personal anecdotes seems to
be setting new lows for product placement.

[MSTieScott]

I know they're trying to emulate the '70s Match Game as closely as possible, and I respect that. But here's my pitch: What if they changed the seating arrangements to female-male-female-male-female-male?

Rosie will clearly become the Richard Dawson of this version, and would fit perfectly in seat five. Meanwhile, every time they cut away to one of Michael Ian Black's reactions, it was funny -- I think he would do well in seat six (seat two would also work).

[KrisW73]

I know they're trying to emulate the '70s Match Game as closely as possible, and I respect that. But here's my pitch: What if they changed the seating arrangements to female-male-female-male-female-male?

Rosie will clearly become the Richard Dawson of this version, and would fit perfectly in seat five. Meanwhile, every time they cut away to one of Michael Ian Black's reactions, it was funny -- I think he would do well in seat six (seat two would also work).

After hearing Debra Messing's responses to a couple questions I wondered out loud why she wasn't in the Patti Deutsch memorial seat? (aka seat six)

[Thunder]

...
Rosie will clearly become the Richard Dawson of this version, and would fit perfectly in seat five. Meanwhile, every time they cut away to one of Michael Ian Black's reactions, it was funny -- I think he would do well in seat six (seat two would also work).

Because most people who are watching the show vaguely remember (if at all) what the general dynamics of seats five, six and two actually mean.

[Neumms]

Because most people who are watching the show vaguely remember (if at all) what the general dynamics of seats five, six and two actually mean.

He's not suggesting it to trigger happy memories, it's to make the panel work better by using what worked before. In the last seat, it's easy to be overlooked when your answer has popped up several times already and you're following someone funny. Witness the girl who was there Sunday.

The bigger issue is casting a panel that plays off each other, and there was promise here. I liked Debra in the hot-but-dim seat. Michael Ian was smart although maybe too droll. Smoove's answers left something to be desired, but he was funny. Rosie played well but was reserved.

[BrandonFG]

Since they didn't lead with big wins, were Sunday's episodes the first taped?

/Ditto for Pyramid

[BillCullen1]

Since they didn't lead with big wins, were Sunday's episodes the first taped?

/Ditto for Pyramid

Sunday's MG was the 2nd show taped. Don't know about Pyramid. I was at the first shows taped for that. Randall Park and Dr. Ken were the celebs.

[KrisW73]

...I liked Debra in the hot-but-dim seat....

Now see, I didn't think of that - thank you for pointing that out.