[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jan 20 2004, 04:10 PM\'] [quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Jan 20 2004, 04:36 PM\'] What do you think is going to change about the TV landscape that will make game shows more appealing to packagers to produce? The average American has proven that they will watch pretty much any crap that is thrown in front of them, and there are forms of programming far less expensive to produce. [/quote]
Thing is, that's almost exactly what producers of scripted sitcoms and dramas were saying a few years ago when WWTBAM exploded onto the scene and they felt threatened by the new wave of game shows that were coming.
While naturally I don't necessarily agree with GSWitch's specifics, I do agree that the rise and fall of game shows is perfectly natural. The genre's been left for dead many, many times and it still comes back. This lull too will be temporary if this is, in fact, a lull. With five standards returning and who knows how many cable offerings, I'm not sure I'd even make that argument. [/quote]
Recently, I've found myself counting out how many games we have had each season, and how many we should have going into next season. Then I like to compare how many we had in the mid-90s. 2002 was the peak year, but with 5, maybe 6, shows returning, I'd say the game show genre is still very healthy, esp. if Pyramid can go ahead and get their renewal. At least compared to the early to mid 90s. If any genre is truly dead, it's the talk show. They seem to be going through the erosion that games went through about 10 years ago.