New "Funny You Should Ask!" coming this fall

[clemon79]

But really, $5,000 as top prize in 2017?

Did you just criticize a Byron Allen show for being cheap with no irony whatsoever?

[TimK2003]

Well somebody has to pay the royalties for "Happy" every time the theme is played!

[narzo]

I am throughly enjoying this show, and hope it gets an audience.  The "zingers" are better than anything the stars had in the "H2" reboot, and I like the fact there is a host who isn't trying to be the real center of attention.  It's "game show 101", which I find refreshing in this overproduced, over the top loud, climate of the shows today. 

[BrandonFG]

I finally got to catch the last five minutes. Am I correct that the bonus round is simply pick the correct answer out of six, the last of which is a gag answer?

This morning's question involved picking the right survey percentage, which seems like a huge shot in the dark for $5K.

I still want to see more, but the portion of the bonus round I saw seems really light.

[Matt Ottinger]

This morning's question involved picking the right survey percentage, which seems like a huge shot in the dark for $5K.

For more information, see:  Allen, Byron

I still want to see more, but the portion of the bonus round I saw seems really light.

It literally is Hollywood Squares without tic-tac-toe, and that's all it is.  Contestants don't even select celebrities.  For each question, there's the ha-ha funny answer (and the writing isn't horrible), and then the "real" answer that the contestant agrees or disagrees with.  Except they don't use that language, because that would be a little too on-the-nose.  Contestants decide whether a star's answer is "right" or "wrong", that's how they get the...dollars.

Also, a surprising but nice touch for those monetarily inclined: The $5K bonus is *in addition* to money won in the main game, usually in the neighborhood of $1500 or so.

[Mike Tennant]

It literally is Hollywood Squares without tic-tac-toe, and that's all it is.

Which makes one wonder why the penny-pinching producer paid for the rights to a format that he really isn't using (assuming he did; maybe the whole thing is in the public domain by now). He could just as easily have done the same show with a different title. It's not as if the original show had a legion of fans just begging for a revival.

[Jimmy Owen]

It literally is Hollywood Squares without tic-tac-toe, and that's all it is.

Which makes one wonder why the penny-pinching producer paid for the rights to a format that he really isn't using (assuming he did; maybe the whole thing is in the public domain by now). He could just as easily have done the same show with a different title. It's not as if the original show had a legion of fans just begging for a revival.

Merill Heather's probably at home saying "they stole the format of one of my shows and the title of another..."

[Scrabbleship]

It literally is Hollywood Squares without tic-tac-toe, and that's all it is.

Which makes one wonder why the penny-pinching producer paid for the rights to a format that he really isn't using (assuming he did; maybe the whole thing is in the public domain by now). He could just as easily have done the same show with a different title. It's not as if the original show had a legion of fans just begging for a revival.

It's far enough removed that 99.98% of the world wouldn't know that there even was an original at this point. You do bring up an interesting point though with...

maybe the whole thing is in the public domain by now

He's credited as the creator in the end credits. This opens up a question about what happens to game show formats if they die and the rights holders might barely remember they existed.

Merrill Heather's probably at home saying "they stole the format of one of my shows and the title of another..."

I tried to weave this into mine but you beat me to this. I nearly spat coffee on a new laptop. Bravo!

On the tangent of Squares and Heatter reworking his own idea multiple times and Byron Allen, the two have crossed paths before: Allen did a few weeks of Marshall Squares towards the end of that show's run (and it wouldn't faze me if he did Battlestars too given it was on at Real People's peak).

[Matt Ottinger]

Which makes one wonder why the penny-pinching producer paid for the rights to a format that he really isn't using (assuming he did; maybe the whole thing is in the public domain by now). He could just as easily have done the same show with a different title. It's not as if the original show had a legion of fans just begging for a revival.

I don't think Byron paid anybody for the rights to anything.  As far as he's concerned, this is his own original show.

Also, I can't tell specifically if you're referring to the obscure 60s game Funny You Should Ask or not, but I've seen several people on Facebook claim that this is a remake of that (including an overeager Wikipedia editor), and that's just not the case.  Aside from the title, and the fact that the celebrities seem randomly strewn around the set, the two shows are not the same game.  Just as there are several completely different shows that are called Break The Bank, and a 50s game called Wheel of Fortune that has nothing to do with Hangman, this is just a different show that happens to use a common phrase as its title.  It wouldn't surprise me at all of Byron was completely unaware the earlier show with that title even existed.

[Mike Tennant]

Which makes one wonder why the penny-pinching producer paid for the rights to a format that he really isn't using (assuming he did; maybe the whole thing is in the public domain by now). He could just as easily have done the same show with a different title. It's not as if the original show had a legion of fans just begging for a revival.

I don't think Byron paid anybody for the rights to anything.  As far as he's concerned, this is his own original show.

Also, I can't tell specifically if you're referring to the obscure 60s game Funny You Should Ask or not, but I've seen several people on Facebook claim that this is a remake of that (including an overeager Wikipedia editor), and that's just not the case.  Aside from the title, and the fact that the celebrities seem randomly strewn around the set, the two shows are not the same game.  Just as there are several completely different shows that are called Break The Bank, and a 50s game called Wheel of Fortune that has nothing to do with Hangman, this is just a different show that happens to use a common phrase as its title.  It wouldn't surprise me at all of Byron was completely unaware the earlier show with that title even existed.

Yes, I was under the impression that it was a remake (albeit in name only) based on the existence of the earlier show and the similar positioning of celebrities. Your explanation makes more sense, though.

[alfonzos]

The program is using questions from the original HS series. On today's airing, Louie Anderson received the opportunity to deliver Paul Lynde's response to "How many balls are there on a billiard table?"

"That depends. How many guys are playing?"

[BillCullen1]

The program is using questions from the original HS series. On today's airing, Louie Anderson received the opportunity to deliver Paul Lynde's response to "How many balls are there on a billiard table?"

"That depends. How many guys are playing?"

Actually, it was Charley Weaver who said that classic line, to give credit where it's due.

[polo23]

Don't look for the show to much of an impact. It is not even making a ratings dent in some markets. The highest will probably be 0.4.

[PYLdude]

Don't look for the show to much of an impact. It is not even making a ratings dent in some markets. The highest will probably be 0.4.

Source please.

[BrandonFG]

Don't look for the show to much of an impact. It is not even making a ratings dent in some markets. The highest will probably be 0.4.

Entertainment Studios programming has never really made much of an impact in syndication, so that doesn't surprise me. It's inexpensive programming, usually for late night or weekend schedules. In the case of his sitcoms or Comics Unleashed, it's set up to run for several years in reruns or on his cable networks.

Much as we rag on him, he has a pretty solid business model. That said, someone posted a trade ad stating massive ratings improvement from Sept. 2016 programming. If it was a late-night program (infomercials, sitcom reruns), I imagine program directors are happy regardless.