Super Millionaire Moneytree

[tvwxman]

perhaps it tis a move by a desperate network, but then again, welcome to the world of television!

Do you think NBC double runs Friends and the Apprentice in one week because they have to? No, they do it because they're desperate, and filling the same holes with new eps of The Tracy Morgan Show just ain't gonna cut it during a sweeps period..

Fox does it...Even CBS has done it...you milk the publicity for what you can, however you can...to get more eyeballs on your tv screen...

It sounds trite, but don't hate the playa, hate the game!

[Matt Ottinger]

[quote name=\'cyberjoek\' date=\'Feb 12 2004, 01:45 AM\'] Perhaps I missed something but Iron Chef (some people say it's not a game but bear with) is quite highly rated but what's the prize?  Pride.  On Junkyard Wars (now in its 13th season) has only given away trips to California/London (to be on the show) and a trophy made of scrap metal but it still does well. [/quote]
 Well, one thing you're missing is the difference between a successful cult cable show and a huge mainstream network deal.  Iron Chef and Junkyard Wars are probably among the most popular shows on their respective networks, but neither of them even rate all that highly on CABLE lists, and their audience is miniscule by network standards (even ABC's).

The simple answer is that there's not just one simple answer.  I think we agree that the most important thing is that the game itself has to engage the viewing public, the way Millionaire did and the way Greed, 21, Winning Lines and others didn't.  Even there, remember that there's a difference between merely being a good game (as some would argue Greed is) or even getting good ratings (as some would argue Greed did) and truly engaging the audience.

After that, the money is just one element of what can make a successful show.  No, you can't buy a hit game show by making the top prize enormous.  You also can't fix or improve a show by throwing "mo' money" at it.  However, you can buy publicity and a curiosity factor that makes people at least check you out.

[Ian Wallis]

The first time someone wins $10 million I predict it will likewise be all over the entertainment magazine shows, but this time we know what a big win looks like: confetti, handshakes, family members, hand over the check and exit stage right. Big whoop.

That begs the question:  do we think someone WILL win the $10 million?  I'm hoping the questions will be hard enough that nobody will get that high (maybe it's partly because I think $10 million is way too much to give away on a game show), or will ABC try to "fix" it with an easy stack (a la Carpenter) to guarantee someone wins the $10 million?

Another thought:  since $1 million is obviously not ratings-grabbing enough anymore, what happens after "Super Millionaire" runs its course - will they bring it back with a $100 million grand prize?  Where does it end?

[BrandonFG]

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Feb 12 2004, 01:51 AM\'] The first time someone won $1 million it was all over the entertainment magazine shows, thereby spoiling the win. The first time someone wins $10 million I predict it will likewise be all over the entertainment magazine shows, but this time we know what a big win looks like: confetti, handshakes, family members, hand over the check and exit stage right. Big whoop.

This smells of a desperate network trying to buy back an audience. [/quote]
 Is ABC still last among the "Big 3?"

[inturnaround]

[quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Feb 12 2004, 02:48 PM\'] Is ABC still last among the "Big 3?" [/quote]
 ABC is not even in the traditional "Big 3" anymore. They didn't even have one show in the top 20 last week. I'm hard pressed to tell you what their highest rated show actually is. If I had to guess, I'd say "The Bachelorette", but bah.

For example, last week CBS was the ratings leader (as it usually is thanks to Survivor and the CSIs). They were watched by 17 million people. NBC was watched by 14.10 million and Fox was seen by 10.22 million.

ABC was next. They were watched by a dismal 6.64 million people...and this was the first week of sweeps! In fact, almost as many people, 6.09 million, watched the WB! No wonder Eisner is under fire and Comcast thinks they can do better.

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Feb 12 2004, 02:19 PM\'] That begs the question:  do we think someone WILL win the $10 million?  I'm hoping the questions will be hard enough that nobody will get that high (maybe it's partly because I think $10 million is way too much to give away on a game show), or will ABC try to "fix" it with an easy stack (a la Carpenter) to guarantee someone wins the $10 million?

 [/quote]
 If they do, they're utter fools. Of course, if they do feel like tossing away $10M just for the sake of doing it, I hope to high heaven I'm in that hot seat when they decide to do so.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Feb 12 2004, 12:19 PM\'] what happens after "Super Millionaire" runs its course - will they bring it back with a $100 million grand prize?  Where does it end? [/quote]
 "The ultimate game show would be one in which the losing contestant were killed."
 
                                                       -- Chuck Barris

[uncamark]

[quote name=\'inturnaround\' date=\'Feb 12 2004, 03:04 PM\'][quote name=\'fostergray82\' date=\'Feb 12 2004, 02:48 PM\'] Is ABC still last among the "Big 3?" [/quote]
ABC is not even in the traditional "Big 3" anymore. They didn't even have one show in the top 20 last week. I'm hard pressed to tell you what their highest rated show actually is. If I had to guess, I'd say "The Bachelorette", but bah.[/quote]
Another listing had "20/20 Friday" in the top 20 (and thanks to Nielsen, it's difficult to find a complete ratings list online), but yes, ABC's down in the dumps.  Time for Regis to save the network again.  

[starcade]

Let's just say $100K is not as insane as a full X10 for $320K for the second tier.

Trust me, though -- especially knowing that a 50-50 sent into tier III guarantees $500K, they're going to try to nail people in tier II.  I think that, at the end of the week, there will be a LOT of five-digit winners.  Probably a lot of $5000's as well.  The $100K will be most certainly earned, IMODO.

CLemon, per the Barris quote:  I still think we're only a couple years from that one...  We got scarily close with "The Chamber"...

I don't think they will fix it for a $10M win -- that'd be like if they wanted to fix the first season of Millionaire (though they certainly did for the second, with "Greed" and Hair Guy breathing down their necks).

[tvwxman]

Whoa.

Let's all get on the same page about something. The Carpenter questions, while easy for John, were NOT a "rigged easy stack". As Regge and M.Davies will tell you..... the questions are easy ONLY if you know the answers....John Carpenter did, and has a big check to show for it.

ABC is NOT in the business of rigging a show to insure a big win, just for the sake of ratings. ABC is in the business of entertainment, and while their ratings aren't where they (and us affiliate folk) would like them to be, Disney ain't gonna risk the collapse of a network just for a few extra eyeballs on a rigged game show.

ABC will again top the ratings charts when they give viewers a reason to watch. Personally, and yes, i'm biased cause I work for an affiliate, I believe that Super Millionaire is a step in the right direction.  Its not their only direction though.

Matt

[zachhoran]

Has ABC begun to plug the 1-800 number to call to try to get on the show in their promos for it?

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Feb 12 2004, 05:38 PM\'] Has ABC begun to plug the 1-800 number to call to try to get on the show in their promos for it? [/quote]
 Do they need to? I should think that starting to run announcements when the lines actually fire up (on what, Monday?) should get them all of the prospective contestants they can stand. There's already tons of advance buzz, why bother promoting something in advance when they could sell that spot for money?

[tommycharles]

[quote name=\'tvwxman\' date=\'Feb 12 2004, 06:38 PM\'] Whoa.

Let's all get on the same page about something. The Carpenter questions, while easy for John, were NOT a "rigged easy stack". As Regge and M.Davies will tell you..... the questions are easy ONLY if you know the answers....John Carpenter did, and has a big check to show for it.

ABC is NOT in the business of rigging a show to insure a big win, just for the sake of ratings. ABC is in the business of entertainment, and while their ratings aren't where they (and us affiliate folk) would like them to be, Disney ain't gonna risk the collapse of a network just for a few extra eyeballs on a rigged game show.

ABC will again top the ratings charts when they give viewers a reason to watch. Personally, and yes, i'm biased cause I work for an affiliate, I believe that Super Millionaire is a step in the right direction.  Its not their only direction though.

Matt [/quote]
 And besides, "rigging" Millionaire isn't exactly necessary (most of the time), as you can just move the sweeps-worthy wins to ... the sweeps months, as the syndie show does (I know about the taping policies, but that could change if they got concerned).

[Robert Hutchinson]

[quote name=\'tvwxman\' date=\'Feb 12 2004, 06:38 PM\']Let's all get on the same page about something. The Carpenter questions, while easy for John, were NOT a "rigged easy stack". As Regge and M.Davies will tell you..... the questions are easy ONLY if you know the answers....John Carpenter did, and has a big check to show for it.

ABC is NOT in the business of rigging a show to insure a big win, just for the sake of ratings. ABC is in the business of entertainment, and while their ratings aren't where they (and us affiliate folk) would like them to be, Disney ain't gonna risk the collapse of a network just for a few extra eyeballs on a rigged game show.[/quote]
Second point first: while "rigging the season" was not the best choice of words on starcade's part, Millionaire most assuredly did make the questions harder when the budget got tight, and made them easier when no one was winning much. Bob Stewart was unashamed to do the very same thing when too many Winner's Circles were being won (although I can't quite imagine him worrying about too few being won). Changing the overall difficulty of the game material isn't cheating; favoring one particular contestant on purpose by using certain game material, OTOH, is.

And as for the tired old "if you know the answers" bromide, it still remains a completely ineffective argument. Yes, it is obviously impossible to precisely quantify the difficulty of a set of questions. But when hundreds of people, expressing opinions independent of all the other groups, were saying that "last night's Millionaire was cake", there's probably something to it. I knew 14 of Carpenter's 15 cold, and the 15th (the $500K Q) I would almost certainly have went for (and been right) after using a single lifeline. I cannot say this--cannot come anywhere near saying this--for any other set of 15 I saw back in the day. It makes neither John Carpenter nor the Millionaire staff wrong or dislikable or evil or corrupt, but it does make for less-than-optimal television.

In my humble opinion.

[gtbecbp]

John must have gotten an easy stack by coincidence.  The computer has thousands of questions to draw the stack from.  He's a smart guy, and it also was his lucky day.

Ben