2021 Game Show Genre Predictions...

[BrandonFG]

Was Karn-era Feud that bad?

It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good either. For all the gripes I have with Steve's version, at least it has some personality, in spite of the writing.

Karn's version simply existed. Like a lotta TV shows from the early-2000s, it was pretty bland and forgettable. Louie Anderson wasn't a great host, but his run was entertaining.

[PYLdude]

Was Karn-era Feud that bad?

It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good either. For all the gripes I have with Steve's version, at least it has some personality, in spite of the writing.

Karn's version simply existed. Like a lotta TV shows from the early-2000s, it was pretty bland and forgettable. Louie Anderson wasn't a great host, but his run was entertaining.

I don’t know how much of that I put on Karn; he certainly didn’t help matters but the production was just blah. Whoever designed that set needed to be fired. I said it before and I’ll say it again, it looked like a generic talk show set from that era. Very bland.

I mean, yeah, you don’t need a whole lot of flash on a production set, but I’d rather have some than none.

[DjohnsonCB]

Looking ahead to 2021, what predictions do you have when it comes to game shows?  Here are a few of mine:

• I also predict that Fremantle will acquire/purchase the rights to another notable production company's library that is currently under someone else's lock and key and will start playing them on Buzzr and perhaps work on developing a modern-day reboot of one of the shows for primetime TV.

I wish Fremantle would acquire the Nicholson-Muir library.  Does any of it survive besides Spin-Off ?

[bulldog_06]

My predictions:

1) Laura Coates is named Jeopardy! host...Alex had mentioned her previously (true shot in the dark, but hey why not take the shot)
2) Card Sharks gets a new host instead of Joel McHale (can't stand Joel now...I gave him a chance in Season 1)
3) Family Feud gets a new 24/7 channel with Richard Dawson
4) One of the current Fremantle reboots gets a syndie deal for 2022
5) ABC revives Sale of The Century

[JMFabiano]

Was Karn-era Feud that bad?

It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good either. For all the gripes I have with Steve's version, at least it has some personality, in spite of the writing.

Karn's version simply existed. Like a lotta TV shows from the early-2000s, it was pretty bland and forgettable. Louie Anderson wasn't a great host, but his run was entertaining.

I don’t know how much of that I put on Karn; he certainly didn’t help matters but the production was just blah. Whoever designed that set needed to be fired. I said it before and I’ll say it again, it looked like a generic talk show set from that era. Very bland.

I mean, yeah, you don’t need a whole lot of flash on a production set, but I’d rather have some than none.

See I liked the Karn set, well the first version.  Kind of a combo between the Anderson set and one of the classic ones (at least for having more blues and browns) 

Now the last version, not so much! 

Karn had some moments, and was a breath of fresh air after seeing Louie phone it in (and I was never a fan of him as FF host, even when he was trying but just IMO)

...but he soon leaned on tropes like trying to turn every commercial outro into a joke about the previous question.  And then there's that little "DOUBLE/TRIPLE THE POINTS" matter...

[BillCullen1]

Karn had some moments, and was a breath of fresh air after seeing Louie phone it in (and I was never a fan of him as FF host, even when he was trying but just IMO)

Seconded. I also heard that during commercial brakes and stopdowns, Louie would go to a chair offstage and not talk to the audience. That was left to announcer Burton Richardson. Really, even Dawson with his inflated ego would talk to the audience.

Back to the topic at hand. I predict that in 2021, we may see a version of TPIR on Buzzr other than Cullen's. Maybe Kennedy, maybe even Barker. The fur coats rule out Dennis' version and nobody remembers Doug Davidson's version, though I thought he did a credible job.

[JMFabiano]

Karn had some moments, and was a breath of fresh air after seeing Louie phone it in (and I was never a fan of him as FF host, even when he was trying but just IMO)

Seconded. I also heard that during commercial brakes and stopdowns, Louie would go to a chair offstage and not talk to the audience. That was left to announcer Burton Richardson. Really, even Dawson with his inflated ego would talk to the audience.

Not only that, but he did the Combs' last episode exit in every episode.  On the other hand, I think everyone, Karn and up, stayed with the winning family during the end credits. 

Dawson, even in his "dark" points, tried to be amicable to contestants. 

[chargeradiocom]

Karn had some moments, and was a breath of fresh air after seeing Louie phone it in (and I was never a fan of him as FF host, even when he was trying but just IMO)

...but he soon leaned on tropes like trying to turn every commercial outro into a joke about the previous question.  And then there's that little "DOUBLE/TRIPLE THE POINTS" matter...

Agreed. In his day, & even when GSN was rerunning him, I didn’t think Karn was that bad. I thought he was trying to be more of a warm & fuzzy host, rather than the witty, at times sarcastic type of host (i.e. Dawson & Combs) that Feud is better known for. But I thought there was a place for the warm & fuzzy type of hosting as well.

Though I will say—and maybe this is more a reflection of my own growing game show snobbery than anything—if I catch a rerun of Karn now, I get more why some people didn’t care for him.

Really, even Dawson with his inflated ego would talk to the audience.

This is going off the topic a bit... But are there known incidents where Dawson was an outright jerk to fans or contestants? I know about the stories of him butting heads with his producers, or his days of being standoffish with the other celebs on MG. But the idea I’ve always gotten is that his rifts were generally only with his producers & coworkers, as it were; but when it came to civilians, he genuinely cared about making sure they had a good time and were treated fairly.

Back to the topic at hand. I predict that in 2021, we may see a version of TPIR on Buzzr other than Cullen's. Maybe Kennedy, maybe even Barker.

This was my thought as well. I’d say slightly better than 50-50 odds that we see a Barker TPIR episode on BUZZR sometime in 2021. Several months ago I probably wouldn’t have said that, but the Pluto channel, combined with the fact that BUZZR/Fremantle seems to be all in on it and that BUZZR has a history of pulling off some nice surprises, makes it seem like a very real possibility now.

[Unrealtor]

4) One of the current Fremantle reboots gets a syndie deal for 2022

Along those lines... Once the pandemic and the election year news firehoses die down, the third hour of GMA will fade a bit in the ratings and there will be rumors that it's going to be replaced with a daytime version of one of their primetime game shows, but it won't happen (at least not before the end of 2021.)

[PYLdude]

My predictions:

1) Laura Coates is named Jeopardy! host...Alex had mentioned her previously (true shot in the dark, but hey why not take the shot)
2) Card Sharks gets a new host instead of Joel McHale (can't stand Joel now...I gave him a chance in Season 1)
3) Family Feud gets a new 24/7 channel with Richard Dawson
4) One of the current Fremantle reboots gets a syndie deal for 2022
5) ABC revives Sale of The Century

Well those certainly are predictions...

Joel McHale is an EP on Card Sharks. He ain’t going nowhere.

[bulldog_06]

My predictions:

1) Laura Coates is named Jeopardy! host...Alex had mentioned her previously (true shot in the dark, but hey why not take the shot)
2) Card Sharks gets a new host instead of Joel McHale (can't stand Joel now...I gave him a chance in Season 1)
3) Family Feud gets a new 24/7 channel with Richard Dawson
4) One of the current Fremantle reboots gets a syndie deal for 2022
5) ABC revives Sale of The Century

Well those certainly are predictions...

Joel McHale is an EP on Card Sharks. He ain’t going nowhere.

Yeah I figured Joel wasn't going anywhere. But he's going to wind up (in my mind) sinking that ship. Fremantle seems to be doing well however with these reboots.

[JacksonBrowne1980]

A TV Network Or Channel Called Game Show TV (with all rights to all game shows 1950s-Present) with a kids Saturday morning block from 9am-1pm

GSN Classics with all classic game shows

[TLEberle]

US Millionaire gets cancelled again - While the first celebrity specials did great, this second season doesn't have great ratings. Jimmy isn't bad at hosting, but the game feels very low stakes and just isn't exciting right now. I have a feeling the UK and other world reboots will continue to do well.

It's telling that the last three episodes are being burned off on a Wednesday. I don't agree that a million dollars is "low stakes" but Jimmy's hosting is like me wearing size 30 slacks--constricting and not right at all. I don't think that the host has to shout through the episode (Meredith and Mr. Harrison were just fine) but perhaps doing it as a two week strip in March and August would be better than what they're doing now.

New Jeopardy! host pick makes nobody happy - I expect the discourse around J! to be pretty strong with a new host announced, but have a feeling that ratings will continue strong throughout the next few years.

I was only four when Jeopardy As We Know It went on the air, but there were people irritated that Art Fleming got snubbed. I agree that there's no magic bullet and that a chunk of the people are just going to have to bloody well deal, unless they give it to Betty White, who will continue to host until her retirement at age 152.

Wheel of Fortune Shakeup - I think Mike Richards knows that Wheel is getting a little stale and isn't seeing the leaps and bounds of growth that J! has in the last few years, I assume that some sort of gameplay changes and visual refresh is coming.

I really don't know how much you can do with Hangman. I would certainly advocate for my Countdown Round to determine the winner and I know everyone has their thoughts but for all the changes throughout the years the show has never really wandered too off course.

/Maybe when Pat retires they can have Steven Hauschka host.

[ChrisLambert!]

Minor point, but the three eps of Millionaire this Wednesday aren’t the final eps; four more will air on Sundays through Jan 31.

[TLEberle]

Minor point, but the three eps of Millionaire this Wednesday aren’t the final eps; four more will air on Sundays through Jan 31.

See what happens when I assume?

That's so weird--do they not have anything to bridge the gaps and run it out through February?