With the change of venue in the near future for Price, plus how the game is played now with limited audiences due to lingering Covid safety procedures, this could be a real turning point for the show.
Will the limited seating pods become permanent? If not, how much more capacity will ultimately be added to the new studio when Covid restrictions are eased?
Will you still need to pass contestant pre-screening (aka auditioning -- not Covid testing), before you are "invited" into the actual studio for a taping or will they go back to an open selection process the day of taping?
I'm curious to know what the viewership is now that he Covid-format has more or less been in place for a while now, as well as the amount of people who still want to become contestants. Ultimately, interest in the show will determine if the show can survive outside of it's Television City nest of 50+ years.
And this is some longshot thinking, but would this be a good time for Drew to retire as host, or for Fremantle to go in a new direction with a new host and/or a complete overhaul of the show (less games & props at the new studios, reducing the number of games played on the show each episode,...)?
I wouldn't be surprised if Fremantle may be looking at all the possible options with this significant change in the history of TPIR.