The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: cmjb13 on March 27, 2008, 03:04:00 PM
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Count me in as one of the 15%. I really don't watch anymore.
Link (http://\"http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117982880.html?nav=news&categoryid=1985&cs=1\")
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I tivo it and delete it if the online summary doesn't detail anything noteworthy.
Does anyone know what the ratings difference was between Carson's last season and Leno's first?
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I don't watch it every day, but I didn't watch it every day toward the end of barker's tenure. I do however watch it more than I did when he hosted- from 1-2 a month to at least once a week.
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Didn't read the article (yet) but is that down compared to the same time period last year, when Barkermania was runnin' wild? What about the rest of daytime TV?
Ratings everywhere have been steadily dropping as the years go by...I don't think the 15% means much, IMO.
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I watched Drew daily for a couple of weeks, enough to know the show is in good hands and will likely be on forever.
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I don't watch every day, either--and haven't for years. But I will say that I'm more likely to watch than I have been for a long time. It's clear that Drew's having fun, and seems like everybody else is, too.
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[quote name=\'JayDLewis\' post=\'182667\' date=\'Mar 27 2008, 03:35 PM\']
Didn't read the article (yet) but is that down compared to the same time period last year, when Barkermania was runnin' wild? [/quote]
This particular article doesn't specifically say, but the industry standard (and other articles I've read about TPIR) compares numbers from same-time-last-year. So yeah, between the bump Barker got near the end [insert Dian joke here] and the natural erosion of TV ratings in general, that 15% doesn't mean a lot.
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I count as the 15% also, but I have French at that time. But whenever I do have the time to watch, its always a pleasure to watch.
I don't think the 15% drop has anything to do with the new host, however.
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The primetime specials have won their timeslot every single week, right? Granted on a Friday against fairly weak competition, is there any cause to worry too much?
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Just out of curiosity, how are the ratings against those of, say, three years ago? When there was nothing special going on at TPIR? And how do you track them against the general decline of network viewing overall? And isn't 15 percent of the smaller daytime audience - in raw numbers - smaller than 15 percent of the nighttime audience?
A lot of statistics here that haven't been properly applied.
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And to be honest, what would CBS replace it with IF this is a horrible number? Doubtful any new soaps are waiting in the wings, obviously nothing game show related and they'd be fools to extend the ratings challenged Early Show. The only option would be to toss one more hour back to the local stations(and would this be any monetary bonus to the bottom line of CBS?). Look at NBC daytime...If you overlook the never ending Today Show, they program one hour of network programming. Compare that to the 6 hours they had back in the days of morning games and afternoon soaps. 'Scuse me while I wipe away a tear.
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I really don't watch anymore.
Wow, Christopher, coming from you that says a lot.
I understand a lot of the ratings erosion has been among young women. Factor them out and the erosion is probably a little less.
I've had trouble watching since Barker was still there. Between Rich and that infernal audience whooping it's hard to watch/listen to. Note to Bart: the audience mics should be off, that's O-F-F, when Rich reads any kind of prize copy.
From a business standpoint, you have to look at how much the show is making for CBS. Drew's reported $10 million salary doesn't help that cause at all. IMO $2 million would be a fair price. He's not that good.
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Another (probably minor) factor in the ratings drop: online viewing.
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[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' post=\'182696\' date=\'Mar 27 2008, 05:35 PM\']
Another (probably minor) factor in the ratings drop: online viewing.
[/quote]
Yeah, I have to think that's a statistically insignificant number, though. I would wager it's mostly the dilution of television options, timeshifting, etc. that is the main culprit.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'182682\' date=\'Mar 27 2008, 05:49 PM\']
I really don't watch anymore.
Wow, Christopher, coming from you that says a lot.
[/quote]
Hard to believe, but yes. Aside from fast forwarding the first two primetime specials, I haven't really watched a daytime show since Christmas.
I can't point to one single thing that made me lose interest. Although I can think of a few.
-Barker gone (probably biggest reason)
-Awful set (Looks like it's built out of Lego's. What's with the metal around the doors? And why do they have stars above the doors? It's so obvious to have $ there.)
-Jib gives me headaches and doesn't fit in with the show
-New host (while a nice guy, just doesn't seem to be the right fit)
I think they changed to much too soon. I understand they wanted to freshen it up. I really think they should have left everything alone except for the host. As I had been told, staff members came together to avoid what Fremantle really wanted to do with the show. This show used to be different because it did stuff differently than other shows. Now, it seems to be just another show.
I still may visit, but I'm not sure as often as I used to.
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I've completely missed only one Carey ep, but I liberally skip through slow parts, like the wheel, the quickie games, et al.
My longtime fandom for Carey has led me to watch more than I probably would have otherwise, because although He Gets It (tm) (that article praising him for being the anti-Barker aside), I wish he was indeed more polished, and I think with as much TV as he's done, he really *should* be. However, when he gets an opening for some comedy, he usually nails it and makes me glad I watch. (Although Brandi and Rachel definitely help. :) )
It's like the nursery rhyme girl; he's either very very good or he's horrid. Often in the same episode.
/I like the set, at least the primetime version. The jib is way overused, though.
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I wish he was indeed more polished, and I think with as much TV as he's done, he really *should* be.
Absolutely true. For as long as he's been doing the show (almost six months now?) he should be further along than he is. He's still feeling his way, he's still awkward. He hasn't mastered the fine art of making his every utterance seem fresh and new. I suspect that he was given way, way too many pricing games to learn at first, and that just left him disoriented. "Polish" is the perfect word to describe what he's lacking. If I were Herman Fremantle or Syd Vicious and Drew's contract were coming up, I'd make darn certain I still had Todd Newton's number in my Rolodex.
As for the set, it was definitely getting stale and needed some freshening up. I'm hesitant to bash Bente's work but I was hoping she'd get completely away from those ping-pong-ball style light bulbs. The old white doors made the set look more expansive -- the new doors make the set feel closed-in. When it comes to show logos, I do not subscribe to the "more are better" school of thought; the logo on the turntable needs to go, and the wing that extends stage right from door 1 needs to go back to being unlit.
I haven't visited the show for several years now. It's always nice seeing Stan and Roger (and Scott, too) but ...
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[quote name=\'cmjb13\' post=\'182716\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 08:19 AM\']
-Awful set (Looks like it's built out of Lego's. What's with the metal around the doors? And why do they have stars above the doors? It's so obvious to have $ there.)
[/quote]
I can agree, or at least see where you're coming from, with a lot of what you said. But this seems awfully minor to me. The more you watch, the more you realize how same-old-same-old the show really is. When they moved the big wheel to a new spot last week, I remarked to somebody it was the probably the biggest overall aesthetic change to the show in ages. It's not like they went for two big doors flanking a turntable center stage when Drew took over. They kept the basic gist.
But it would've been a big detriment, IMO, to change as little as they could. For the show to successfully live on, they needed to show it didn't need Barker. Keeping his set could have served as a reminder that it's his house. In contrast, when you saw Drew's set for the first time, you knew change was afoot. It wasn't just a new logo on the doors, it was new everything. Things like the music updates only strengthened this. Todd Newton would've been BarkerBot, IMO, and would've opened things up to a lot of unfavorable comparisons.
Drew's lack of polish is getting to me a bit, although he's a hard guy to hate in any respect. The biggest gripe I have is the showcase reveal. It often comes down to mourning the loser's loss rather than congratulating the winner. They almost seem like an after-thought, and Drew sounds like he's giving a eulogy.
-Jason
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'182720\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 10:12 AM\']If I were Herman Fremantle or Syd Vicious and Drew's contract were coming up, I'd make darn certain I still had Todd Newton's number in my Rolodex.[/quote]
There may have been a time, back in the G-T golden age, where the idea of replacing someone who's only so-so with someone who's more polished would have been a very real consideration. These day, though, the simple fact of the matter is that Drew Carey is famous and Todd Newton isn't. If Drew was stinking up the joint in a way that more than just the hardcore experts notice, then maybe they'd have a problem. But the way I see it, the whole idea here is that Drew is the less-polished happy fun guy. I still believe at least a little of it is deliberate; that he wants to look looser and less smooth. This is a man who memorized sitcom scripts and stand-up routines, if he wanted to deliver a few lines of game copy accurately, this seems a skill within his grasp.
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My DVR is set to record the show every day. I try to watch every recording, but sometimes I miss one. My 19-month old daughter loves the show and everytime the show starts, she will come trotting out to the living room to watch the show with me.
I'm not a die-hard who scrutinizes every single aspect of the show. Like most people, I don't care about the location of the big wheel, or the thickness of Drew's glasses on a given day. The game hasn't changed--just the look of the show (which is WAY overdue).
I think Drew is doing fine. He'll never be as smooth as Bob Barker or as cordial as Bill Cullen. Hosts like that are a thing of the past--unfortunately. Give him more than 6 months. He's got 50+ years of catch-up to do.
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IMO the transition of hosts was handled badly. What CBS should have done is what Johnny Carson did only in a shorter amount of time. That is, choose Barker's sucessor back when Barker said he was done. Then the PTB could ease the new guy in by having him, say, host a couple of pricing games and eventually host an entire Friday episode. Then, in the summer, have the final episode before the season opener hosted by the new host (one of aforementioned Friday eps).
When the new season begins, the show takes on a totally new look; just like when Leno replaced Carson. And do a complete change, new models, new announcer, new gameboards, etc. The new host welcomes us to TPIR and away we go!
I am curious how many fans are not watching because it's not "old school TPIR" anymore.
MO on Drew as a host is he tends to remind me of one guy in a group of friends who gets the home game and has a party and everyone plays and he is the host. Giddy and little overwhelmed at times.
Sorry this was so long!
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[quote name=\'joker316\' post=\'182726\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 12:20 PM\']
Then the PTB could ease the new guy in by having him, say, host a couple of pricing games and eventually host an entire Friday episode.[/quote]
I can't begin to explain what an awful idea I think this is. It makes the new guy look helpless, like he needs to be thrown a bone and have Daddy Barker there to help him. Imagine if Johnny Carson introduced a guest, got up out of his chair, pushed it in for Jay and stood off stage watching him. That would make Jay look like a doof.
-Jason
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Sorry to go off-track, but the Carson-to-Leno transition was possibly the worst-handled situation in the history of network television.
Check out a copy of "The Late Shift" sometime.
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[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'182728\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 12:30 PM\']
[quote name=\'joker316\' post=\'182726\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 12:20 PM\']
Then the PTB could ease the new guy in by having him, say, host a couple of pricing games and eventually host an entire Friday episode.[/quote]
I can't begin to explain what an awful idea I think this is. It makes the new guy look helpless, like he needs to be thrown a bone and have Daddy Barker there to help him.
[/quote]
Seconded. Absolutely Dumb.
I would have much prefered Barker to do 'only' the prime time MDPs, while giving a new host the chance to shine on the daytime edition. That way , everyone is a winner : the Barker fans and the anti-Barker group.
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'182724\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 09:00 AM\']
[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'182720\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 10:12 AM\']If I were Herman Fremantle or Syd Vicious and Drew's contract were coming up, I'd make darn certain I still had Todd Newton's number in my Rolodex.[/quote]
There may have been a time, back in the G-T golden age, where the idea of replacing someone who's only so-so with someone who's more polished would have been a very real consideration. These day, though, the simple fact of the matter is that Drew Carey is famous and Todd Newton isn't. If Drew was stinking up the joint in a way that more than just the hardcore experts notice, then maybe they'd have a problem. But the way I see it, the whole idea here is that Drew is the less-polished happy fun guy. I still believe at least a little of it is deliberate; that he wants to look looser and less smooth. This is a man who memorized sitcom scripts and stand-up routines, if he wanted to deliver a few lines of game copy accurately, this seems a skill within his grasp.
[/quote]
You miss my point entirely. Drew's got the happy-fun part down, but six months in he hasn't got the polish down and is showing little improvement. Meanwhile fans are starting to notice. We went through the exact same thing with Dick Martin on Mindreaders and I don't need to tell you how that turned out.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'182732\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 12:48 PM\']You miss my point entirely. Drew's got the happy-fun part down, but six months in he hasn't got the polish down and is showing little improvement. Meanwhile fans are starting to notice. We went through the exact same thing with Dick Martin on Mindreaders and I don't need to tell you how that turned out.[/quote]
I understand your point perfectly. I just disagree with it. Carey is not going to get much better, this is it for him. The polish you're looking for is not going to happen. And there was a time, back when you should have done something about Dick Martin, when that mattered. (Although blaming Dick Martin for Mindreaders is a little like blaming the onboard ice chest for what happened to the Titanic.)
Today, a statistically insignificant number of "fans" (roughly equal to the number of people who even know with certainity who Todd Newton is) recognize that if Drew was a "real" game show host, he'd be getting better by now. The general viewership, on the other hand, just sees the famous funny guy, and oh look how cute, sometimes he messes up when he's trying to explain something. Replace him with a smoother but less amusing unknown and that 15% drop from before is going to start looking really good.
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Carey is not going to get much better, this is it for him.
I humbly disagree...I said on another board that it may take Drew up to a YEAR to get really comfortable with the show...he's still relatively "new" to the game show hosting game. Personally, I think he's getting better by the weeks, but he's got to stop being so attached to the contestants (NOTE: I don't want him to become so detached that he emulates barker in his last few seasons, it's just when the show has a day of knuckleheaded contestants, his mood noticeably changes- and that's not good)
As rough as he is, I haven't enjoyed watching the show this much in a few years. But to each, his own, right?
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Some of us have been hoping he will "get it". He can still be his fun-guy self while putting in a bit more directness, authority, polish (good word) or whatever. I'd hate to think the door is closed to his improvement.
In his tv sitcom, even though he played a schlep, he knew enough about acting to do his role with confidence. Even if he were to put 7% of the acting qualities he needed in the sitcom to his hosting job (not fakery, but coming out with a fully created personality that fits within his skin), he'd come off better. I'll look for a Drew on-stage performance video, as I'd like to see if he just fumbles around or comes out acting like a comedy star. I imagine he needs a professional mindset to come across well on stage. He should try it here.
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Here's what I don't get.
They hold auditions for months and hire the guy who won't do an audition.
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[quote name=\'The Ol' Guy\' post=\'182737\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 10:37 AM\']
I'll look for a Drew on-stage performance video, as I'd like to see if he just fumbles around or comes out acting like a comedy star. I imagine he needs a professional mindset to come across well on stage. He should try it here.[/quote]
He fumbles. Because that's what Drew Carey does, and that's the source of his popularity. People like watching him because they relate to him.
Matt's exactly right, the people who are bitching are bitching that he's Not Bob, and I for one am perfectly okay with him being Drew Carey and Not Bob, because I like Drew Carey. And most of America likes Drew Carey, and could give two tin shiats about Todd Newton, if they even know who Todd Newton is. Now that the show's gone the Big Name route, they can't exactly go back.
You're not getting a plastic game-show host, folks, you're getting Drew Carey. If Drew Carey isn't what you want, fine, but don't expect him to change, because the Drew Carey As Everyman character been honed to a razor point over 20+ years, and this is it.
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Carey relates well with the studio audience and is often very funny but he stumbles through the explanations of the pricing games. He doesn't play to the television audience at all. In contrast to Barker who did both very well (it's prize ladies with which he has trouble). Carey toss to the ticket plug is particularly lame. ("Here's how to get a ticket if you want one.")
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'182739\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 02:03 PM\']
Matt's exactly right
[/quote]
Shouldn't that be somebody's sig?
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'182742\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 02:30 PM\']
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'182739\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 02:03 PM\']
Matt's exactly right
[/quote]
Shouldn't that be somebody's sig?
[/quote]
Why?
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'182742\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 02:30 PM\']
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'182739\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 02:03 PM\']
Matt's exactly right
[/quote]
Shouldn't that be somebody's sig?
[/quote]
Seconded!
Signed, the other white-Matt.
/It's a take on a slogan.
//It's not racist.
///Honestly.
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I'm kind of splitting the different between the opinions of Matt O. and Chris C.--I think it's obvious that Carey is capable of being more polished, and is choosing (assuming it's entirely his choice) not to be. But I don't think that we have therefore seen all the improvement we're gonna see. Even if he doesn't stick to a script, playing the games more and more can only make him more and more comfortable with the rules. Just to give one example, he's gotten much better at explaining Grocery Game, telling the contestant very clearly that they can buy more than one set of products to reach $20-21, and that the total is cumulative.
For some of the other things mentioned: I actually don't have much of a problem with his showcase reveals. Yeah, he dropped the ball on the MDSes, and he does occasionally take too long to acknowledge the winner, but I don't mind him slipping in a "sorry, man, you were close" before congratulating the winner.
And . . . considering all of this examination of Carey's loose style, I find it very weird that he always says "here's how to get a ticket if you want one" without so much as a syllable out of place. The only explanation I have is that Drew thinks it's silly that anyone in 2008 who is interested enough in TPIR to want to be in the audience doesn't already know the procedure. I mean, considering the way he treats the rest of the show, he surely can't be uninterested in having people show up for tapings.
(I should mention that all of this doesn't mean I think that Drew Carey's work on the show merits an A+. He does have other habits that drive me up the wall, like saying someone's name 20 times in 3 seconds when he's trying to get their attention.)
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[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'182742\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 02:30 PM\']
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'182739\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 02:03 PM\']
Matt's exactly right
[/quote]
Shouldn't that be somebody's sig?
[/quote]
Ooooh...then I'd win as a Master of the Obvious! ;)
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Carey is not going to get much better, this is it for him. The polish you're looking for is not going to happen.
Drew is an experienced showman and it is an insult to him to say he is not capable of improving his performance or that he's not going to get much better. There are things Drew does which absolutely need to be worked on and he is perfectly capable of improvement.
Replace him with a smoother but less amusing unknown and that 15% drop from before is going to start looking really good.
Oh come now, that's pure conjecture. Some of that erosion is due to the departure of women (18 - 34?) who took off when Barker left and some is due to factors not pertaining to Drew (overall decline in viewership). But to say that Drew alone is keeping the ratings propped up and replacing him with someone else is going to hurt the ratings is simply conjecture (it would be quite a P.R. gaffe to be sure).
Today, a statistically insignificant number of "fans" (roughly equal to the number of people who even know with certainity who Todd Newton is) recognize that if Drew was a "real" game show host, he'd be getting better by now. The general viewership, on the other hand, just sees the famous funny guy, and oh look how cute, sometimes he messes up when he's trying to explain something.
More conjecture. That assumes only fans and not the general audience notice or care about Drew's lack of polish.
Drew brings a different sensibility to the show the same way Richard Dawson brought his own sensibility to FF, and that's great, but it's time to get him off the training wheels. He can start by working some variety into his language.
you should have done something about Dick Martin
Why would we have replaced Dick Martin on a show which didn't even finish its original 26-week cycle (read: the game sucked)?
Here's what I don't get.
They hold auditions for months and hire the guy who won't do an audition.
I don't get it either, Christopher. They probably figured Card Sharks Meets Grand Game was close enough to an audition.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'182760\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 06:22 PM\']
Carey is not going to get much better, this is it for him. The polish you're looking for is not going to happen.
Drew is an experienced showman and it is an insult to him to say he is not capable of improving his performance or that he's not going to get much better. There are things Drew does which absolutely need to be worked on and he is perfectly capable of improvement.
[/quote]
One thing that we are missing here is that Barker had 20+ years of continuous radio and TV experience under his belt before he came through the doors the first time on TPIR.
Drew had about half that -- in TV only.
That said, Drew may not improve much more, but at least he's personable, believable, and he appeals to the younger crowd -- that's more than what many emcees of the past have done.
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If you want an idea on how Todd Newton would have hosted TPiR, watch this clip from the Vegas live show:
http://www.priceisright.com/price_is_live_in_las_vegas (http://\"http://www.priceisright.com/price_is_live_in_las_vegas\")
Granted, this was probably done way before he was an audition contender last year, but he seems REALLY Gus Glitz-like here.
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[quote name=\'TimK2003\' post=\'182762\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 04:46 PM\']
Drew had about half that -- in TV only.[/quote]
...and the other half as a stand-up comic in front of often-intoxicated audiences.
Fail.
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[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'182764\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 08:14 PM\']On a second note...I take back what I said about Rich Fields being annoying. Whoever keeps talking during this clip is worse.[/quote]
I'm not going to defend Randy for the simple reason that he posts here, but realize that the role of the TPIR Live announcer is different than that of the in-studio announcer. They're playing to/encouraging the live audience, and not there to be perfectly polished because their words will end up over the air. I also wonder how much of what he was saying outside of copy was going over the PA - could have just been lazy audio on the part of the clip maker.
-Jason
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Let me try again, you don't have to agree or be swayed. Frankly it may not happen because all of your opinions are very well spoken and thought out. I'm still getting my feet wet here.
When I referenced the "Carson to Leno" transition, I meant that the "new host" should host one day a week, similar to what Leno did for years before he became host. I read "The Late Shift" and agree the way the network handled everything was wrong.
I can honestly say that I love the "old school TPIR" and that Drew's arrival was a "shock to the system"; but over time he has grown on me. We can all nitpick forever, but I believe the drop should have been expected. No matter what we think of Barker, they were replacing a man with 35 years on the same show. It would be a similar shock if say a different person played "Captain Kangaroo", some just can't accept the change. Some people looked at TPIR and saw, perhaps the last vestiges of a bygone era left on TV. With all the Oprahs and Springers loose on daytime, TPIR was the last bit of, dare I say, "Nice TV" left. Some see Drew for his standup act or "Whose Line" and the craziness on that show , and can't separate the two.
It's too bad. Drew is doing fine. He's no Barker. And that's a good thing.
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[quote name=\'joker316\' post=\'182768\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 11:08 PM\']
Drew is doing fine. He's no Barker. And that's a good thing.
[/quote]
Which is the popular opinion around here anyway.
What bears mentioning, though:
We can all nitpick forever, but I believe the drop should have been expected. No matter what we think of Barker, they were replacing a man with 35 years on the same show.
As much as I like Drew as a choice and as a host, it's funny they went through such hell auditioning people to avoid such a "drop" from happening, and ended up choosing somebody totally different.
-Jason
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One thing that we are missing here is that Barker had 20+ years of continuous radio and TV experience under his belt before he came through the doors the first time on TPIR.
Drew had about half that -- in TV only.
There is another subtlety here. Drew is accustomed to using prepared material, whether doing stand-up or sitcoms. The greatest of the game show emcees have one thing in common: they used to be disk jockeys. No prepared material, just open the mic and beguile the audience. Barker, Dennis James, Gene Rayburn, Bill Cullen, Hugh Downs, Garry Moore, Monty Hall, Geoff Edwards, Bob Eubanks, Wink Martindale -- the list goes on. A big part of a disk jockey's job is to make everything he says to the audience seem fresh.
I understand Todd Newton underwent a transformation around late 2006/early 2007 to groom him for auditions for the TV show. I've seen him in Las Vegas since then and the improvement is noticeable. He is more down to Earth and much less the cheap, imitation Barker that he used to be. He has the format down slick but then again he has a limited repertoire of games in Las Vegas. Still, even though he has to play It's In the Bag five days per week or whatever, he does a great job of making it seem not mundane (I pulled his name out of thin air because he's the only TV auditioner I've seen).
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On a similar note, I'm quite surprised we never got reports on the other auditioners. I gotta imagine some of our CA-based membership made it out to at least one not-for-air taping. Or at the very least, somebody got to see a playback at some point. I only have slight rumblings and the occasional anecdote to go on when it comes to Dave Price, John O'Hurley and George Hamilton, for instance.
-Jason
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I'll just simply say that I think Drew is doing a great job.
Even with the 15% drop, is it still beating "The View"?
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[. No matter what we think of Barker, they were replacing a man with 35 years on the same show. It would be a similar shock if say a different person played "Captain Kangaroo", some just can't accept the change.
About 5 years ago, they DID attempt a new version of Captain Kangaroo. It was produced by the same people that did Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, so you can imagine what it was like. Basically, most of the classic elements were there... Mr. Moose, Bunny Rabbit, ping pong balls, and the treasure house looked much like it always did. John Mc.Donough was the Captain, with a large, bushy beard, and he was friendly enough. However, the writing wasn't quite as sharp, and the guy that played Mr. Greenjeans was woefully miscast. The original Mr. Greenjeans was an old sage, a grandfatherly type. This "Greenjeans" was a 20 year old DORK.
I read that Bob Keeshan had regretted selling the rights to Saban, and attempted to buy back the rights. They offered him a role in their own version, but he declined.
Sorry to drift off topic, but I'll steer it back... does anyone know if a clip of the Match Game cast saying "Good Morning Captain" exist on YouTube?
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[quote name=\'mparrish11\' post=\'182725\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 12:03 PM\']
My DVR is set to record the show every day. I try to watch every recording, but sometimes I miss one. My 19-month old daughter loves the show and everytime the show starts, she will come trotting out to the living room to watch the show with me.
I'm not a die-hard who scrutinizes every single aspect of the show. Like most people, I don't care about the location of the big wheel, or the thickness of Drew's glasses on a given day. The game hasn't changed--just the look of the show (which is WAY overdue).
I think Drew is doing fine. He'll never be as smooth as Bob Barker or as cordial as Bill Cullen. Hosts like that are a thing of the past--unfortunately. Give him more than 6 months. He's got 50+ years of catch-up to do.
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Say what you all will, but IMveryHO, Drew is doing a great job given the situation of taking over for a veteran emcee who could host the show from his sleep. Bob was serious and business oriented. I get that it's what made him successful. Drew is definitely looser and this is not always a bad thing. Bob made fun of contestants too much and made it seem like they were just annoyances to him and he was above them and all else. Drew does not give off that kind of attitude. So, no, he's not perfect and polished. He actually has a sense of humor. Last week, when a contestant in Contestants Row bid the ever popular $69, the audience AND Drew had a good chuckle. So, this [sense of humor] may be a direction the show needs to go in. And I don't mean the kind of humor where Bob instructs a contestant playing the range game not to hit the button until ready because they can't start it again for 37 hours for the 9,000th time. Sure, funny maybe once, but certainly not more than that. The audience, I'm convinced gave him the obligatory giggle at that line. Certainly a drop in the ratings was to be expected as it's just not the same exact thing as it was before. But, as always, if people are that anti-Drew, don't watch, which it seems like is the case with a lot of you.
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This should be a sig line:
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'182733\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 12:06 PM\'](Although blaming Dick Martin for Mindreaders is a little like blaming the onboard ice chest for what happened to the Titanic.)[/quote]
May I?
Also, I've watched three daytime TPIR's with Drew. That's more than I watched in Barker's final ten years.
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My only complaint with Drew is his fumbling with the rules, and the closing of the show. That includes the how he handles the winner/loser situation, and the pets spayed/neutered plug. Both minor quibbles.
Other than that, I find myself enjoying the show a lot more. Bob was a great host...up until about 2000 or so. He phoned it in a lot over the last several years, which is understood considering he was obviously getting older.
I agree with Chris C. though, the audience does not need to cheer over every single thing. And I still say Eskander seriously missed the boat by dropping the Plinko reveal. Supering "$50,000" on the screen, no matter how glittery it looks, just does not have the same effect as the big slat board.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'182682\' date=\'Mar 27 2008, 02:49 PM\']I've had trouble watching since Barker was still there. Between Rich and that infernal audience whooping it's hard to watch/listen to. Note to Bart: the audience mics should be off, that's O-F-F, when Rich reads any kind of prize copy.[/quote]Truly? That would fix roughly 95% of the problems I have with the show at this point. Hearing the crowd boo for the mixed nuts because they're over $5.49 seems wrong.
From a business standpoint, you have to look at how much the show is making for CBS. Drew's reported $10 million salary doesn't help that cause at all. IMO $2 million would be a fair price. He's not that good.
Drew's performance notwithstanding, I'm all for Drew getting as much money as he can for the gig. Drew is worth whatever he can get.
[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'182697\' date=\'Mar 27 2008, 05:40 PM\']Yeah, I have to think that's a statistically insignificant number, though. I would wager it's mostly the dilution of television options, timeshifting, etc. that is the main culprit.[/quote]Has there ever been any measurement of the college dorm quotient in terms of how many people see TPIR that way? I don't put much stock in Nielsen numbers anyhow, but measuring viewership numbers in terms of sets doesn't make sense if there are twenty people watching that television.
[quote name=\'JasonA1\' post=\'182722\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 08:50 AM\']Drew's lack of polish is getting to me a bit, although he's a hard guy to hate in any respect. The biggest gripe I have is the showcase reveal. It often comes down to mourning the loser's loss rather than congratulating the winner. They almost seem like an after-thought, and Drew sounds like he's giving a eulogy.[/quote]And it's doubly distracting after a Double Showcase Win. Let the winner have his or her time in the spotlight. Console the loser off camera while the winner runs over to look at the piano and spa from the showcase.
[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' post=\'182748\' date=\'Mar 28 2008, 12:57 PM\'](I should mention that all of this doesn't mean I think that Drew Carey's work on the show merits an A+. He does have other habits that drive me up the wall, like saying someone's name 20 times in 3 seconds when he's trying to get their attention.)[/quote]True enough. Given a choice between Barker today or Carey today, I'll pick Carey every single time, and hope that Drew continues to improve.
[quote name=\'Card Shark\' post=\'182779\' date=\'Mar 29 2008, 05:32 AM\']So, this [sense of humor] may be a direction the show needs to go in. And I don't mean the kind of humor where Bob instructs a contestant playing the range game not to hit the button until ready because they can't start it again for 37 hours for the 9,000th time. Sure, funny maybe once, but certainly not more than that. The audience, I'm convinced gave him the obligatory giggle at that line. [/quote]And it's the same as laughing at a six-year-old who just told a knock-knock joke. Bob probably misinterpreted that reaction as "Hey, they like the gag! I'll do it every single time!"
My knock was he kept doing the same gags over and over again, crowing bogus firsts, or first in 28 years. You couldn't swing a dead cat without "That hasn't happened since 1976!" Do it once a month, or less, and you'll get a bigger pop than every day.
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I've had trouble watching since Barker was still there. Between Rich and that infernal audience whooping it's hard to watch/listen to. Note to Bart: the audience mics should be off, that's O-F-F, when Rich reads any kind of prize copy.
Truly? That would fix roughly 95% of the problems I have with the show at this point. Hearing the crowd boo for the mixed nuts because they're over $5.49 seems wrong.
Or when some asshat lets out a loud "whoop" over a bottle of Cortaid.
From a business standpoint, you have to look at how much the show is making for CBS. Drew's reported $10 million salary doesn't help that cause at all. IMO $2 million would be a fair price. He's not that good.
Drew's performance notwithstanding, I'm all for Drew getting as much money as he can for the gig. Drew is worth whatever he can get.
Drew's salary is probably the biggest line item on the budget. That could come home to roost if CBS ponders cancelling the show because it's too expensive to do and there isn't enough revenue coming in from the manufacturers of mobility scooters and diabetes supplies.
I don't put much stock in Nielsen numbers anyhow
The sad truth is that TV shows live and die by them.
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I have no problems at all with Drew Carey as the new host, and will forgive him for any mistakes or missteps he does. I liked him a lot when he brillantly hosted Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and Carey's presence in emceeing Price now has given the program a new youthful sense and arm shot of energy, plus a bit more of humor and party atmosphere.
I was really watching less and less of Price in the last seven years, especially in the daytime hours, when Barker hosted. With him running the show under his thumb then, it was getting a bit tiresome for my own tastes. There were those times I did not have watch it all, because I knew how the show was becoming that predictable.
With Carey on Price, it is definitely must-see TV for me, and I sometimes look at the replay on CBS Innertube (if it ever works probably). Price is now the only game show I will watch on a regular basis.