The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: colonial on May 03, 2024, 02:25:44 PM
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https://deadline.com/2024/05/shaquille-oneal-gina-rodriguez-abc-lucky-13-kevin-bacon-1235903385/
Hoops legend Shaquille O'Neal joins "Jane the Virgin" actress Gina Rodriguez in hosting "Lucky 13," a new game show from Studio 1 (which includes part of the creative team behind the original WWTBAM) and executive producer Kevin Bacon, which will premiere on ABC this summer.
Contestants will answer 13 true-or-false questions with a twist -- per the report, it's how well they predict how many questions they got right that could lead them to win up to a million dollars.
IIRC, the format was announced a year or two ago with plans for Bacon to also host, but the show hadn't hit pilot stage at that point.
JD
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The idea is promising but geez, Shaq?
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Easier to put it here, instead of creating new threads.
https://deadline.com/2024/05/abc-summer-premiere-dates-the-bachelorette-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-renewed-1235903812/
ABC's summer schedule will include ...
-- New seasons of Celebrity FF on Tuesdays (including the "50 Years of Feud" special); and PYL on Thursdays.
-- "Lucky 13" with Shaq and Gina will air after PYL on Thursdays.
-- In a bit of a surprise, WWTBAM returns on Wednesdays with pairs of celebrities competing to win up to $1M for charity. Yes, the show celebrates its 25th anniversary this summer but ... this is the best idea ABC could come up with?
No sign of The Chase (Victoria Groce mentioned in an interview promoting the J! Invitational several weeks ago that the show has "neither been canceled nor renewed") and, in a bit of a surprise, Pyramid.
JD
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-- New seasons of Celebrity FF on Tuesdays (including the "50 Years of Feud" special)
Anyone else have to do the math on how we're approaching a half-century of Feud? :P
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Easier to put it here, then to create new threads.
https://deadline.com/2024/05/abc-summer-premiere-dates-the-bachelorette-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-renewed-1235903812/
ABC's summer schedule will include ...
-- New seasons of Celebrity FF on Tuesdays (including the "50 Years of Feud" special); and PYL on Thursdays.
-- "Lucky 13" with Shaq and Gina will air after PYL on Thursdays.
-- In a bit of a surprise, WWTBAM returns on Wednesdays with pairs of celebrities competing to win up to $1M. Yes, the show celebrates its 25th anniversary this summer but ... this is the best idea ABC could come up with?
No sign of The Chase (Victoria Groce mentioned in an interview promoting the J! Invitational several weeks ago that the show has "neither been canceled nor renewed") and, in a bit of a surprise, Pyramid.
JD
Finally that Feud special is airing. Nick and I were in the audience for that almost a year ago. It should be pretty good - every U.S. version of the show was represented in what we saw (even the Al Roker one). They also shot a second special that day that was nothing but Steve Harvey clips. Guess they're saving that one still?
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-- In a bit of a surprise, WWTBAM returns on Wednesdays with pairs of celebrities competing to win up to $1M for charity. Yes, the show celebrates its 25th anniversary this summer but ... this is the best idea ABC could come up with?
For as good of a job as they've done with all the game show reboots in the last ten years, ABC remains unbelievably obstinate when it comes to Millionaire. They really don't think it can be played by civilians, do they?
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For as good of a job as they've done with all the game show reboots in the last ten years, ABC remains unbelievably obstinate when it comes to Millionaire. They really don't think it can be played by civilians, do they?
You would think they would've learned in 2002...
/Super Millionaire and the 10th Anniversary special was fun
//In spite of Patricia Heaton not being able to do math
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-- In a bit of a surprise, WWTBAM returns on Wednesdays with pairs of celebrities competing to win up to $1M for charity. Yes, the show celebrates its 25th anniversary this summer but ... this is the best idea ABC could come up with?
For as good of a job as they've done with all the game show reboots in the last ten years, ABC remains unbelievably obstinate when it comes to Millionaire. They really don't think it can be played by civilians, do they?
Yet the original version is still my favorite because the contestant selection process was pretty much random -- as long as you got past the phone tests and pony up the money for the phone calls. Real. Genuine. Personalities.
No boatloads of out--of-work wannabe actors, specific demographics and people required to drink a 4-pack of Red Bull 30 minutes prior to taping.
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Trying to look at this as an exec might, promoting a phone line to round up contestants and running it every day for two weeks would be an infinitely bigger draw than dragging in celebs, especially when ABC does so much of that. It just sounds lazy. To differentiate it from the tired syndicated version, they could somehow guarantee a million-dollar winner. If they still bother with counter-programming, it’d be worth a shot against the Olympics.
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Yet the original version is still my favorite because the contestant selection process was pretty much random -- as long as you got past the phone tests and pony up the money for the phone calls. Real. Genuine. Personalities.
There's a more difficult toothpaste to put back in the tube, though, regarding civilians. The amounts of money at play were novel in 1999, and people's opportunity for exposure and fame were far less. With the growth of social media, more and more people are comfortable being a version of themselves that's turned up to 11, regardless of how they're being produced. Even if the process for regular contestants were to become more like the original, I think culture has shifted so much, you wouldn't notice as big a difference as you're hoping for.
That said, Neumms actually framed it the right way for me. If you lean into the phone game (or its 2024 technological equivalent), it could very well increase engagement and interest for the audience.
-Jason
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I've assumed that it's cheaper for a game show to give a donation to charity than it is to give the same amount as a cash prize to a civilian (because taxes), and whatever cost comes with booking celebrities still doesn't make it the worse option.
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To differentiate it from the tired syndicated version,
Picking this out because you have a reputation and history, when would you have put the daily version out to stud? I know several people who won money in the latter half of the run of engagement, and you have lots of people who were earning a salary from the show.
There's more going on than just the final product we see.
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By the time the syndicated version with Chris was winding down Disney was no longer able to even get the abc stations to carry the show in daytime. Ratings had deteriorated to roughly a 1. And no matter how much efficiency Vegas offered, and with negligible interest from GSN (I personally tried to license syndicated repeats but was overruled) , it simply didn’t make sense.
As far as the primetime reboot—remember the show that opened the spigots was (and is) Celebrity Feud. The network gives Rob the real estate because they love to promote their talent and shows where possible. There was truly no evidence that anyone but hard core game geeks would watch Millionaire for normies in prime time. It is now Sony’s baby—Disney is no longer an active distributor of current episodes—and they’re not about to push for something other than a layup order.
And for those of you who question Shaq—michael Strahan actually studied the craft and iMHO is excellent at Pyramid. Shaq has done a similar format live sports adjacency for over a decade. He’s damn good himself. I honestly question why people feel they can prejudge anyone sight unseen in a role and immediately reject anything that doesn’t involve bringing back someone in their 70s, 80s or even older who is barely remembered by anyone other than this forum’s more active members.
I’ve also heard some great stuff about Gina from people who have worked with her, too. Perhaps she’ll be able to carry them both.
Most importantly, some truly excellent people are behind the scenes. A few actually helped Strahan become as good as he is.
Maybe you give these pros the chance to actually do their jobs before you pass judgement?
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I have no problem with Shaq as a host or presenter or comedic foil. Wasn't there a show by the name "Shaq Vs." at some point? Given how many athletes transition from the field of play to the TV side it is no longer surprising.
I'm curious what the evidence about how people won't watch regular folks play Millionaire. Were figures that easy to slice and dice?
One thing that I think ABC is missing is the utility of money. When David Duchovny was wrong on his $500,000 question he likely could have made up the difference if it was really important to him. It might have been several years but could be done. GSN just did the Top of the Charts block of shows and there were lots of folks who were past their prime and I'm sure the charities were important to them, but the charity wasn't front of mind for at least this viewer, it was each question as it came up on screen.
Go back and watch night two of Super Millionaire. Robert Essig comes off as a regular joe who is happy to be there. Watch as Regis says "and here's a check for $100,000." His demeanor changes. Each new level brings more elation as the money unlocks more opportunities. There are episodes of Debt where just winning a comparatively tiny few thousand dollars means wiping out a huge millstone around the neck of the winner, and the double payoff actually having that cushion to start over in a way.
Deal or No Deal certainly overplayed what the money meant, and the "what will you do if you win the $50,000" has become so trite that it is pro forma, but money is fungible and it has meaning for people. For me, I knew I was unlikely to get on unless I really buckled down and practiced the phone game, and for all of the middle aged white guys on parade, lots of them were married and had kids, and even $32,000 of found money would be useful.
Lots of other shows are able to have regular people come in, play a game and win some stuff and then they are swept into the annals of TV history. Seeing someone win for the Salvation Army or March of Dimes just isn't the same.
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Let's just make all game shows celebrity only then since nobody cares about regular people winning money anymore.
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Most Celebrity (or Celebrity + immediate family/close friends) shows that played for charity up until the last 20-some years (IIRC) were either played on shows which aired on daytime or the early prime hours on local affiliates. Dawson Feud, I believe, was the lone exception, but it centered more around specific TV show rivalries or TV families than actual specific celebrity families.
Those celebrity-charity episodes outside of primetime were either used for special weeks which added a little glitz and change of pace to regular civilian gameplay and/or ratings sweep weeks.
Or, in the case of Celebrity Bullseye, (etal...) it was alast ditch effort to save what ratings they had left
If you want nothing but celebrity players on a primetime game show, either play for a random member of the studio audience, or for viewers who enter for a chance to win from home. Or do a charity / civilian winnings split.
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If you want nothing but celebrity players on a primetime game show, either play for a random member of the studio audience, or for viewers who enter for a chance to win from home. Or do a charity / civilian winnings split.
While I don't much care about watching celebrities play games to win money for charity, I care even less when they're playing to win money for some random person who's just sitting there. At least I understand why charities should receive thousands of dollars in free money.
Personally, I think the obligation to play for charity often takes the fun out of the game. When a celebrity plays particularly poorly, they visibly feel bad because they prevented a charity from receiving money. And how many times have we heard "I want to keep playing, but I don't want to risk losing all this money for my charity"?
It doesn't work for every format (for example, Millionaire), but if celebrities must be contestants, I think it would be much more fun if each of the charities received an identical, set amount and the celebrities just played the game for points and bragging rights. The fun comes from watching these people who are already very comfortable in front of a camera good-naturedly trash-talking each other and reacting with exaggerated embarrassment when they fail. If somebody loses, who cares? The charities get paid either way.
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The ratings trajectory of syndie Millionaire was consistent decline despite several
Changes in format and host. More importantly, the station group stopped believing in it. The data was fairly cut and dried. The qualitative feedback was where the boredom was expressed.
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I don't think it's fair to say that syndie Millionaire's inevitable demise means that audiences are no longer interested in average folks playing the game for the advertised prize. Consider that:
- The show had rotated out three different hosts in the past four seasons
- They had just reverted back to the old format after drastically altering the game in seasons prior, which likely turned people off of the show (I know it did for me)
- They completely ditched the graphical and musical motifs of the show in the final season, further increasing the chances of alienating fans
- Nobody had seen a million-dollar question since 2013 (Josina Reeves), nobody had actually won a million dollars since 2009 (Sam Murray, winner of the "Tournament of Ten"), and nobody had actually cleared a full stack of questions since 2003 (Nancy Christy). When nobody sniffs your top prize for five years, people get bored.
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I don't think it's fair to say that syndie Millionaire's inevitable demise means that audiences are no longer interested in average folks playing the game for the advertised prize. Consider that:
- The show had rotated out three different hosts in the past four seasons
Terry Crews got on my nerves because he overhyped/screamed a lot (not needed).
Cedric was on the other end of the spectrum -- I thought he was too laid back and looked bored as host.
When Chris H. was brought in to even up the ship, it was too late to save the show.
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When ChrisT. [sic] was brought in to even up the ship, it was too late to save the show.
He hosted for four seasons and got two Emmy nominations.
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When ChrisT. [sic] was brought in to even up the ship, it was too late to save the show.
He hosted for four seasons and got two Emmy nominations.
The competition for Emmy nominations was awfully thin in that category during that time period. They gave a nom to Billy Gardell in 2016.
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I only remember him doing one season. Likely my local market either buried it in the overnight or dropped it after Chris H's first year in the chair. But again, by that time Terry and Cedric took Millionaire off my "Appointment TV" schedule.
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IMO what made the show work originally was its "anyone can play" aspect, thanks in part to the phone game. You didn't get so many out-of-work actors and caricatures. Maybe it was a product of its time, but IMO the overuse of the celebrity format killed the charm. The first celebrity tournament with Ray Romano, Norm MacDonald, etc. was fun, but it became a crutch.
Other than ratings, I dunno what killed the daytime show other than it got stale and turned into a generic trivia game. That and the fact that a million dollars isn't really a novelty prize for a game show anymore. It would be great to win, but so many shows have offered it as a top prize. IMO, winning seven-figures has become so routine on other shows that even if someone had won the top prize it was no longer a watercooler moment.
Terry was an awful fit for the show because he yelled too much. I don't remember much about Cedric, but it felt like the producers only wanted him because Steve Harvey was doing so well on Feud, which is apples and oranges given the two formats.
As for Shaq, he's great on Inside the NBA, but whether he would make for a good question reader remains to be seen. Obviously, time will tell but it's not like this is the first or the last time someone felt uneasy about a hosting decision.
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As for Shaq, he's great on Inside the NBA, but whether he would make for a good question reader remains to be seen. Obviously, time will tell but it's not like this is the first or the last time someone felt uneasy about a hosting decision.
I think him being a co-host should be fine. Shaq seems to be at his best when he has someone or something to play off of.
/Story of his career, amirite?
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I'm guessing Gina Rodriguez will be filling the Jeannie Mai role of doing the actual heavy lifting.
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It doesn't work for every format (for example, Millionaire), but if celebrities must be contestants, I think it would be much more fun if each of the charities received an identical, set amount and the celebrities just played the game for points and bragging rights. The fun comes from watching these people who are already very comfortable in front of a camera good-naturedly trash-talking each other and reacting with exaggerated embarrassment when they fail. If somebody loses, who cares? The charities get paid either way.
From my perspective, this was the problem with celebrity Millionaire back in the day, with two-thirds of the game being a joke since they were very open about the fact that everybody who made it into the Hot Seat was guaranteed $32,000 for their charity of choice, and only the last five questions on the ladder really counted for anything. I get that "all celebrity specials" for game shows are not meant to be taken too seriously as far as the gameplay is concerned, but I think you need to keep some element of true competition in the game. This is why Celebrity Jeopardy! (much as I don't like it, or celebrities playing in place of civilian contestants on any game show for that matter), at least, works since it's still played mostly straight.
/Still can't believe how badly Wolf Blitzer played.
//Still can't believe they gave him a thousand bucks to play Final Jeopardy!. Shoulda' been forced to take the walk of shame off the stage to that tune of "Weird Al" Yankovic if ya ask me.
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I know several people who won money in the latter half of the run of engagement, and you have lots of people who were earning a salary from the show.
That’s terrific, really it is, but I’m looking at this from a viewer’s perspective. Loogaroo laid out reasons it got tired. Millionaire was so big, it was probably likely to fade. Not to sound callous, but cancelling The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime put people out of work, too.
I don’t see Shaq as a possible Strahan. Strahan is the Joe Garagiola of the modern age. He handles the Pyramid really well.
Shaq mumbles to the point closed captioning doesn’t work. (I’ve tried it.) He’s funny as Barkley’s foil, but he doesn’t generate the comedy, and Ernie’s the one responsible for running the show.
I realize I’m pre-judging, but heck, every night on the pregame show, Shaq pre-judges. If I’m wrong—I hope I am because Lucky 13 sounds cool—I’ll admit it, same as Sir Charles confessed he was wrong about my Timberwolves. Naz Reid.
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I know several people who won money in the latter half of the run of engagement, and you have lots of people who were earning a salary from the show.
That’s terrific, really it is, but I’m looking at this from a viewer’s perspective. Loogaroo laid out reasons it got tired. Millionaire was so big, it was probably likely to fade. Not to sound callous, but cancelling The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime put people out of work, too.
I don’t see Shaq as a possible Strahan. Strahan is the Joe Garagiola of the modern age. He handles the Pyramid really well.
Shaq mumbles to the point closed captioning doesn’t work. (I’ve tried it.) He’s funny as Barkley’s foil, but he doesn’t generate the comedy, and Ernie’s the one responsible for running the show.
I realize I’m pre-judging, but heck, every night on the pregame show, Shaq pre-judges. If I’m wrong—I hope I am because Lucky 13 sounds cool—I’ll admit it, same as Sir Charles confessed he was wrong about my Timberwolves. Naz Reid.
Yeah i'm still sore about Chance of a Lifetime getting canned before it became a full series.
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Yeah i'm still sore about Chance of a Lifetime getting canned before it became a full series.
I'm pretty sure that post was referencing the Jim Lange word game, though getting to remember the Credit Card Question for a second wasn't bad either.
-Jason
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Here’s the guy hosting a nationally televised quiz show. Okay, I realize they give the host the answers and John Davidson hosted Pyramid. It’s just funny. https://www.facebook.com/reel/3744467385883239?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V&mibextid=4Ouufp (https://www.facebook.com/reel/3744467385883239?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V&mibextid=4Ouufp)
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Here’s the guy hosting a nationally televised quiz show. Okay, I realize they give the host the answers and John Davidson hosted Pyramid. It’s just funny. https://www.facebook.com/reel/3744467385883239?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V&mibextid=4Ouufp (https://www.facebook.com/reel/3744467385883239?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V&mibextid=4Ouufp)
From the rare video part of the GED exam.