There is always an eternal challenge that exists within any thought of reviving a classic game show.
How do you update a show to make it work for today's audience? Can you freshen it up without taking away from what made the show a classic in the first place? Or is a show doomed to just be a product of its time?
From what I saw, as well as the people who group chatted with me, I can say without question that this Joker met the challenge and succeeded. The new category styles (roll for how many clues you get, match game quickies) are fun and fresh but still keep the game moving. I was cracking up at The Dogg Whisperer, loved Nuff Said, so I look forward to seeing those again. And the references to Snoop's life, well, we knew from the previews they were gonna be a little tongue-in-cheek here. There's a reason it's on at 10 on cable. But even that doesn't take away from the game beyond a tiniest degree.
As for Snoop himself, the previews showed that, yes, he's not a host like the ones we grew up on. But he also proved that he's not in this just for the paycheck like other celebrity/comedian "hosts". He came in with a love for the show, and he took his training seriously to learn not just the game, but his role and job in it, inside and out. You can argue that Jeannie Mai is there strictly to cover up his weaknesses, but I honestly see her as perfectly complementary to Snoop's. If Snoop was poor in his half of things, it would be more apparent. But he's not, so it's actually a solid team.
All in all, they got this right. I enjoyed and will continue to do so.
