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game shows they want to come back
Is Game Show Hostdom Dead?
by Danny Gallagher, posted Mar 26th 2010 3:10PM

Game shows used to flood the dial of my TV back in the 1980s and '90s. And that was when my TV could only pick up eight channels, three depending on the weather.
Back then, almost everything from daytime fare to the occasional prime time bit of airtime starred game show hosts. Their purpose on television was solely to wear smart suits, make sure their teeth reached the optimum level of whiteness and keep the game moving but entertaining.
Now that game shows are making a slow but steady return to television, it seems the traditional role of "host" has turned away from the traditional "game" emcee like Chuck Woolery, Wink Martindale, Bob Barker and Art Fleming and more towards lively hosting personalities from other walks of entertainment life like Drew Carey, Wayne Brady, Howie Mandel and Guy Fieri. Does this mean that the role of the traditional TV game show has gone to that great big "Curtain No. 2" in the sky?
CBS makes a deal for Let's Make a Deal with Wayne Brady
by Danny Gallagher, posted Aug 3rd 2009 11:27AM
Game show fanatics will be pleased to learn that network game shows are returning to daytime television. Finally, people who take actual sick days will have something else to look forward to other than another mind-bending dose of NyQuil. CBS has confirmed they are replacing the outgoing Guiding Light with a remake of the classic Let's Make a Deal.
The ex-Tiffany network has already shot a test pilot of the updated show with smiling crooner Wayne Brady in the host's chair. Brady hasn't officially won the job, but he's the front-running favorite. CBS executives are expected to make Brady's deal official later today at the Television Critics Association hoedown, unless, of course, he chooses to go for what's behind Door Number Two. Don't do it Wayne! It's just a lifetime supply of goat feed!
Are more game shows headed to daytime? I hope so
by Danny Gallagher, posted Apr 7th 2009 12:02PM
Now that Guiding Light is destined to become another sad memory of lonely housewives nationwide, CBS is hoping an old daytime tradition will pull them away from their housework. And for those of you now engulfed in hate flame who've found the fuel to write some snide comment about my Mad Men-ish view of soap opera viewers and women, please calm the #*$& down. One, I realize this is not the 1950s and women don't all strive to stay at home barefoot and pregnant. And two, who the hell else watches soap operas? Only male hair salon stylists and hospital patients who don't have the physical ability or cognitive capacity to operate a bed remote.
I hope this means more game shows are on the way.
Which game shows do you think should come back?
by Joel Keller, posted Sep 4th 2006 1:01PM
The Onion's AV Club always does a good job of coming up with pop culture lists that have a good sense of a medium's history, not just listing things to generate controversy. For instance, they won't say that The White Stripes were better than The Beatles just to see what kind of pissed-off response they're going to get.This list from last week, about the game shows they'd love to see return to the air, is no exception. Not only do they include the old favorites like Match Game, TattleTales, and To Tell the Truth, but a couple of obscure ones, like Hot Potato, Go and Second Chance (which was a forerunner to Press Your Luck). All of the items are accomapnied by video clips from YouTube, so you can get a good feeling for each show. My favorite obscure show on the list was Whew!, where a contestant had to traverse a "gauntlet of villains" in the bonus game. It was a set-sized nightmare that was more show than game. The clip reminded me that I was transfixed by this show as an 8-year-old. But I hadn't quite gotten into baseball yet, so my taste was questionable at the time.
Anyway, which games shows do you want to be revived? Let me know in the comments.
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