Come on down!

The Price Is Right was the top game show in watch-time from Jan. 1 to May 31, 2023, according to data from Inscape, the currency-grade smart TV ACR data provider and data technology division of Vizio.

The CBS show, which has been hosted by Drew Carey since 2007, took the No. 13 spot across all programs with 0.52% of all live, linear minutes watched, up from No. 18 (0.45%) in the same time period in 2022. Note that data is for new and rerun episodes across all dayparts.

Also Read: Pat Sajak To Retire After Next Season on 'Wheel of Fortune,' His 41st

Family Feud made the biggest game show move in 2023, jumping to No. 20 from No. 28 and surveying a 0.45% viewership share vs. 0.35% in 2022.

When looking at only the game show genre, The Price Is Right still came out at the head of the class at 17.63% of watch-time. Family Feud came in No. 2 with 15.42% followed by Wheel of Fortune with 11.01%. Let’s Make a Deal (9.71%), Jeopardy! (9.44%), America Says (7.51%), The $100,000 Pyramid (4.20%), People Puzzler (3.59%), 25 Words or Less (1.83%) and Chain Reaction (1.59%) rounded out the top 10.

With the ongoing writers’ strike, networks are turning to unscripted fare for their fall schedules. ABC, for example, has programmed an all-game-show Thursday primetime lineup. Look for the genre to remain strong in the second half of the year.

We also took a look at Game Show Network, which like Price and Feud saw a year-over-year increase. GSN rocketed from the No. 40 network by watch time in 2022 (0.70% of all minutes watched) to No. 27 in 2023 (0.87%).

Feud won in watch-time on GSN with 26.18%. America Says wasn’t too far behind with 21.99% of watch-time on the network. The $100,000 Pyramid (12.30%), People Puzzler (10.53%) and Chain Reaction (4.68%) made up the rest of the top 5. Neither Jeopardy! nor Wheel of Fortune air on GSN.

Streaming TV service Xumo said it was launching five new channels as it pressed start on its second annual Game Show Week.

Game Show Week on Xumo, which is owned by Comcast but will become part of Comcast’s broadband joint venture with Charter Communications, started Monday and runs through May 22.

Added to the Xumo lineup are Buzzr, and channels featuring episodes of Fear Factor, The Price is Right, Supermarket Sweep and Wipeout.

“Game show entertainment is a genre not all FAST services have a lot of, but it is one of our fastest growing categories in terms of hours consumed. With our annual Game Show Week, we’re turning the spotlight on this popular genre with even more newly launched channels and beloved game shows that will bring out the friendly competitor in us all,” stated Fern Feistel, senior VP, marketing and content operations at Xumo. “Whether you play along at home, or lean back and enjoy this classic programming, Game Show Week appeals to the widest cross section of viewers and is back again this year by popular demand.”

For Game Show week, Xumo will have a total of 11 dedicated game show channels, including one featuring Deal or No Deal and another for Family Feud.■

Betty White’s death on New Year’s Eve at age 99 is being celebrated for the comedic genius she infused in characters such as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls and The Golden Palace and, more recently, Elka Ostrovsky on Hot in Cleveland (not to mention her fine dramatic turn as Catherine Piper on Boston Legal).

But then there was Betty White as her true self, in full glory as a TV game show contestant or panelist par excellence. It was in those settings that millions of Americans got a more unvarnished glimpse of Betty doing what she liked doing best since childhood — playing games.

She could discover someone’s occupation on To Tell the Truth, penetrate a disguise on Masquerade Party, reveal long-forgotten facts on Trivia Trap or pinpoint retail value on The Price Is Right. Betty White appeared on more than 50 different game shows during her career. Need an engaging guest for You Don’t Say!, Body Language or The Magnificent Marble Machine? Betty was only a phone call away.

Also: Betty White Through the Years: Photos From 'Golden Girls' to 'Hot in Cleveland'

She always came to play, participating with energy, focus, and charm. Her uncanny ability to adapt to such a wide variety of game shows demonstrated a great comfort with competition. Betty White was the Serena Williams of game shows, for sure.

Password held a very special place in her heart, since it was where Betty flirted on-air with the host, Allen Ludden, during her first appearance. That led to an enduring marriage that began in 1963 and a lifelong love affair that continued even after Ludden died in 1981.

On that show, she was equally adept at providing clues and receiving them from a fellow contestant so she could respond with the correct password. Quite impressive. Still, I remember that even Betty could slip up on occasion, and when she did, the studio audience roared with laughter as she mugged for the camera.

So when I last saw her in 2012 at the ribbon-cutting ceremony of The Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, I stopped Betty in the lobby and blurted out the word she had inadvertently revealed on Password. She smiled and winked in response, clearly letting me know that she was in on the same joke.

And that word, which probably describes Betty White’s affectionate wit that we will remember so well? Racy — of course. ■

NBC has ordered a second season of game show Weakest Link. Jane Lynch hosts the program, based on a quiz show format distributed by BBC Studios. 

Season two will have 13 episodes. Production begins later this year. 

“Audiences have clearly embraced this smart, fun and completely addicting show, and it’s been a great addition to the NBC lineup,” said Jenny Groom, executive VP, unscripted content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “A huge thank you to Jane, our friends at BBC Studios, Universal Television Alternative Studio and everyone who has been instrumental in keeping the DNA of the original format intact while simultaneously adding new flourishes that make it as relevant and popular as ever.”

Also Read: NBC Orders Two Comedies and a Drama

Lynch’s credits include Hollywood Game Night and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. An executive producer on Weakest Link, she will return for season two. “I’m thrilled that Weakest Link will return for another season,” Lynch said. “It has been my honor to bring back this classic game show loved by millions. I also look forward to challenging the brain power of our players while baiting them to turn against one another for the chance to win some life-changing cash. And, of course, for my own enjoyment, and not to mention the opportunity to say ‘You are the weakest link. Goodbye.’ several times an episode.” 

Weakest Link debuted on NBC Sept. 28. The show is averaging a 1.2 in 18-49 and 5.6 million viewers, including linear, digital and VOD, NBC said. 

The show sees contestants answer general knowledge questions to bank prize money across multiple rounds. At the end of each round, the contestants vote out who they perceive to be the “Weakest Link.”

Weakest Link is produced by BBC Studios in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio. Ryan O’Dowd executive produces for BBC Studios. Stuart Krasnow does so for NBC and is showrunner. 

Some entertainment-themed cable networks are betting on game shows to drive new audiences with escapist fun and comedic programming.

Game shows like BET’s Face Value, TBS’s Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild and truTV’s Talk Show the Game Show offer a fun, less-expensive alternative to dark scripted dramas and often outlandish reality series that dominate cable network lineups, network executives said. Such shows also serve as comfort food for viewers weary of the constant drumbeat of the 24-hour news cycle.

The Game Show Issue:Syndication’s Games Are Few but Mighty | Game On for FremantleMedia’s Mullin

“I think that everyone right now is growing fatigued by current events and politics and are looking for an escape,” truTV senior vice president of development and original programming Lesley Goldman said. “Game shows in particular create an alternative universe — you’re really entering a world where there are really clear rules that you can play along with and temporarily get away from the real world.”

And Discovery Channel is reviving Cash Cab, the taxicab-based quiz show it aired from 2004 to 2012, with original host Ben Bailey once again picking up would-be contestants on the streets of New York. New episodes will begin airing Dec. 4.

Cable’s game-show fascination comes after a major push by the broadcast networks into the genre this past summer with new shows like CBS’s Candy Crush and Fox’s Beat Shazam, along with revivals of such classic shows from the 1970s and 1980s as ABC’s The Gong Show and Fox’s Love Connection.

A New Generation of Fans
While game shows have been a staple of television since the early days of the medium, the genre has found new life by appealing to a new generation of viewers looking for escapist programming that’s heavy on humor and celebrity stars.

“In the world that we live in, it’s just a fun way to decompress and escape and have some fun doing it,” Connie Orlando, executive vice president and head of programming for BET Networks, said. “In this climate, we’re striving to bring people from all backgrounds together to celebrate the things that unite us and not divide us, and I think game shows are a perfect reflection of that.”

Related: BET Sets ‘Black Card Revoked’ Game Show

TBS senior vice president of unscripted series and special event programming Michael Bloom said the network recently looked to the game show genre to complement its lineup of comedy programming and came up with a revival of the 1970s staple The Joker’s Wild, hosted by hip hop superstar Snoop Dogg. He said the series — which retains the format of the 1972-86 original, adding some hip hop flourishes and Snoop-themed questions and categories — gives its audience an opportunity to laugh and be entertained through a different programming lens.

“Fun and funny were the first two filters we applied to every decision we made for the series,” Bloom said. “We approached it by asking how we could take the original, easy, exciting show and add as many comedy layers as we could to it, and we were able to do that.”

So far the show is winning with viewers: Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild drew nearly 1.2 million viewers for its Oct. 24 premiere — on par with the network’s average primetime rating for that week.

Other cable networks are looking to put their own stamp on the game show with new genre concepts. TruTV’s sophomore series Talk Show Game Show is a mashup of the two television formats that pits comedians and celebrities against each other. Hosted by comedian Guy Branum (Chelsea Lately), it places celebrities in various talk show-inspired challenges judged by a panel of comedians who award points while roasting the celebrity’s performances, according to the network.

“The key for us was finding a show with an original hook and a unique point of view that at the center featured a great personality behind it,” Goldman said. “It’s highly relatable and so fun for audiences to play along.”

Talk Show the Game Show, produced by comedian Wanda Sykes’s Push It Productions, will return for its second season in early 2018, according to Goldman. “It combines two genres that our audience loves, and creates a competitive environment where we get to see comedians and celebrities really let their hair down and have a ball,” she said. “It just attracts an audience that’s looking for some fun and satisfying arc and ending that they can walk away from. There are no winners and no losers — it’s a very concrete experience for our viewer.”

‘Face’ Up to’ Prejudice
BET’s Face Value challenges people’s own prejudices and biases by allowing celebrity contestants to make snap judgments about people they see based on their looks and mannerisms.

“Face Value is fun and engages people in lively debate, and over the course of the game the players and viewers realize that when they stop judging and start listening to others they find out each person is uniquely individual,” said BET’s Orlando. “It’s a unique mix of both the comedy and game show formats, and that mix makes for good television and appeals to audiences of all ages and all walks of life.”

The show is hosted by Black-ish’s Deon Cole and produced by Sykes, providing the series with name recognition that helps build viewer awareness. “It’s good to put a face that people can relate to and know to introduce these shows,” she said.

TBS also turned to a celebrity in Emmy-nominated hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg to host its remake of The Joker’s Wild. Bloom attributes the presence of Snoop Dogg to drawing in new viewers to the network — 30% of the show’s audience had never watched TBS, he said.

“Snoop is a prolific social media superstar, and he has stepped up and absolutely done a great job of promoting the show,” he said. “It’s unique to see a superstar like Snoop doing something like this. We’re glad he’s brought all of these new eyeballs to TBS.”

Executives said game show programming competes well in a very crowded television marketplace and will continue to find time slots on cable network programing lineups. TruTV’s next game show, slated for next year, will be a trivia-themed program that will help ordinary people pay off their student debt, according to Goldman. “Whether its celebrities or ordinary people, game shows are fun no matter who’s playing it,” she added.

BET has already green-lit a second game show, Black Card Revoked, based on the card game of the same name that tests players’ knowledge of the African-American experience from pop culture and entertainment to historical facts and politics. Comedian Tony Rock will host the series, which will debut in January, according to Orlando.

“We have found that our audience likes to laugh and decompress, and game shows are a great way to do that,” she said. “Our filters are always to be relevant, fun and radically bold, and game show programming checks off a lot of those boxes.”

The ranks of syndicated game shows remains relatively thin, with only five on the docket in the 2017-18 TV season. But the success of Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud — revitalized since comedian Steve Harvey joined as host in 2010 — has encouraged producers to search for the next big comedic game hit. So far, that task has proved difficult.

The Game Show Issue:Finding an Escape in TV Fun and Games | Game On for FremantleMedia’s Mullin

Disney-ABC tried to push Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, now in its 16th season in syndication, toward comedy after longtime host Meredith Vieira left to host her own NBCUniversal-produced talk show in 2013. The studio tried out hosts such as Cedric the Entertainer and Terry Crews, but those changes didn’t affect ratings.

Disney-ABC finally returned the show to its more straightforward roots, hiring The Bachelor’s Chris Harrison as host in 2015 and moving the show to Las Vegas from New York City at the start of last season. Those moves have given the show a lift, with Millionaire’s ratings up 10% in viewers, 6% in households and 4% among daytime’s key demographic of women 25-54 this year season-to-date through Oct. 29, according to Nielsen.

To capitalize on the success of Feud, Debmar-Mercury and production partner FremantleMedia North America tried out Celebrity Name Game, hosted by Craig Ferguson, former host of CBS’s The Late Late Show. It was initially intended to be paired with Feud on TV stations, but Tribune, which does not air Feud in many markets, ended up acquiring it. In the end, Celebrity Name Game sputtered and ended its run after last season.

This year, Entertainment Studios rolled out its own comic-driven game show with Funny You Should Ask, hosted by Jon Kelley. In the program, comedians such as Gabriel Iglesias, Sherri Shepherd and Louie Anderson improvise answers to questions while contestants have to guess whether they’re right or wrong. So far, it is averaging a 0.5 in households, season-to-date, and a 0.2 among women 25-54.

Looking ahead, Warner Bros. is shopping a show to be hosted by Jane Lynch that studio sources describe as a comedy, but neither a talk nor game show. It’s being targeted for early-fringe and access time slots, so it could run in competition or be coupled with games and sitcoms in those time periods.

In general, new offerings in access are few. But with a lack of new sitcoms on the docket, studios are looking for non-sitcom ways to help stations freshen up access.

Meanwhile, over a year ago, Family Feud surpassed CBS Television Stations’ longtime leaders Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! to become syndication’s top-rated game. For years, it’s also been the top-rated first-run program among women 25-54. But Feud’s numbers are helped by multiple runs on both stations and on cable, while Wheel still relies on single runs. Jeopardy! has double-runs in some markets, but not nearly as many as Feud.

That said, Wheel and Jeopardy!, both produced by Sony Pictures Television, remain potent offerings in syndication after 35 and 34 seasons, respectively. Wheel, syndication’s fourth highest-rated show, averages a 5.8 in households season-to-date, down 3% compared to last year. Jeopardy! is currently the second highest-rated game in syndication and third highest-rated show overall, averaging a 5.9 in households season-to-date, up 4% from last year at this time.

Jennifer Mullin, CEO of FremantleMedia North America (FMNA), has overseen unscripted programming for the production/distribution outfit for the past decade. That includes a bevy of blue-chip game shows, including The Price Is Right, Family Feud and Let’s Make a Deal.

FMNA started inching into children’s game shows when it worked out a deal with Universal Kids to bring The Noise and Beat the Clock, the former a Japanese format and the latter an update of the vintage program, to the new NBCUniversal network.

The Game Show Issue:Finding an Escape in TV Fun and Games | Syndication’s Games Are Few but Mighty

Mullin is constantly on the lookout for other classic gamers that can be updated and turned on to a new audience. “We talk about Password a lot. We talk about Card Sharks, Press Your Luck,” she said. “Those are some of the big, iconic ones that I think could live in 2017 or 2018.”

Mullin spoke with Multichannel News contributing editor Michael Malone about why it’s a good time for game shows, what the new American Idol might look like, and when the streaming giants will get more into unscripted. An edited transcript follows.

MCN: Why didn’t Fremantle get into children’s game shows sooner?
Jennifer Mullin: We actually did a kids’ show five or six years ago — a kids’ version of Hole in the Wall, which was a Japanese format. We did a primetime version for Fox and a kids’ version for two seasons for Cartoon Network. Doing kids' versions of our game formats is something we’ve talked about, but you obviously need the network to buy in.

MCN: Why is this a good time for game shows in the U.S.?
JM: Everything is cyclical. I don’t think games have ever really gone away. Look at some of our long-running franchises — The Price Is Right has been on the air for 46 years, the current version of Family Feud is in its 19th season without a break, Let’s Make a Deal is in its ninth year. Clearly our competitors, Wheel and Jeopardy!, have been on long-running.

It’s not that game shows had gone away. I think what you’re seeing in primetime is the pendulum swinging back the other way. People want to feel good. They want what I call low-impact viewing. There’s a lot of content out there, a lot of choices. Game shows are family viewing — they are easy to watch, you can tune in any time. They make people feel good, and I think we’re living in a time when people want to feel good.

MCN: What do you look for in a host?
JM: Somebody who has a real passion for doing the show. I believe we have that with our hosts across all our shows — they genuinely love the game, love the format, love being the conduit to contestants winning money, making their day. That’s one, a real passion for doing the show. Additionally you need warmth. In some cases you want comedy and wit.

Game shows are not easy to host. The best hosts make it look easy. You need real intelligence. You need the ability to be in the middle of the action and not know what is going to happen. You may know how the game is played but you don’t know how it’s going to be played. There’s no script — you’ve got to really be able to go with the action and make moments.

MCN: The major streaming players like Netflix and Amazon don’t seem to be making their mark with unscripted.
JM: I think they are. We’ve certainly had conversations with them, and I think we’ll see more unscripted with them in the next year or so. They’re figuring out what unscripted looks like for them and their subscribers. While there may not be an abundance of it right now, I think we’ll see more in the future.

Related: Reality Shows Seek Status in a VOD World

MCN: How will American Idol on ABC be different from the American Idol we know?
JM: It won’t be dramatically different. We like to say it’s evolution, not revolution. Idol is a beloved format. It worked. It had millions and millions of viewers in our last season, so you don’t want change it so dramatically that it doesn’t look or feel like Idol. But certainly there will be some evolutionary changes.

MCN: Any you can mention?
JM: We’re still working on them.

MCN: America’s Got Talent did major ratings this summer. Do what do you attribute the growth?
JM: In my opinion, it’s one of the best-produced shows on television — our team just does a wonderful job producing the show. But the talent was just unbelievable this year. The winner and runner-up were kids under the age of 12. [Darci Lynne, the 2017 winner, was 12.] I think that’s interesting.

Back to my earlier point, when you asked me why game shows, why now, I think we are living in a time when people want to feel good. This is the ultimate family viewing and it makes people feel good. It gives you people to root for. The talent was amazing week in and week out, and it just got better. I think that accounts for the growth.

MCN: Do you envision changes to America’s Got Talent for next season?
JM: No, just keep it going, keep the train moving and find more great talent out there. That’s the beauty of the show — every year we continue to find the most amazing talent.

BET has greenlit a new game show series, Black Card Revoked, to premiere in January, the network said Thursday.

The show, based on the party game of the same name, will debut Jan. 10, according to network officials.

Comedian Tony Rock will host the series, which will test players’ knowledge of the nuances of the African American perspective - from pop culture milestones and entertainment moments to historical facts and politics. 

The original creators of the popular party game, Latesha Williams and Jay Bobo, will serve as co-executive producers. David A. Hurwitz, will also serve as executive producer for Alternative Productions, Inc. under his Bill’s Market & Television Productions banner, according to BET.

Black Card Revoked follows on the heels of the September debut of BET's game show series Face Value, hosted by Deon Cole. 

GSN has named tapped industry veteran Fran Shea as its executive vice president of programming and marketing for GSN TV, said network officials.

Shea will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the game show-themed GSN TV's programming and marketing, including in-house production, acquisitions, development, network branding and messaging to viewers. Shea effectively replaces former GSN executive vice president of programming and development Amy Introcaso-Davis, who recently joined E!.

Shea most recently ran her own industry consultant firm, Fran Shea Consulting, which counted GSN as a client. Shea is also formerly president of E! Entertainment Television.

“Fran has an impressive track record of creating phenomenally successful and culturally relevant content, said GSN CEO Mark Feldman, to whom Shea will report. “Her creative vision and leadership will be critical to GSN as we continue to enhance our programming choices, both original and acquired, to engage our core viewers.”

GSN will develop a horror-themed game show and a matchmaking series as part of its 2015 development slate, the network announced Tuesday.

GSN’s development slate includes Hellevator, in which contestants compete in a series of scary, suspenseful challenges; Steampunk’d, in which contestants marry objects from the past and present to create futuristic designs and inventions; How-To-Games, which utilizes internet how-to-videos to spur contestants to complete a range of tasks; and Bingo Bash, based on the popular digital app.

Also on the docket is Winsanity, in which one contestant attempts to organize seven compelling and surprising facts in numerical order; and Face 2 Face, a matchmaking game show which uses an app to tailor each contestant’s ideal type before meeting their potential suitor.

The development slate announcement follows the network’s recent renewal of first year series Idiotest, the network's third freshman series renewal behind It Takes A Church and Skin Wars, said network officials. The network also said it has tapped actress Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years) to appear in its App Wars pilot.

“GSN has taken some big swings in development over the past year, pushing our brand into exciting new areas while still maintaining our leadership position in the traditional game show genre,” said David Schiff, senior vice president of programming and development for GSN in a statement. “That push is paying off, both in the diversity of projects that we’re working on, and in the increased amount of break-out original programming like Skin Wars and Idiotest.

History has picked up ten episodes of a game show spinoff of its series Pawn Stars. The half-hour game show, called Pawnography, begins taping in front of live Las Vegas audiences this May, with a premiere date scheduled for later this summer. 

The show is produced by Leftfield Pictures, the same production company responsible for the original Pawn Stars series. Episodes will feature contestants competing against each other as well as Rick Harrison, Corey and Chumlee of Pawn Stars fame in trivia games. Prizes will consist of money awards as well as owner Rick’s personal items from the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, where the original Pawn Stars series takes place. The twist is that Rick doesn’t want the contestants to win his items. 

“We are thrilled to work with Leftfield Pictures on this exciting and challenging new game show that combines the two elements that make Pawn Stars an absolute fan favorite -  history and the fun, family-dynamic between the Harrison’s and Chumlee,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, Senior Vice President, Programming and Development for History in a statement.