10 Classic Game Shows That Made Comebacks on Broadcast TV
You’d think a TV network would have brought Lingo back sooner, considering the viral success of Wordle, a game that poses a near-identical challenge to players.
But — better late than never — a new Lingo is hitting CBS on January 11 at 9/8c, with RuPaul Charles hosting.
And the updated Lingo is just the latest classic game show to get new life on broadcast TV. Over the past decade, the broadcast networks — and ABC in particular — have revived and rebooted many of your favorite TV games of skill, chance, and knowledge.
“The old games themselves are good,” Rob Mills, ABC’s chief of alternative series, explained to Vulture in 2019. “I would love to try new games, but the stuff that [past producers] did — they were geniuses. These games are incredibly well-built machines. They’re time-tested. You know that they work. The nostalgia helps, and that’s another selling point.”
Below, we’re buzzing in with details on Lingo and other classic game shows that made triumphant returns to the small screen.
Card Sharks
When ABC rebooted this 1978 game show for a two-season run starting in 2019, the network got Joel McHale to host the card-flipping fun. “This show ate at my cold heart, which is a tiny piece of coal encased in peanut brittle,” McHale quipped to TV Insider. “You see people win an enormous amount of money. With a turn of cards, they can win half a million dollars, and their life changes before your eyes. I was so happy for them. Plus, I got a really great suit out of it.”
The Dating Game (revived as The Celebrity Dating Game)
1965’s The Dating Game begat many follow-ups, including ABC’s short-lived 2021 revival, The Celebrity Dating Game, hosted by Zooey Deschanel and Michael Bolton. And Bolton wanted to play matchmaker, as he told TV Insider. “You can tell who the players are, who’ve devised the perfect answers, and which ones are sincere about revealing who they are as people,” the singer said. “You almost want to say to the celebrity, go for this person — but you can’t.”
Family Feud (revived as Celebrity Family Feud)
1976’s Family Feud also got a celebrity spinoff, with Celebrity Family Feud airing on NBC in 2008 and on ABC since 2015, with Steve Harvey emceeing the latter. “A lot of the questions on Family Feud are such regular-person questions, and a lot of celebrities are so out of touch,” Harvey observed to TV Insider. “They’ve got people who do their hair and go grocery shopping for them, so they don’t know how much a damn gallon of milk is! I’m supposed to coddle them, but I don’t really know how to do that, so it makes it even funnier.”
Lingo
After debuting in syndication in 1987, Lingo is hitting broadcast TV for the first time on January 11, thanks to CBS. “We give you a letter, and you guess the rest! The word game craze is sweeping the nation, and Lingo will deliver a fast-paced, fun and addictive show for the whole family,” Mitch Graham, CBS’ alternative programming chief, said in a press release. “RuPaul’s flair and sharp wit, coupled with the ability for viewers to play along at home, make this a timely show with wide appeal that we’re excited to join our network lineup.”
Match Game
Between 2016 and 2021, ABC aired an updated version of this 1962 game show. As always, contestants would try to match answers with celeb panelists, but in the latest version, Alec Baldwin presided over the proceedings. “You can get away with a lot more [now],” the actor-turned-host told TV Insider in 2016. “Back then, they were very clever people who knew how to play [with innuendo], but I think the kind of humor you’re going to see on this version is different.”
Name That Tune
A relic of NBC’s radio era, 1952’s Name That Tune got a resurrection on Fox in 2021, with Jane Krakowski quizzing contestants on their musical ID-ability. And she shows off her pipes on the show, too. “When it comes to the singing, just try and stop me,” the Broadway veteran said to TV Insider in 2021. “That’s my motto. I believe it became as much of an entertainment show as a game show. “
Press Your Luck
Since 2019, Elizabeth Banks has been hosting the ABC version of this game show, which debuted on CBS in 1983. The new version features a bonus game in which winners of the opening half can “press their luck” solo. “It’s this crazy roller coaster,” executive producer John Quinn told TV Insider in 2019. “You can go from elated to devastated to happier than you’ve ever been. The stress is insane.”
The $10,000 Pyramid (revived as The $100,000 Pyramid)
Michael Strahan hosts The $100,000 Pyramid, ABC’s revival of a format that started as The $10,000 Pyramid in 1973. “People love to see celebrities and contestants become a team where they have to work together and not just for themselves,” Strahan observed to TV Insider in 2016, when the revival premiered. “Once you start watching it, it’s very addictive.”
Supermarket Sweep
In 2020, more than a half-century after the 1965 edition of Supermarket Sweep left the ABC airwaves, the network reinvigorated the format with a new version hosted by Leslie Jones. Unlike past iterations of the show, though, the 2020 version had a Big Sweep jackpot in the six figures.
To Tell the Truth
Almost exactly 60 years after To Tell the Truth debuted on CBS, the format returned to broadcast TV in 2016 — but on ABC. In the new version, Anthony Anderson is the one running the show. “We could all use a good laugh right about now, so why not start by watching celebrities compete against each other and guess who’s telling the truth while my Mama Doris uses her expert lie detecting skills to show them how it’s done!” Anderson told viewers in 2020.
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