All About Game Shows
What is the origin of the game show?
The earliest game shows were on radio and they were call-in shows where listeners could be on the phone and answer questions and win money over the radio. People competed against each other. And as television was born in the late 1940's, some of the formats that were on radio transferred to the small screen and became television hits.
Why are game shows popular?
Game shows embody the American Dream. It's wish fulfilment. It's "come on down you've won a new car". It's all the things people dream about when they are young, when they are old, when they are middle aged. It's the ability to get rich quick. It's the ability to show off your talents, your knowledge, your enthusiasm. Anybody can be on a game show, and anybody can win on a game show. That will always be the case.
When did the first TV game shows air?
The game shows started appearing on television in the late 40's. One of the earliest ones was "Truth or Consequences" which transferred from radio to television and lasted, in a variety of forms, into the 70's and has come back a couple of times since then. The game show transfer from radio to television was a natural because many of the shows involved audio cues and answering questions and things of that sort. So it was very easy to do that on television. In fact the challenge for early television was to take the radio form and add a visual component to them.
How did game shows influence the creation of reality shows?
The first successful reality shows of the current era were very strong on game elements. Most notably, Survivor, and Big Brother, and American Idol, and Amazing Race. Those four, which have had had tremendous success and popularity and, in the case of Amazing Race, Emmy's, are all competition shows. They're sort of game shows blown-up and done in a big way and with an international scope, or with tremendous production values, or with other elements that take them out of being your Grandma's game show. But they are today's generation of game show.
What is the most important element of a game show?
Probably the most important placid of the game show is the game itself; the play-along value. What differentiates game shows from other types of shows is the audience involvement. In the earlier days, they were called audience participation shows in addition to game shows and that's because the audience truly does talk to the TV screen, relate to the people on the show, in fact, in some manner envision themselves on the show as a participant, you are answering the questions, you're yelling out the answers, and you're giving people advice. You are talking to somebody else in the room about what you would do if you were in that situation. That's pretty much the core of all game shows.
What makes a game show great?
The better the play along, the better the game show. If there is a true involvement, a connection from the viewer at home to the show itself through the TV screen; it's a great game show. The best example I can think of is 'The Price is Right', which every single person living in this country who is of an age to be able to spend money and buy things, thinks about how much something costs. That's the very basic premise of the show is, 'what does this cost?'. So everybody plays along with that, and even if it's an item that you haven't purchased or you have no intention of purchasing, you still have a guess as to what something costs. And everyone of the games they play are engaging, and bring you in to the 'Price is Right'.
What are some of the most outrageous game shows?
One of the first producers to really shake up the game show world was Chuck Barris, who in the 1960's, created formats that were groundbreaking at the time. And although tame by today's television standards, they were unique, and very special. Most notably "The Dating Game" which came on in 1965. "The Newlywed Game" followed shortly thereafter. And "The Gong Show," which was probably the most bizarre game show up to that point in history, which truly was just a talent show, but it was a talent show turned on its head.
How are game shows from other countries different from American game shows?
Game shows have been as popular, or more popular, around the world than they have in this country. Many shows have gone back and forth over the ocean. Many shows started here and gained great success and profitability overseas including The Price is Right, Family Feud and Match Game. Some shows started overseas and came here, like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and The Weakest Link. Every country is a little bit different, their tastes, their styles, their standards for what entertainment is. In Italy there are shows where people take their clothes off and dance around naked. I don't think that would succeed here. There has been a tremendous successful show called Sabado Gigante, which is a Spanish language show. It has been running for over two decades and that is driven much by the Spanish culture which is singing and dancing and just having a raucous good old time and playing a bunch of mini games throughout. Many producers over the years have tried to adapt that form for American audiences and it still just hasn't quite happened.