Not surprisingly, yet another edition of Family Feud is on the way, this time hosted by Steve Harvey. Harvey may actually be a decent host, so my main observation/complaint is about how unbelievably awful the set is. I mean, really… the board is completely computerized and the floors are so polished and slick you could ice skate on them. There’s no personality to the set whatsoever. In fact, there hasn’t been a truly great game show set (ie. one that doesn’t look like it’s from some super-shiny future) in years. Correct me if I’m wrong, Dave Walls.
I’m still a sucker for the warm sets of the late 70s and early 80s. Card Sharks, The Joker’s Wild, Tic Tac Dough, all wonderful.
At least The Price is Right at least bears some resemblance to its original look.
Posted in Television, Movies, and Music
Dave Walls September 22, 2010, 6:44 am
Funny thing is…I don’t necessarily have a problem with the super shiny futuristic look of the games today. I’m sure people in the 70’s complained about non stop flashing lights and shag carpeted sets in every show.
What bothers me is the complete lack of respect for how a game show works. Game show host or announcer? Nah, let’s get a retread comedian in there, they’ll be funny! Contestants who aren’t super annoying and know how to play the game? Search on YouTube for “Catch 21 Fail” or “Addition Fail” for my exact thoughts on that.
There’s some exceptions to these rules, of course. Family Feud has people who at least know how to MC things (O’Hurley did “To Tell The Truth”, Harvey is an experienced MC). Price is Right sometimes works best with…ahem…*excited* contestants.
The funny thing is, I barely watch American Game Shows anymore, because the overall presentation just kills me. Deal or No Deal? *SO* much better in the UK, darker, more tense, and genuine emotion and strategy. Minute to Win It? Look up clips of “The Cube”, and tell me which is better.
Other than the classics still running, like Feud (which is stronger now than it was in the 90’s and early 00’s), and TPIR (Drew Carey has gotten a lot better), the modern game show has not done very well. I wonder if there’s an audience for it anymore, or if we’ve just forgotten how exciting and enjoyable a good game show can be.
We’ve forgotten the recipe, while other countries make it work.