BuzzerBlog’s Top 10 of 2008: Best New Show of 2008
The next few days will be a bit strange around here. I’m going to Los Angeles to visit GSN Live, potenetially Family Feud, as well as a few other things, so I think this debate may keep you happy for a bit. We’ve been doing the preparation work for BuzzerBlog’s Top 10 of 2008 and we want to get you in the voting spirit this year.
We’ll have two polls, but here’s the first: what was the best new game show of 2008? We had a lot. And a lot of those weren’t too good (at least in my eyes). I’m looking at the list and not many of them are sticking around. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t good. Vote and tell us what you think the best new game show of 2008 was, as well as leave a comment here or on the poll if you choose to back up your answer. We’ll have the results at the end of the month.
In a week or so we’ll have one more poll, the best game show of 2008, so be on the lookout.
I agree with Tim Tender. It’s a really boring show – you can tell that Christopher Knight – who I think does a more than respectable job with what he’s given – has a light he has to watch for that means “stall.” The format itself is interesting, although questions for me tend to fall squarely into “you know it” or “you don’t” – very little potential to guess it right, but the execution with needing only 6 right answers to win is just the pits. I’d rather see something closer to (can’t believe I’m saying this) Bingo America, where contestants try to fill up a full pie. Maybe switch it to two players as well – there always seems to be one really dumb one. As it is, the show feels less like a full 30 minute game show, and more like something you’d see sandwiched between a real program.
Deff The Mole. Yeah, it’s been around since 2001, but it hasn’t had new episodes since 2004. I am part of the SAVEtheMOLE movement cuz The Mole is one of the very few shows where people at home can play along with the show and guess who it is. (The only other show I can think of that you can play along with is Murder in Small Town X, but that show has been canceled sadly as it was well put together with a great story line and tons of twist and turns). I hope ABC notices that The Mole is a great show and keep it around for many years.
To Marc Power: Apparently you haven’t read my post. It was #4 on my personal Top 10 list. And……..
To those who find the show boring: Granted, it’s dull and kind of slow for game show standards, but, it’s fun to watch and play along. And Marc Power’s right, Chris is doing a good job as host (considering the fact that he got the job a month before the show actually premiered), and the budget is a lot better than Crosswords or Temptation. I’m thought of a way to boost the show’s ratings…….can you say Tournament of Champions?
Catch 21, hands down.
I also am voting for MILLION Dollar Password! Classic Show updated for today. Great host and, I hope we see some bigger winners as well, we will I hope.
The New GSN shows are good too. Nice to see good new shows, but ARRRGGGHH, when will be see THE MONEY LIST?! The Mole, nice to see that back, too.
Bet you The Money List will be a contender for 2009, though.
Million Dollar Password is easily the winner here. It’s not just the best game show this year, it’s the best game show in a loooong time. Regis is great, the set and music package are fabulous, and the game is as fun as ever.
Pat!!! ‘Murder in Smalltown X’ was an amazing show. I’d love to see that again. It’s sad that it didn’t make the cut. I’m right there with you for ‘The Mole,’ too.
I voted for daytime DOND because the show moves along faster and so far we haven’t had to worry about all the gimmicks of the primetime version. Many of the shows that can be voted for I thought would be fun to play but are definately boring to watch and some of them were down right stupid (MYIBTYD, TLAC, HMIE things of that nature). Personally I stick with the classics cause there’s not been very many shows made since 2000 that I’ve liked. I believe that the quality of game shows has taken on a downhill approach.
I’m surprised no one mentioned “The Gong Show” (not even your poll, Alex). Then again, I’m not sure if very many people tuned in when it was on, anyway.
It was a tough decision, but I went with “Wipeout”, only because watching overweight (and overconfident) people slip and fall on the Big Balls never gets old. (That, and I still haven’t forgiven Fremantle Media for ruining a number of revivals, dating back to Card Sharks ’01. I’d like to see the Fremantle’s upper management forced to run the Wipeout gauntlet, if only because I’d get great pleasure out of watching Syd Vinneage (sp?) plummet on the Big Balls.)
My top 5:
5. How Much is Enough? – Great format, but got boring after about 5 minutes. Corbin Bernsen suffered a little bit from Dylan Lane Syndrome
4. My Family’s Got GUTS – Well-done revival by Nick. One of their best shows in a while.
3. Million Dollar Password – Again, great format, but points off for putting a safe haven at the $250,000 level guaranteeing a shot at the million.
2. American Gladiators – Season 1 left something to be desired, and they fixed that in Season 2 by bringing back some of the best events from the original series (Atlasphere to name one). Would’ve been number 1 if not for…
1. WIPEOUT – The format is incredible. On paper, the show could get old very fast, however, like Russian Roulette, seeing people fall off giant rubber balls into a pool of water is hilarious every time (except maybe for Jacob Mann). The Johns (Anderson & Henson) are funny as heck, the sideline reporter Jill Wagner is always laughing at the contestants, in all the show looks like a parody of reality shows in general. Top marks!!
If a show has a great format, how or why does it get boring so quickly? There’s nothing great about that.
And for Million Dollar Password, since only one person has attempted the quarter million, why is guaranteeing a free shot at a million a bad thing?
I forgot about “The Gong Show”. Granted, the 2008 version is not the same as the Chuck Berris version, but it’s still entertaining.
Mike: HMIE?’s format looked good on paper, is what I mean, and as far as MDP is concerned, a free shot at the million isn’t exciting. A player gets the $250k, I think there should be some sort of risk involved. Maybe a safe haven at $100k would work better.
OK, you’re on drugs, Whammy. How Much is Enough? is a game of chicken. There’s very little strategy to it and the first person to hit a button in the final round wins. It was a train wreck, plain and simple.
Re: MDP, you’re telling me someone going for a million dollars isn’t exciting, where the contestant and celebrity must have an absolutely perfect round with killer words? If the words were “cat”, “dog”, “apple”, “baby”, and “water”, agreed, too easy. Once you start pulling out the higher level words like “barricade” and “fiasco”, both people have to be on their A-game in order to even come close to sniffing the million.
Someone going for a million on any game show is exciting, Mike, agree. How Much is Enough kind of reminds me of a reverse version of the Any Number game (i hope I got the game right) on The Price is Right (not to say that that’s a good thing).
DeVares: I think you’re thinking of Magic Number.
Mike: I agree with you that HMIE was terrible, and I retract my earlier comment that the format looked good on paper. However, I still stand by my comment that a $100,000 guarantee would work better than a free shot at a million bucks. There should be some risk involved.