DeVares: as long as talk shows are cheaper to produce than game shows, and as long
as (collectively) we’re as voyeuristic a society as we are, they may NEVER go
away!

A) It focuses on comedic tension more than game play
B) It adopts the retro/kitschy feel of the original version, not the dark and dramatic style of shows like “Millionaire” and “The Weakest Link”
C) The host must be genuinely warm, approachable and gently funny; s/he must never make it look like contestants are being manipulated or allow the audience to laugh AT them

That being said, LMAD may well be one of those shows whose time has come and gone. One can’t help but wonder if the tone and spirit that made it such a runaway hit in decades past would would translate well in 2009. It’s also inextricably linked to its host. Like Bob Barker and TPIR, Monty Hall IS “Let’s Make a Deal.” The producers will likely find it well nigh impossible to find someone who can bring to the show what class and style he did.

CBS might be better off reviving a hard Q&A show. Since we’re talking Hatos/Hall shows here, “Split Second” immediately springs to mind. It absolutely screams for new life and would be perfect for today’s big money formats. However, finding a host as good as Tom Kennedy was would be difficult. I also remember reading somewhere that a revival of “Double Dare” (Alex Trebek’s short lived mid-70′s show on CBS) was in development. It was always an intriguing – if somewhat awkward – game, although it seems to be remembered now only for the brevity of its run (96 episodes) and its host. Still, it’s worth considering.

Someone mentioned earlier about the dream of “Concentration” coming back to NBC should “Days of Our Lives” bite the dust. Some time ago I seem to remember seeing something about a revival that was on the drawing board with Matt Lauer as host. It ended up getting scrapped in favour of a fourth hour of “Today.” What with the network guarding the master tapes of the Jack Narz and Alex Trebek versions of the show like a state secret, and (unless you believe the conspiracy theory claiming otherwise) virtually all of the tapes of the original run erased from history, it’s unlikely that NBC has any faith in such a thing. I’d feel like I’d died and gone to Heaven if it did return, but I’m not holding my breath.

To Matt: I would love to see a revival of Card Sharks, but (as MrQuiz pointed out) Fremantle messed it up with that awful 2001 revival. If it’s to be done, they need to revert to the original (mostly the Eubanks/Rafferty end game) format mainly because this is one show that’s meant to straddle. As for Hit Man, Hot Potato, and Go!……likely won’t happen because of their short runs. Sure Chain Reaction did it despite the original lasted 13 weeks, but it was 1) on cable (USA Network), and 2) was a Canadian version of the show since it was based in Montreal.

To Steven: a Daytime Wheel likely won’t happen. CBS knows that if they do that, it will very much lower the nighttime version’s ratings. And a Daytime Jeopardy! not likely to happen either since most stations already airs Jeopardy! during the daytime anyway. And speaking of Jeopardy!………..

To Seth D: The one show you’d forgotten was Jeopardy!. J! has had 3 version of the show (1964-75, a short lived revival in 1978, and, of course the current one that premiered in 1984), which, if my math serves me correctly, is 5 straight decades. Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud will join it and the others that you mention this coming season.

If CBS puts more game shows in the daytime slots(10:00-11:00) and possibly the Guiding Light time slot, that will definately give NBC a way to counter-attack CBS. NBC is down to one soap opera(Days of Our Lives and rumor that it could be cancelled in the near future).

I would like to also see Card Sharks, Whew, Srabble, Dream House, Hit Man, Press Your Luck, Hot Potato, Go and High Rollers come back to network dayime as well.

The models? Hey, if primetime Deal doesn’t return, you’ve got your pick of decent models who could look good in front of a curtain or a door. Tameka is involved with the daytime Deal, else she’d be good. Claudia did TPIR…

Now, SPLIT SECOND…that’s something else again! Mark L. Wahlberg has kust the kind of demeanor that would be compatible for that show. Marc Summers would also be worth considering.

I still think that the best course for CBS here would be to develop one revival of a word-based game (most likely, Pyramid) and one revival of a quiz (e.g., TJW, Split Second, or SOTC).

Jay: With MILLION DOLLAR PASSORD (and to some, including me, the residual stink) still wayyyy too fresh in the minds of wayyy too many, I wouldn’t hold my breath on (another) revival any time soon. Sony owns THE JOKER’S WILD. While it might be nice to see a revival of that show, I’d be very surprised if it happened.

In spite of it all, I’m not all that sold on O’Hurley, as he comes off as always being “on.”
Karn should be back in front of the camera. Burgeron…what can you say about a guy, who, like him or not, is pretty damn good at what he does, and it shows.

As for possible LMAD hosts, I’d be happy with Marc Summers, Mark L. Wahlberg, Todd Newton, Richard Karn, pretty much anyone other than Ryan Seacrest hosting that show. I can’t really envision anyone other than Rich Fields announcing LMAD, but I’m sure whoever they find will do just fine.