Upcoming GSN Schedule Changes... and a Gripe

GSN will be modifying their schedule in the afternoons, starting August 16th.

Here are the changes:

4:00 PM Family Feud (Richard Karn, SYN 2002-06)
4:30 PM Deal or No Deal
5:30 PM Catch 21 (new episodes)

While it’s no big loss to trim a version of Karn Feud as it airs a lot anyway, to me it would make more sense to just move Deal to 4 PM and just have Karn Feud and Catch 21 in the 5 PM hour. The 4:30 Deal slot just looks awkward. Oh well, I guess it could be a lot worse. At least it’s not like the early days on NBC when Deal would end literally at 9:02. Such a pain for people that wanted to change the channel at 9:00 and watch something else by that point.

Not really a schedule change, but in looking at the specifics for the other shows, I see that it’s also a pretty big disappointment that we’ll be seeing both versions of Card Sharks rewind back to episode one. If they only leased about 200 episodes per run, then it really made no sense to air the show four times a day. I expected cycle backs from Sony shows, like Pyramid, but when even the Goodson shows do this then it just goes to show how sad things have gotten. If they have to only do 200 shows for each show at a time, why not just lease 200, air those, then when that’s done, lease the next 200 and show these, and continue on down the line?

GSN: Weekend Schedule Change

Weekends, effective November 28th, changes listed only:

9:00 am Hollywood Squares (Bergeron, SYN 1998-2004; replaces Match Game (SYN 1979-82))
9:30 am Whammy! (GSN 2002-03; replaces Password Plus (NBC 1979-82))
10:00 AM: Chain Reaction (GSN 2006; replaces Super Password (NBC 1984-89))
10:30 AM: Family Feud (O'Hurley, 2006-present; replaces Dawson Feud)
11:00 AM: Newlywed Game (with Carnie Wilson, replaces Whammy!)
11:30 AM: Catch 21 (replaces Chain Reaction)
12:00 PM: 1 vs. 100 (replaces Meredith‘s Millionaire & Bergeron’s Squares)
1:00 PM: Deal or No Deal (replaces 1 vs. 100)
3:00 AM: Catch 21 (replaces Dawson Feud (SYN 1977-85))
3:30 AM: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (Vieira, 2002-present, replaces Password (CBS 1962-67))

Blech. So much blech. What an awful schedule. Seriously. I love Hollywood Squares and Meredith’s Millionaire, but there’s no redeemable qualities with these changes at all. None whatsoever. They couldn’t get a couple shows out of the vault?

Whammy! continues to be run into the ground. Deal or No Deal will be seen *FIVE* times on Saturday. And knowing now much it airs on the weekdays… this is just way too much of one show. And I thought the Thanksgiving marathon was overkill. You know, I remember there was a time period from about 4 years ago to now, there’d be a few schedule changes where there’d be something that would happen that I wouldn’t like, but in spite of the negative feelings, there much more of the schedule’s changes would be positive and I’d find myself enjoying more of the channel. This is not the case anymore. Right now there’s 3, if not 4 shows that I can sit down and enjoy on a daily basis. No variety is really to be had at all now. We have the same shows with limited runs seen over and over again. The only Goodson-Todman classics left now are Match Game, Family Feud, and the original Password. It makes me dread the possibilities of future weekday schedules.

Hell, even with the reality garbage that came along, there were more classics than this in 2004.

GSN: November Schedule Changes

More bad scheduling by the folks at GSN. Starting November 7th, the Super Password block at 11 am will be gone and in its place will be the return of Love Connection to the schedule and Hollywood Squares. Super Password will be on weekends only.

This reminds me of what SOAPnet did with Ryan’s Hope about 2 years ago. You DO NOT take a show with over 1,000 episodes and put it on weekends only. You DO NOT do that. Period.

I love Bergeron Squares, I really do, it’s my favorite version of the show. But I’ve actually grown comfortable with the late night airing, and I really don’t like the idea of Super Password being sacrificed for it. And knowing the current routine, it won’t be different episodes at all. I’ll bet it’ll just be another airing of the same episode. I would have removed one half of the hour, but instead putting Password Plus in the slot… another show that had no reason to be removed from the weekday schedule. And Love Connection is not a game show. I have nothing personal against the show, but it does not belong on this network.

On a miscellany note, to correct a previous entry: the one good thing I noticed though; it looks as though that promo for the Catch 21/Newlywed Game was a bit off; there won’t be all celeb shows all season. There’s at least one good decision made most recently. But still, it’s continuing to get to the point where I have little to enjoy with GSN now. Just way too little variety. I’ve enjoyed some things, but too many scheduling decisions have been either mediocre or just plain bad and have outshined any good.

The Newlywed Game and Catch-21 All-Star Episodes: Review

Reviews for both shows which aired last night:

The Newlywed Game was hilarious. I enjoyed seeing all the couples, and it really touched my heart to see George Takei and Brad Altman. And aside from the fact that this was the first show to ever feature a gay couple, nothing else at all was different or made special. The questions were the same as they would be on any show as they should have been. George hit Brad with an answer card just like any other contestant on this show would. There were laughs garnered from that couple that could have come from any other one. This is all I wanted to see and all I would have expected to see when hearing that the first ever gay couple would be featured.

I still have my issues with this show, this was a pretty enjoyable episode. And speaking of issues, I don’t know if this just has to do with the fact that it’s an all celebrity show, but the Goldywed end game was obviously nowhere to be found. In any case, I’m glad. This was one of the weakest elements of this version, and it really made it more serious than it should be. If that’s a permanent fixture, then great.

Catch 21 was fun also. I have always enjoyed seeing Melody Thomas-Scott on game shows, especially Pyramid. And she was just as fun here. Brandon Barash and Jackie Zeman weren’t bad to watch either. Too bad luck was not on her side with the cards. I noticed that Alfonso was a bit more reserved than on previous episodes, and I was glad to see that.

One issue I have… during Catch 21 a promo aired which says that the all-star episodes continue all-season long. Last night was fun but I really don’t like the idea of this. It seems as though GSN has not taken a page from Whew!, Monty Hall’s Beat the Clock, Bullseye, or Hot Potato. I have no problem at all with an episode or two, or even a whole week of all-star shows, but an entire season? Moves like this have been proven to not work out too many times.

Catch 21: Labor Day Marathon FAIL Moment

Nothing much was on here Monday obviously due to it being the holiday, so since I don’t watch Catch 21 that much I figured this would be a good opportunity to watch a few episodes. And one of the episodes I saw later in the afternoon… oh, boy.

Luckilly, I see someone has uploaded it to YouTube, because here’s one moment with this show in the beginning that I will probably not forget in a very long time. And then there's the end game.

If I had seen this originally, I for sure would have included it in my “Other FAIL Moments/What Were They Thinking?“ entry for the Online Pick of the Week. Now I’ll admit it right now, I am by no means a math expert or scholar of any kind. But the premise of this game is pretty easy. Answer a question correctly, decide whether or not to keep a card, and in the process, add up to 21 without going over. And 13+8 = 21. That's just common knowledge.

And then watching her play the bonus round was maddening. How could she not realize that she could have walked away in the end? My God. It's so obvious that the contestant coordinators didn’t do a good job at getting someone who knows how the show works.

I realize that every good contestant is going to goof up in some form, but this was just beyond ridiculous.

Catch 21 Season 2 Premiere: Review

New set introduced for season 2! I do like it, it looks a bit better than last season’s.

Format is still the same. Pretty solid. Like last year, I have no issues with it.

My biggest problem with the show is the same from last year. The volume is just way too high. Alfonso and the contestants are just practically at the top of their lungs, and it irritates me to no end. I expect excitement but this is just over the top. My problem with Alfonso’s hosting is still here. I still think that if he were to dial it down a few notches, he'd have the capability of being a really decent host. But it’s like watching Todd Newton on Whammy!, still.

I’m sure it’s a fun experience, and for the contestants really nice getting some questions right, and it must be a blast to win the game, and as far as Alfonso goes, fun to host it; but please, tone it down, people! Stop screaming so much!

The Best and Worst Game Shows of 2008

Time to look back at some of the best and the worst, game show style in 2008.

Million Dollar Password I’ve really wound up liking overtime. I realize that it takes me some time to get used to the changes from previous versions that we know and love; and even if I still think the set’s a bit too busy and I think that there are unnecessary sound effects, I’ve found it to be really enjoyable. It’s been too long since this show has made first-run episodes. As much as I’ve grown to hate the nighttime version, I really love daytime syndie Deal Or No Deal. Howie does a great job as usual as a host. The show still has its themed and sponsored weeks every once in a while, but the show doesn’t veer off course and become a melodramatic zoo. The show during the day is about the contestant and the game; the way it should be. I think Trivial Pursuit: America Plays is definitely one of the better shows to debut this year. I really like the America Plays aspect and the questions are a lot of fun. If only the show would get better ratings. I certainly think it could have a better host, but I do like Catch 21.

The Moment of Truth had to be the absolute worst. It’s like a more nasty, vilified game show version of Maury. The questions do nothing but embarrass the contestants and their families. There’s no enjoyment factor in that. Amnesia was no big treat either but at least that was a show that tried to have fun with the contestants and their lives. Moment of Truth just makes me wish Mark L. Walberg was hosting something better. How Much Is Enough was a big disappointment. It was the same thing all show. I also think one of the least desirable shows to debut this year was Celebrity Family Feud. I don’t think it’s as terrible as some people do (but then again, I missed episode one) but it could have been much better. I was really not impressed by Al Roker’s hosting, and again I ask, what’s the point of bringing back retro music if it’s just going to be used terribly? In the end I wanted to see it only for Margaret Cho and Ed McMahon. And Hole In The Wall... that's just better left as a segment on Ellen.

Catch 21: Review

On Monday, July 21st, GSN debuted the new original game show, Catch 21, combining pop trivia and the classic card game. This also marks the game show hosting debut of Alfonso Ribeiro, probably best known for playing the role of Carlton Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

As far as Alfonso's hosting goes... I do like the fact that he's capable of doing the job, and judging from his appearance on GSN Live and the documentary that was made, he looks like he actually wants to be there. He's having fun on the set, and is friendly to the contestants, which are all definitely plusses. But I think he still needs a little work. He could really stand to shout less. But it's his first hosting job ever, so there's always room for improvement.

The format is pretty good. I always love the idea of pop culture and things of that nature mixed in with the questions, and this show is certainly no different. The questions seem to be easy enough for a game like this. And I must admit, I've watched so much Card Sharks in the past three or four years that I'm so used to the ace being the highest card in the deck and not the lowest.

The contestants on the episode I reviewed seem to be pretty decent... though they could stand to tone it down a bit as well. And judging from GSN's latest promo that uses the word "decaf," they seem to be using overexcited contestants to their advantage and I don't really like the idea of that. Of course, I want to see players that want to be there, but I don't like it when a show is too loud.

Minor notes: I love the set. It seems to be a thing nowadays ever since Millionaire for most game shows to have the coldest, darkest, and busiest sets ever made and that can get really grating over time. But Catch 21's is very colorful and bright, not to mention lively and it really fits the mood of the show. I also like that this show has an actual theme. I don't like the current trend where most game shows' themes have the same 7 or 8 notes repeated over and over.