Fall ’24 Game Show Preview
The new season of game shows is underway. See what to expect.
The Fall 2024 game show season is starting up and there’s a lot of new stuff to look at.
Of course, the biggest news is Ryan Seacrest taking over for Pat Sajak on the daytime syndicated version of Wheel of Fortune. Ryan’s consummate emcee practice has given him a head start in getting up to speed with the game. Hidden monitors in the host’s station and cue cards off stage mean that Ryan isn’t looking at cards like Pat did, which should in term make the conversation between the host and the contestants look more natural. In time, Seacrest will get more comfortable in the role (although this week’s episodes are about his 5th actual week hosting or so). Ushering in Seacrest as the new host is a new set, and reviews are bad. The set, a bright blue and gold affair, looks busy and muddled. Compared to, say, the UK’s most recent set, it’s a wonder why they went in this simultaneously sparse and busy direction.
Jeopardy!’s latest gimmick is a distinct lack of gimmick. The season started, refreshingly, with a standard game; no more never-ending tournaments. The tournament schedule this year is vastly reduced compared to the strike-laden production season last year. I’m happy we finally get to see more new contestants on the Alex Trebek stage.
The new GSN/syndicated show Flip Side hosted by Jaleel White has premiered in some syndicated markets—creator Dave Noll has crafted another mediocre milquetoast easy-to-churn 100 episode affair that perfectly fits with the rest of the GSN lineup. He’s no Mark Goodson, but there’s no doubt his success in the industry.
Family Feud has gotten rid of the 5-win car prize for this season, now giving teams a bonus $10,000 and a trip (which is way easier to split up than 1/5th of a car). Person, Place or Thing has a brand-new front round; 9 questions for 50 points each. Players are told the category, three choices and a clue, and then it’s a race for the buzzers. It’s a fresh new change that I really appreciate. In addition, there’s new episodes of 25 Words or Less and Pictionary airing as well.
It’s a really good time for game shows right now. As the fall syndicated season progresses, we’ll be sure to update you with new and interesting tidbits!