Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is a game show?
What is a game show?
When did the first television game show air?
When did the first television game show air?
What is the difference between lower-stakes and higher-stakes game shows in the 1950s?
What is the difference between lower-stakes and higher-stakes game shows in the 1950s?
What led to the decline in ratings of high-stakes quiz shows in the late 1950s?
What led to the decline in ratings of high-stakes quiz shows in the late 1950s?
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What type of game show survived the quiz show scandals and continued to thrive in primetime in the UK?
What type of game show survived the quiz show scandals and continued to thrive in primetime in the UK?
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What allowed for the debut of game shows like Supermarket Sweep and Debt in the 1980s and 90s?
What allowed for the debut of game shows like Supermarket Sweep and Debt in the 1980s and 90s?
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Which country has had a more steady and permanent place for game shows in its television lineup?
Which country has had a more steady and permanent place for game shows in its television lineup?
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What game show became a global hit in the late 1990s and led to a boom of short-lived high-stakes games?
What game show became a global hit in the late 1990s and led to a boom of short-lived high-stakes games?
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What is a bonus round in a game show?
What is a bonus round in a game show?
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Study Notes
History and Evolution of Game Shows
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Game shows are a genre of broadcast entertainment where contestants compete for a reward.
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The first television game show, Spelling Bee, aired in 1938, and the first radio game show, Information Please, also aired in 1938.
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Game shows became a fixture of US daytime television in the 1950s, with lower-stakes games for stay-at-home housewives and higher-stakes programs for prime time.
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Quiz shows became popular in the late 1950s with high-stakes games like Twenty-One and The $64,000 Question.
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The quiz show scandals of the late 1950s exposed that many of the higher stakes game shows were biased or outright scripted, leading to a decline in ratings and most of the primetime games being canceled.
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Panel shows, a variant of game shows, survived the quiz show scandals and continued to thrive in primetime in the UK.
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The 1970s saw a renaissance of the game show with new games and massive upgrades to existing games.
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The rise of cable television in the 1980s and 90s allowed for the debut of game shows like Supermarket Sweep and Debt, and opened up a previously underdeveloped market for game show reruns.
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In the United Kingdom, game shows have had a more steady and permanent place in the television lineup than in the United States.
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The British game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? became a global hit in the late 1990s and led to a boom of short-lived high-stakes games.
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Prime time revivals of classic daytime game shows began to emerge in the mid-2010s, with new versions of To Tell the Truth, The $100,000 Pyramid, and Match Game, among others.
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Game shows have had an inconsistent place in television in Canada, with most homegrown game shows being made for the French-speaking Quebec market.
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The Japanese game show is a distinct format, borrowing heavily from variety formats, physical stunts, and athletic competitions.
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Many of the prizes awarded on game shows are provided through product placement or promotional consideration.Game Show Prizes and Bonus Rounds
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Insurance companies may refuse to insure a show with a prize that is won too often.
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American networks had restrictions on the amount of money that could be given away on a game show until the 1990s to avoid scandals.
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British television had stricter regulations on prizes until the 1990s, seriously restricting the value of prizes that could be given and disallowing games of chance to have an influence on the results of the game.
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The bonus round follows the main game as a bonus to the winner of that game and is usually played for the show's top prize.
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The bonus round is often played without an opponent with two notable exceptions on Jeopardy! and the current version of The Price Is Right.
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Until the 1960s, most game shows did not offer a bonus round, and the winner became the champion and played a new challenger.
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One of the earliest forms of bonus rounds was the Jackpot Round of the original series Beat the Clock.
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Another early bonus round ended each episode of You Bet Your Life with the team who won the most money answering one final question for a jackpot.
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Another early example was the Lightning Round on the word game Password, starting in 1961.
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The bonus round came about after game show producer Mark Goodson was first presented Password.
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The end game of Match Game served as the impetus for a completely new game show, Family Feud.
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The bonus round is played without an opponent and is usually played for the show's top prize.
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Description
Think you know everything about game shows? Test your knowledge with our quiz on the history and evolution of game shows! From the first televised game show to the rise of high-stakes quiz shows and the modern-day revival of classic game shows, this quiz covers it all. See if you can identify the key moments, scandals, and trends that have shaped the game show genre over the years. Challenge yourself and see how much you know about game shows and their fascinating history.
