Chico Alexander and Gordon Pepper
editors

According to the famous saying, "The only constant is change." Most of the returning game shows are doing just that, as sagging ratings are causing them to undergo high-profile makeovers. Last season, many games have been on the downslide, highlighted by the September 11th coverage wreaking havoc on the syndication market.

As of this writing, previous syndication darling "Hollywood Squares" is a quarter off its previous year mark. "Family Feud," which was amongst the top 25 syndicated series in 1999 and 2000, is down 12 percent. Even the long standing kings of first-runs, "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" are down by a tenth from year-ago marks.

Garnett Losak of the Petry Media Group gives a grim forecast for programming development and redevelopment for the genre. According to Losak, the entries for the past few years have been "lukewarm, not bad enough to cancel and a struggle to renew.  I think this season will be very interesting for the game format in that, if one of them doesn't hit big, we just may see game-show development going back to remission."

Change Is In The Air

The new fall season offers viewers a chance to re-evaluate the format for some shows. The television bigwigs, meanwhile, review the facts (which include viewer response, Nielsen ratings, and overall appeal) and see if the changes implemented were indeed for the better.

Since day one, "Hollywood Squares" (September 16) has been trying to capture that spark that made the original version a classic. However, ratings have been declining in the later years. This show has made the
most radical changes of all of the major returning ones. The most radical change - the departure of cornerstone and star Whoopi Goldberg and head writer Bruce Vilanch and the addition of new head honchos Henry Winkler and Michael Levitt.

Winkler has wasted no time making changes to the show. In addition to rotating the Center Square (so far, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Degeneres, Peter Marshall, and Burt Reynolds have been signed), Winkler and Levitt are making major changes to the series' overall look and feel. The set has been completely redesigned, a new team of writers is in place and contestants will now play the game standing rather than sitting. A new Bonus Round will include all nine celebrities, and will give each day's returning champion the opportunity to take home cash and prizes.

According to a press release, a lively new theme song will invite viewers to join the five-day-a-week party, and the new show opening will employ graphics that will give Squares a look unlike any other show on television. Fun and exciting footage of each celebrity guest will take viewers backstage to experience the same energy that fuels the series' enthusiastic studio audience. Another new feature this season will be that viewers will be able to submit their own questions. In addition, the series will be branded with a new logo. While the basic geographic layout of the set is the same, there are a lot of noticeably new elements. "There is more of a "square" motif to the set. There is a brand new bonus round, one that in my opinion works better in terms of building supsense and integrating the celebs more than the one from last season," says FremantleMedia's Mandel Ilagan, a game show developer and long-time connoisseur of the genre. 

High Hopes

Furthermore, Mandel goes on to state that Center Square Ellen Degeneres "did a great job as center square in the episodes we saw. I actually found her zingers to be a bit more clever from a comedic standpoint than Whoopi's. She never went for the obvious joke."  Ilagan has high hopes for Squares, as well as his own company's relaunched "Family Feud," which launches its new season on September 16.

 "As to Richard (Karn, the new host), he's doing a good job so far. He's got a grasp of the mechanics of the game and he's very personable." Ilagan also cites the change in the set for the positive mood of the relaunch.

"The best way to describe it is a nice happy medium between the classic wood-look of the Richard Dawson and the spacey look of the Louie-era shows. There is less yellow and silver on the set and a lot more browns and blues. It really, really looks impressive on camera and even more in person. The family names are projected on a screen framed by wood behind each family podium. Burton's opening announcer intros are much more akin to the Dawson version complete with the name-by-name family roll call." Additionally, the addition of returning champions means that one family can win up to $100,000. "Needless to say, the changes that have been made for the upcoming season have all been for the better and have really served to pump some new life into the show," Ilagan said.

Changing of the Guard? Not Likely

But all of the changes made for those shows will probably not be enough to topple over the two syndicated game show media titans Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, according to Roger King, CEO of Wheel and J!'s syndicate, KingWorld.

"Strong production values have kept Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy challenging and entertaining. And the plethora of challengers have all blown up." Wheel and Jeopardy have been the top two rated first-run shows in syndication for two decades. "Wheel of Fortune" will begin its twentieth syndicated season with "Hot Cars Week," a staple since 1998. Last season saw the introduction of the bonus wheel during "Big Money Week," which allowed a lucky winner to spin for $100,000. This year, it premieres the "mystery wedges", two mystery spaces worth $500 on the front, hiding either a car or a bankrupt space. If you land on this, and find a letter, you may either take the money at $500/letter, or pick it up and turn it over.

Its prime access companion, "Jeopardy", is undergoing a change later in the season, premiering a new set for November sweeps. It follows up on the heels of the appearances of the J! Clue Crew and the doubling of money. Unfortunately, last season's Million Dollar Masters tournament, with Brad Rutter taking home the top purse, failed to lift the show out of its second-place syndication rating, proving that more money doesn't necessarily translate to higher ratings. The developments may or may not factor into KingWorld and Sony's plans for the twosome, as they have been renewed through 2007.

"The Price is Right," (September 23) which evolves every year with the addition of new pricing games, undergoes its most extensive makeover to date, basing its set design on the most recent summer primetime series, which were greeted with high marks and positive praise for its honoring of active duty military and other heroes of September 11. The panels on the turntable, which have been a multitude of colors since its inception in 1972, have been replaced with visuals of Hollywood and Southern California. The doors, also go an extensive makeover, refinishing its green border and repainting the doors.

Other Notable Changes

Beat the Geeks (July 8): The show, which entered its second season in July, launched a revised format, involving more of the Geeks in the first round and lifting the $5000 cap of the prize for the Geek-to-Geek Showdown. The previous host, J. Keith van Straaten, was also let go in favor of new host, comedy writer and comic Blaine Capatch. "Apparently the producers are making some changes, and alas I was one of them," van Straaten posted on the message board of his site, jkeith.net. As far as new Geeks, we have already seen the Toys Geek and the Beatles Geek. New Geeks include the Kiss Geek, the Nudity Geek, the Wrestling Geek, and the Saturday Morning TV Geek. Favorites returning from last season include South Park Geek Holly Chandler and Star Trek Geek Gabriel Koerner.

Weakest Link (September 23): In the third season of the show, the first full one in syndication, the top dollar has been raised to $100,000 from $75,000. Each chain is now worth $25,000. The fifth double round has been eliminated.

Street Smarts (September 23): No changes of note, but over the last year, the Frank Nicotero-hosted comedy game has been focusing on several special episodes, while the show itself has gone interactive last month on AOL TV thanks to affiliations with Telepictures Productions and its parent company, AOL Time Warner.

Win Ben Stein's Money (October 28): The biggest change for this show, is, alas, the most permanent; Comedy Central, who cites ratings woes, says that the sixth season, premiering in late October, would be its last. "The series was a mainstay for Comedy Central. It came in the year after 'The Daily Show' and the same year as 'South Park,'" quoted Comedy Central spokesman Steve Albani. "Unfortunately, ratings for 'Win Ben Stein's Money' have slipped over the course of the last year or so." The most recent change for the show has been in the replacement of the co-host, with Sal Iacono taking the helm, but the change is shadowed by the more unpleasant and permanent change.

Russian Roulette (fall): The GSN hit is recruiting "Feud" EP Michael Canter to bolster the game further. He'll join creator Gunnar Wetterburg in his duties.

Tom Heald contributed to this report.

IN THE NEXT DAYTIMEXTRA

Fall Preview 2002 continues on September 20 with the arrival and review of fall's four new entries by The GSNN editors and regular contributors. Next week, it was a day that left an indelible mark in America's history. In the months since, we have become united, not only in the game show scene, but as an entire nation, for a common good. DaytimExtra takes a look at the stories of tragedy and triumph that have emerged since September 11. "9/11: ONE YEAR LATER" is next week's DaytimExtra.