TV Guide's 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time
This list is a list of the greatest game shows in television history based on critical reception, diversity and cultural impact. Including both retro, (pre-1960s,) and modern, (1970s-present.) Excluding those with mixed, negative and panned reception. No specific ranking.
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- CreatorChris BeardeStarsChuck BarrisTrixie DejongeGary OwensAmateur talent contest judged by three celebrities.
- CreatorMerv GriffinStarsAlex TrebekJohnny GilbertJimmy McGuireA returning champion and two challengers test their buzzer skills and their knowledge in a wide range of academic and popular categories.
- StarsJack BarryJohnny JacobsBill CullenA long-running quiz show hosted by TV veteran Jack Barry, and later by Bill Cullen. In this show, contestants would have to answer questions on a wide variety of topics, with the prize money determined by a slot machine-style device. The winning contestant could then move on to a bonus round, where they would play a slot machine for a chance at even bigger prizes, but with the risk of losing everything.
- CreatorMerv GriffinStarsPat SajakVanna WhiteCharlie O'DonnellHosted by Pat Sajak, this game show features 3 contestants who try to solve a puzzle by spinning the wheel and guessing letters in a word or phrase.
- CreatorMark GoodsonStarsRichard DawsonGene WoodJohnny GilbertTwo families compete by trying to outguess the opponents about survey results.
- StarsAllen LuddenTom KennedyBill CullenRevised version of the verenable Goodson-Todman game show, where celebrity-contestant teams try to convey passwords.
- StarsBob BarkerJanice PenningtonDian ParkinsonContestants compete for prizes and cash, including cars and vacations, in games that test their knowledge of consumer goods pricing.
- CreatorSteven KnightStarsChris TarrantJeremy ClarksonJudith KeppelThe original British version of the popular quiz show, that became a worldwide phenomenon.
- StarsGene RayburnJohnny OlsonBrett SomersA group of celebrities would be given a sentence with a missing word, which they would then have to fill in. The contestants would then give their own answer, and scored points according to how many celebrities gave the same answer.
- StarsGene RayburnJohnny OlsonBrett SomersThe five-day-a-week syndicated successor to the popular CBS game show, where two could compete to match fill-in-the-blank phrases with those of the celebrities.
- StarsBert ConvyGene WoodJamie FarrSecond revised version of the classic Mark Goodson game show, where celebrity-contestant teams conveyed passwords using one-word clues.
- StarsBob HolnessLiza TarbuckDaniel StraussGeneral knowledge quiz for 16-18-year-olds.
- StarsJim PerryJanice BakerGene WoodHosted by Jim Perry, were contestants are asked questions about how 100 people answered a poll question then played a card game where they tried to guess whether the next card drawn from a deck in a sequence would be higher or lower.
- StarsMarc SummersJohn HarveyRobin MarrellaOne in a long-running series of game shows, where two-member teams of children compete to answer questions and complete stunts.
- CreatorBill CarruthersJan McCormickStarsPeter TomarkenRod RoddyCharlie O'DonnellA game show where contestents answer trivia questions and then have to gamble their winnings on a randomly flashing game board.
- StarsDonny OsmondJohn CramerMelissa PetermanRevival of the classic word association game show, where teams attempt to convey a category of words and/or phrases within a time limit.
- StarsVicki LawrenceBert ConvyLinda BlairSyndicated show which debuted in the USA in September 1987, and ran until 1989. Two teams of three men and three women competed, one person from a team was given the name of a famous person and had to communicate the name to the rest of the team by drawing pictures.
- CreatorMatt KunitzStarsJohn HensonJohn AndersonJill WagnerContestants make their way through a giant obstacle course to win a cash prize.
- StarsBen SteinJimmy KimmelNancy M. PimentalContestants compete against each other and host Ben Stein for a chance to win money from Stein himself.
- CreatorMark LevesonDan PattersonStarsDrew CareyColin MochrieRyan StilesImprovisational comedy competition show in which four members of the regular cast as comedians and often with guest appearances with other comedians and celebrities and members of the audience perform various comic games and sketches.
- CreatorIra SkutchStarsBert ConvyGene WoodJack ClarkCelebrities & their spouses, playing for sections of the studio audience, try to match answers to questions about their personal lives.
- StarsChuck WooleryCharlie TunaJay StewartFor years, one of America's favorite board games was Scrabble, the Selchow & Righter-marketed game introduced in the 1930s. The game was revised and brought to television in 1984 by Reg Grundy Productions. Two contestants competed in the "crossword" round, played on a giant Scrabble board. Host Woolery announces a letter to build on, announces the number of letters in the word and reads a clue to said word (e.g., a seven letter word; "Experts really know how to pick them"; answer: "pockets"). The contestant chosen to go first draws two numbered tiles from the rack; the rack (positioned between the contestants) contained all the letters in the word, plus three "stoppers," or letters not in the puzzle. The contestant indicates which letter he wants to place in the word; if the letter fits, he/she may either attempt to guess the word or place another letter in the puzzle (the contestant draws two more tiles if he/she still doesn't attempt a guess). If the letter tried is a "stopper" or the contestant gives an incorrect solution, control passes to the opponent; letters landing on blue or pink squares were worth cash bonuses if they correctly guessed the word (#500 and #1,000 respectively, which the players kept regardless if they won the game). Play on the current word continues until all three "stoppers" are found (at which time a "speedword" format was used) or until one letter remained in the puzzle. The contestant who guesses the word correctly wins one point; all subsequent words were built on a letter in the previous word. The first player to win three points won the game, #500 and played the Sprint Round. In the Sprint Round, the contestant played vs. the returning champion to guess a given number of words in a shorter time period than the opponent. Either way, the "speedword" format was used, with Woolery giving the number of letters in the word and a clue. The contestant was shown two letters at a time; there were no "stoppers" in the Sprint Round, though a 10-second penalty was assessed for incorrect guesses. The winner of the Sprint Round received a cash bonus (usually #1,000), returns as champion and played the Bonus Sprint against the clock. In the Bonus Sprint, the contestant had to guess two words, again under the "speedword" format, within 10 seconds to win #5,000 (plus #1,000 for each day it was not won); an incorrect guess at any point stopped the game. Champions continued until their defeat or until winning 10 Sprint Rounds. The rules o both the crossword and Sprint rounds changed several times during the show's run, most commonly relating to bonuses and the Sprint Round formats and how returning champions were determined; the above plot summary indicates the most enduring format.
- StarsJim PerrySummer BartholomewLou MulfordUpdated version of the 1969-1974 NBC game show. Three contestants competed to answer trivia questions, with scoring in dollars. The game was interrupted at certain intervals for Instant Bargains, which allowed the player in the lead to buy a prize at a discounted prize (e.g., a $795 stereo color TV for $6), always at the risk of later losing the game; and a new feature, the "Fame Game," where the host read first-person clues leading to the identity of a person, place, thing, etc., with the winner having a chance to earn cash, a bonus prize or add to his score with the choice of one of nine numbers. The player with the highest score could elect to use his score money to buy specially-discounted luxury items (e.g., a $4,500 diamond-studded Swiss watch for $120), or accumulate his score money by winning future games and having access to either a luxury car, an escalating jackpot which began at $50,000 and increased by $1,000 per show until won, or everything on stage. Later in the show's run, the endgame's format changed, where champions chose prizes via a matching game; and again later by solving phrases within 30 seconds to win a cash bonus.
- StarsJohn DalyArlene FrancisBennett CerfFour panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions.
- StarsGroucho MarxGeorge FennemanMelinda MarxGroucho Marx hosts a quiz show which features a series of competitive questions and a great deal of humourous conversation.
- StarsJay JacksonJack BarryGene RayburnThe classic quiz show hosted by Win Elliot. In this game, the contestants are faced with a tic-tac-toe board with a different category in each square. To put their mark (X or O) in the square they want, they must first answer a question in the category listed there. For each question they answer correctly, they win a cash prize. The first contestant to put their mark in three squares in a row gets to keep the cash and move on to a bonus round for even bigger prizes.
- StarsBud CollyerDolores RosedaleBern BennettClassic game show where couples (and sometimes families) competed to win prizes by completing stunts within a time limit.
- StarsBud CollyerJohnny OlsonKitty CarlisleClassic game show in which a person of some notoriety and two impostors try to match wits with a panel of four celebrities. The object of the game is to try to fool the celebrities into voting for the two impostors.
- StarsGeoffrey HolderHal MarchJoyce BrothersAmong the most influential of the big-money quiz shows, and the undisputed king of the genre of the 1950s, contestants answer questions in a specific field in an attempt to win $64,000.
- StarsEdgar BergenCharlie McCarthyMortimer SnerdMarried pairs of contestants were asked to answer questions, the husband deciding whether he or she would answer. The original emcee Edgar Bergen was later replaced by Johnny Carson.
- StarsDon PardoBill CullenJack NarzThe original version of an American icon, "The Price is Right" rewarded contestants with valuable prizes for their ability to price items.
- StarsJan MurrayTom ReddyBuddy HackettThe original version of the game show, where contestants use their intuition and luck to help them win cash and prizes by deciding whether to keep the unknown contents of a box they have chosen.
- StarsMonty HallCarol MerrillJay StewartAudience contestants picked at random, dressed in ridiculous costumes, try to win cash or prizes by choosing curtain number 1, 2 or 3. Hilarious situations occur, from winning a rotten prize to jackpot.
- StarsAllen LuddenJack ClarkJohn HarlanTwo celebrity-contestant teams compete to guess words by giving one-word clues in this all-time classic game show.
- CreatorE. Roger MuirNick NicholsonStarsBob EubanksJohnny JacobsJames FarentinoMarried couples compete to see how much they really know about each other.
- StarsJohnny OlsonBert ParksAudrey MeadowsA panel of celebrities met with another celebrity who was in heavy make-up and/or costume; this disguise would always provide clues to the celebrity's actual identity. The panel asked yes-or-no questions to the celebrity, and then received another clue about the celebrity's identity at the end of the round. After the clue, the panel had one last chance to guess the identity, followed by the celebrity revealing their true identity. (1952)
- StarsHugh DownsBob ClaytonPaola DivaTwo contestants revealed pieces of a rebus-like puzzle by matching 15 pairs of cash amounts and prizes, then tried to solve it before the other.
- CreatorJean-Paul BlondeauJean-Jacques VitalStarsJan MurrayKen RobertsDagmarA prime-time game show, where contestants earned one dollar for each second that the host's questions were answered correctly. Incorrect replies earned punishment - a stunt had to be performed, a la "Truth or Consequences".
- StarsJohn McPheeHerbert PolesieFlorence RinardA television version of the radio quiz show "Twenty Questions". Panelists had to guess in twenty questions the identity of an item selected by the audience members. The television show started in November 1949 as a local show in New York state, broadcast by WOR-TV. It then was picked up as a program by the network NBC, for the last month of 1949. ABC broadcast the show from 1950 to 1951, and the DuMont Television Network broadcast it from 1951 to 1954. The show returned to ABC from 1954 to 1955, but was then canceled permanently. There were pilot episodes for attempted revivals of the show in 1975 and 1989, but neither pilot attracted much interest.
- StarsTom KennedyJohn HarlanPat CarrollTwo teams of two players compete against each other to determine the name of a famous person. One member of the team, who knew the answer, would give clues to his or her teammate.
- CreatorHarry SalterRoberta Semple SalterStarsPat WhiteBill CullenNorman 'Red' BensonThe original version of the popular and long-running quiz show, hosted by Red Benson Contestants competed to see who had the more comprehensive knowledge of popular songs by trying to be the first to identify pieces of music. Additional challenges included contestants bidding to see who could "name that tune" in as few notes as possible.
- StarsJoan AlexanderRobert Q. LewisGene RayburnGuests who have the same name as famous persons, fictional characters, or things, are quizzed by celebrity panelists who try to determine their name.
- StarsGene RayburnJohnny OlsonBetty WhiteThis is The 1st Edition of the program. Composed of 2 Teams of 3 Members (2 In-Studio team members and 1 Star Team Captain) are writing answers to an question {e.g.: Name a part of a chicken} that'll/this'll read(ing) by the host/star (Gene Rayburn) and one(1) member of the team wrote/writes the answer {e.g.: Leg}. The 1st and 2nd Members of the team has/having the same answer is/are matched and that'll/this'll be worth 25 points (10 points-early in the run from December 31, 1962 to February 8, 1963) and the star team captain matched the same answer and that'll/this'll be worth 50 points (20 points). The 1st Team score 100 points wins the game and collect $100 and played "The Studio Audience Match." In "The Studio Audience Match", That/This has 3 Secret Survey Questions which it This/That all occurs the date this/that held/holds the 3 Questions prior to the broadcast of "The MATCH GamE". Each 1 of the 3 secret survey questions that/this has/having the all-time popular answer will be match by the same 3 members of the winning team called "THE BEST ANSWER." Each matching answer that'll/this'll determine what he or she thinking up that/this answer of their judgment is valued at in the following - 1 Person Matched worth $50, 2 People Match worth $100 and All 3 People Match includes A Star Team Captain worth $150 and the possible total of the 3 questions is worth $450 and that/this can be added to $100 and can be the perfect total of $550. The Game Continues before time's up with the sound of whistle blow and the 2 members of the team has the highest cash amount became today's winners. On the weekday of February 27-March 3, 1967 Before the show is over...There's "The Telephone Match" becomes a feature to the program. The Host reads the question {i.e.: _____ Soup} to the home viewer via telephone call and picks 1 member of the studio audience (by a number from 1 to 100+) will match the answer {i.e.: Vegetable Soup} as well the member wrote the answer and that's a match wins the share of jackpot started at $500. $100 will be added when it's a mismatch {i.e.: Alphabet Soup}.
- CreatorMerv GriffinStarsArt FlemingDon PardoMel BrooksA quiz competition in which contestants are presented with general knowledge clues in the form of answers and must phrase their responses in the form of questions.
- CreatorMerrill HeatterBob QuigleyStarsPeter MarshallKenny WilliamsWally CoxPrimetime version of the game show; ran on NBC from January 12 to September 13, 1968 as a mid-season replacement. The first two games were the Secret Square games; one offered a trip and the other offered a car or occasionally a boat.
- StarsPeter MarshallKenny WilliamsVincent PriceThis is a prime-time or syndicated version of The Hollywood Squares that originated in 1971 after as successful run of the daytime version. The object of the game is to get 3 in a row either across, up and down, or diagonally. The contestants choose a celebrity, the host asks the celebrity the question and depending on what the celebrity's response is will depend on whether the contestant will agree or disagree. If the contestant gets the question correct they will get the square; if not the other contestant will get the square. Unless the contestant can win by getting that square then that contestant has to win the square on their own instead of getting it because the other contestant gets the answer wrong. Celebrites are encouraged to bluff the answers. Many times the celebrity will give a quick joke called a zinger. Male contestants are 'X' and Female contestants are 'O'
- CreatorMerrill HeatterBob QuigleyStarsPeter MarshallKenny WilliamsCliff ArquetteContestants guess the correctness of celebrities' answers in order to win spaces in a tic-tac-toe game.
- CreatorAllan ShermanHoward MerrillStarsGarry MooreJohn CannonHenry MorganA group of panelists try to guess a guest's secret.