Game Shows That are Still On

I revealed some of my favourite classic game shows already, but there's a few others that have remained on the air to this very day.

Some, like The Price is Right, have been on air for many decades, while others have enjoyed a recent reboot.

Here's a few familar faves...

The Price is Right

What can I say about The Price is Right that you don't already know?  The show premiered in 1956 with Bill Cullen as the host. It aired until 1965 and was very different than the game show we're used to seeing now.

The current version of The Price is Right debuted on CBS daytime in 1972. It was hosted by the wildly popular Bob Barker, until he retired in 2007, when comedian Drew Carey took over (a move that some still disaprove of.)

What makes the show a success is that in each episode there's 6 different pricing games played. They retire some games and add new ones, which keeps the show current. It's also the only game show to sucessfully air for an entire hour on daytime TV. Others have tried (such as Wheel of Fortune and the incredibly bad Match Game/ Hollywood Squares Hour) but only the Price is Right has been able to pull it off.

Here's a rare treat...it's the final episode featuring Bob Barker...

Press Your Luck

You'd have to be living under a rock not to have heard of Press Your Luck, possibly the most suspenceful game show ever. What you may not know is that Press Your Luck is actually a reworked version of a short-lived 1977 games called Second Chance. In that show, they didn't have Whammy's, instead they had devils, but otherwise it was the same concept. Win spins on the big electronic game board, accumulate money & prizes and avoid the dreaded Whammys, who take your winnings away.

Press Your Luck aired on CBS from 1983-1986 and was hosted by Peter Tomarken. Repeats of the show have aired on game show specialty networks ever since (currently including Game network Canada and Buzzr in the US.)

The series was the subject of a scandal when a cunning contestant named Michael Larson had studied the light patterns of the game board, knowing precisely when to hit his "stop" button without hitting a Whammy. He won over $100,000 and his time playing the game ran so long the show had to be aired in two consecutive episodes. To see a documentary about Michael Larson's Press Your Luck story CLICK HERE. 

In 2002 the Game Show Network (GSN) debuted Whammy! The New Press Your Luck. The game premise was the same but also included "Double Whammy's" where the contestant not only lost all their winnings, they also had stuff poured on them, like feathers, flour, foam and slime. Thankfully the show only stuck around for a year and a half.

In 2019 ABC brought the show back in a weekly primetime one hour version hosted by Elizabeth Banks. Once again, it was a big hit and is slated to return to ABC's 'Fun & Games' lineup this summer.

Card Sharks

Our final game is Card Sharks which has seen no less than four incarnations since the 70's. The original show aired on NBC from 1978-1981 and was hosted by Jim Perry. It returned on CBS from 1986-1989 this time hosted by Bob Eubanks (best known as the host of the original Newlyweds Game.) A short-lived version with Pat Bullard as host aired in 2001 and last year a one hour primetime edition featuring Joel McHale as host debuted on ABC.

The premise is fairly simple. Two contestants, each given an oversized deck of cards, try to determine if their next card will be higher or lower than the card before. Control of the board is determined after the contestants answer questions. The players luck is determined by the cards, which they "cut" off camera, prior to airtime.

The original versions air on Buzzr network and the reboot version with Joel McHale is slated to return to ABC this summer.

(A side note....the show's catchy opening jingle was the inspiration for Scribbles miD|Way game.)

If you want to watch more of these game shows OR have others you'd like to watch, go to You Tube and "search" for the game using its title.

  And here's some links to other popular games...  

Let's Make a Deal, (the original version featuring Monty Hall as host)
Password (Alan Luden host, Carol Burnett guest stars)
Tattletales Burt Convey host, Betty White guest)
Match Game '73 (real good episode)
Hollywood Squares