"Let’s Make a Deal" ratings are up but... mostly made up of older viewers

[alphanguy74]

I also think a host can make or break a show. TPIR is a perfect example of that. I'm not a regular viewer of TPIR, but sometimes I'd watch (Since it preceds Y&R) if I had nothing better to do. But anymore, I don't do that anymore. I simply cannot take Drew Carey and his totally DEAD stage presence. Does somebody slip a Miltown and a Seconal in his cheerios every morning? I've HAD IT with these production companies hiring comedians to host game shows.... I want a host, a PROFESSIONAL HOST. Wayne Brady is the only one who works in that role, and although he comes from comedy, for some reason he WORKS as a host, and seems to be transitioning into that type of personality. Hell... it might have worked if they'd had Brady hosting Pyramid. I'm sure all of this was decided by Barbara Bloom. That bitch is so dumb, she has to take off her blouse to count to two. But I can tell you, even as a child when I was a FREAK for game shows... I NEVER watched LMAD. Monty Hall was a nice, personable host.... but the show always seemed gimmicky and stupid to me, and not much suspense.

[jfung79]

CBS had good reason to think Drew Carey would be a good host for TPIR. He was successful as a host on Power of Ten. CBS has made many stupid/evil moves that they should have known were stupid/evil, but I don't think they should have known that hiring Carey was a bad move.

But I don't think the host makes that much difference, more the concept ... TPIR is still doing okay in the ratings even with people complaining about Drew Carey. And, TPIR is still way old-skewing even with Carey drawing in a slightly younger audience.

There's really no reason CBS should have thought that LMAD or any game show would not be old-skewing based on the game show ratings in syndication. So either they are stupid (possible), or they just wanted to get rid of Guiding Light now and not even give it till 2010 to maybe turn around like ATWT (evil - also possible), or they are fine with low ratings in prize demos from LMAD coz it's cheap (possible too).

[bellcurve]

Did Hulu really back off? I'm glad.

Because they know ain't nobody gone pay for Hulu. All they need to do is just stick more NuvaRing ads in the middle of these shows and all will be right with the world.

+1

+1, +1, +1!

What do we have to do to get Todd Newton a job in gameshows?!

And some anti-hosts/comedians work well in gameshows, but they have to know what they're doing. Kennedy(Friend or Foe) and George Gray(The Weakest Link) were great on their respective game shows.

I'm pretty sure Barbara Bloom and her lower-level execs haven't seen a single episode of Chappelle's Show. Doesn't seem like their kind of show. But I could be wrong.

And Wayne Brady has NEVER appealed to college kids or females 18-49. That's the main reason for the Chappelle's Show parody in the first place. Brady is a trusted family name, having appeared on the risque, but "think about why this is so dirty/funny" Whose Line is it Anyway? and having his own talk show where he won for host, not once, but TWICE. Even after the damn thing was cancelled.

CBS didn't pick Wayne Brady because he'd appeal to a younger demo. They picked him because they knew he'd be a good host and because he's safe.

Honey, they picked Drew Carey BEFORE the Power of Ten even premiered. They picked him before even auditioning him. And The Power of Ten is a far more different game show than TPIR. What made Power of Ten "work" was the amount of money won. What is supposed to make Price work is the interaction between the flirty, cheesy host and the contestants. Bob Barker could be a condescending, offensive old coot, but at least he has a personality. Drew mumbles through everything, he sucks at building any sort of suspense, and he just seems so bored. Drew is pathetic and they knew that from day one. They just honestly assumed Drew, the name, would stabilize The Price is Right after Bob Barker left. It had nothing to do with his "success"(or lack thereof) on The Power of Ten.

[Sylph]

So you're saying CBS cancelled a show whose ratings were rising steadily from 2006 onwards?

[DRW50]

With the Internet providers and their plans to cap broadband, if those go through, I wonder how long Hulu will be around anyway.

[bellcurve]

Capping Broadband? That will never happen!

[alphanguy74]

I wonder if CBS had a hand in Carey's selection or if it was all FREEmantle? Hell.... if they wanted name recognition, and someone who's a professional host, I wouldn't have minded SEACREST hosting TPIR. At least he pretty to look at and can exibit some excitement. The art of hosting seems to be almost dead, shows always pick personalities from other Genres, and it almost never works... need I mention Rolf Bienershke?

[kalbir]

Wayne Brady makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X.

[MarkH]

LOL. Don't make me break out my graphs. The week jfung shows has Passions at bottom (but that doesn't count, because it was on the cancellation trajectory anyway). So the only thing that was special about that week was that AMC was below GL. That was obviously short lived. GL was at the bottom (not counting Passions) long before and long after.

My read is that GL has been at or near the bottom of the pack since the early 1980s. Oh, it may have jostled for one of the lower positions, but for several decades, it has been at bottom. There is little way to view CBS' long resistance to canceling it as anything but generosity to a long-term loyal fanbase, in my opinion. That's the same goodwill that keeps most of the soaps on air these days, despite marginal profitability.

[SFK]

Would you guys have preferred Rosie O'Donnell over Drew Carey? I wonder. Thing is, I don't think Rosie would have been too good at putting all the focus on the contestants, she would annoy us trying to work in personal anecdotes. Her show was really the best thing she's ever done, it was the perfect format for her before it got all preachy.

[MarkH]

Yes, yes, yes. I love Rosie. She's a personality!

[bellcurve]

I think alot of it was Les Moonves and Nina Tassler. FREEmantle definitely wanted someone outside of gameshows, hence the auditioning of George Hamilton, Ian Ziering, Mario Lopez, etc. It was probably Kathy Greco and Roger Dobkowitz who recommended Todd Newton, (maybe) Mark Steinez, Doug Davidson, and the host of Mexican TPIR(who I heard was considered and IIRC, even auditioned).

Ryan Seacrest would have been "good," but he would have never "lowered" himself to do Price. It would have been better than Drew AND he would have stayed in the FREEmantle family.

Rolf Benirschke was a bloody joke. Merv Griffin should be ashamed of himself for that one.

Careful. Wayne Brady may have to choke a bitch.

HELL EFFING NO!

In addition to liberals and conservatives alike hating Rosie, she also tried to move the show to NY and actually suggested naked Broadway boys instead of Barker Beauties. Pathetic.

[SFK]

I knew she wanted to bring the show to NY since she didn't want to move, but the cast of Broadway Bares too? Oh Lawd. I'm not sure that comedians are always the best choice for these hosting gigs, I think Wayne Brady and Jeff Foxworthy do good jobs, but some comedians' personalities just don't lend themselves to handing over spotlight or even being enthusiastic hosts for that matter (Drew, Louis Anderson). A lot of agencies are opening Hosting divisions and I like that, it's a specialty/talent of its own.

Later incarnations haven't worked because the world has become decidedly less prudish, a lot less is risque and what is risque these days certainly doesn't belong on daytime television, but I loved Match Game, I wish that one would come back. Or Win, Lose, or Draw. I'd take either of those (cheaper!) shows over LMAD, which I was actually in the studio audience for many years ago.

[DRW50]

I want to see Name That Tune again.

[MarkH]

Damn yes, but it would be an epic failure.

Music has become so fragmented and niche-oriented, there would be no way to do a show like this to appeal to relatively current music tastes where one person would know most songs.

If you look at the Glee playlist, it tends heavily toward R&B/Hiphop, and very little of the music comes from before 1985. That's fine...they're doing a "music of your life" for the 18-29 generation.

For Name That Tune to work today, we'd need diff programs for diff generations.

Is Tom Kennedy still alive?