The GSN documentary train got back on track last weekend with the Game Show Hall of Fame tribute to Millionaire. The interviews really sold it for me--Davies, Regis, Meredith, all were there. I was impressed with the amount of airtime they gave to Meredith; the show is much more well known for Regis, despite his version being off the air for a few years now, so it was good to see Meredith get the attention she deserved.

Couple of things that seemed to be left out -- no mention of the show's Emmy win or Meredith's hosting trophy; that seemed odd. An interview with Chris Tarrant would have been nice, since he was the original host, although he was shown in clips. And no mention of the show's international fame. I think the show holds a record for having aired in the most countries around the world (if not, it's a close #2 to Wheel).

One real annoyance about the special was the *constant* plugs for the new Game Show Hall of Fame that was created for this special. I have no complaints about the idea of such a Hall, but they really seemed to be over-selling it to the viewer. I lost track of how many times I heard the phrase "And that's why Millionaire is being inducted into the Game Show Hall of Fame", complete with the GSHOF logo flying all over the screen. Even more curious was that these shout outs seemed to happen smack in the middle of a segment in the special. It was sort of jarring and was the only detraction from an otherwise high-quality production.

One other question I had to ask. Assuming the GSHOF is going to be an ongoing series on GSN, why was Millionaire the first inductee? I can't think of a more recent show that would be in such a Hall (except, sigh, Deal or No Deal), and it's common practice in the life cycle of a Hall of Fame to start with the earliest inductees first. But maybe I'm just too old fashioned.

 

posted by Brad @ 9:20 PM   4 comment(s)