Game shows have been testing our smarts and reflexes for nearly a century. The genre first took root in the 1930s with radio quiz programs like Professor Quiz and Information Please before making the leap to television — and it’s been a pop culture staple ever since.
Today, the formats are as varied as the prizes: From rapid-fire trivia to elimination-style dating challenges, there’s something for every armchair contestant. But among the countless buzzers, puzzles, and lightning rounds, which game shows sweep the board?
No need to phone a friend, EW has already rounded up the all-time greats.
Card Sharks (1978–1981, 1986–1989, 2001, 2019–2021)
With one of the more convoluted game show setups — though no less delightful for it — Card Sharks has contestants attempt to answer absurd questions like, “How many of the 100 married women we surveyed lived with their spouse before they tied the knot?” One contestant guesses a number; the other guesses if it’s higher or lower. Whoever wins flips over a series of playing cards on the game board, trying to guess if the next card will be higher or lower in value than the last. ABC brought back this show from 2019 to 2021 with the amusingly smarmy Joel McHale as host.
Cash Cab (2005–2012, 2017–2020, 2024)
What if Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? took place in a taxi? That’s basically the premise of Cash Cab, which sees New Yorkers attempt to answer trivia questions for dough while host Ben Bailey drives them uptown or downtown. It’s an entertaining and potentially profitable way to pass the time in traffic. However, if players give three wrong answers, they’re kicked to the curb. Still, we probably know some New Yorkers who’ve had worse cab rides.
The show ended in 2012, but Discovery brought it back in 2017 with Bailey still behind the wheel. In 2019, it moved from Discovery to Bravo before ending in 2020. In 2024, the show was revived on AXS TV with host Adam Growe, who previously hosted the Canadian version of Cash Cab.
The Chase (2013–2015, 2021–2023)
Despite what the title might imply, there’s no physical exertion required on The Chase — just mental gymnastics. Three contestants face off against a trivia expert (a.k.a. “the Chaser”) in a fast-paced quiz battle. Each player must answer enough questions correctly to stay ahead of the Chaser on the game board and bank cash for their team, or they leave empty-handed. And then whoever is left competes in the Final Chase, answering even more questions, before the Chaser attempts to answer the same number of questions correctly to “catch” the team.
We promise it’s much easier to follow in practice. A new edition of the series launched in 2021 and featured Jeopardy! GOATs Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer, and Brad Rutter. However, the earlier Game Show Network version is a delight as well, if mostly thanks to the sharp tongue and merciless demeanor of Chaser Mark “the Beast” Labbett.
Classic Concentration (1987–1991)
This was one of two game shows hosted by Alex Trebek. (You might have heard of the other one…) To win this game, which was an update of the 1958–73 version called Concentration, contestants had to match cards on a screen that would subsequently reveal a picture puzzle (a.k.a. a rebus). Whoever solved the puzzle got a chance to win one of the cars placed prominently on display in the studio.
The Dating Game (1965–1973, 1978–1980, 1986–1989, 1996–1999, 2021)
Another gem from Gong Show creator Chuck Barris, the much-revived Dating Game features eligible bachelors or bachelorettes questioning three anonymous contestants and selecting one for a date at the end of the show.
The original version, which ran on ABC from 1965 to 1973, sometimes featured established performers, including Dusty Springfield, Ron Howard, and Sally Field, as well as future stars before they were famous, such as Farrah Fawcett, Burt Reynolds, and Suzanne Somers. A 2021 reboot, hosted by Zooey Deschanel and Michael Bolton, ran for one season on (you guessed it) ABC and consisted entirely of celebrity contestants.
Deal or No Deal (2005–2009, 2018–2019)
Howie Mandel, lots of models, and briefcases that possibly led to lots of cash. What more could you have asked for in a game-show formula?
In 2024, the show got a spinoff, complete with promos featuring Mandel, called Deal or No Deal Island, which added physical competitions, a tropical local, and host Joe Manganiello.
Double Dare (1986–1993, 2000, 2018–2019)
The messiest — or should we say slimiest? — of all the game shows on our list, this Nickelodeon hit combined physical challenges (like spraying whipped cream into a cup your partner held in their mouth) and obstacle courses (including sliding down a giant tongue and spinning in a human hamster wheel). Ah, the good ol’ days before shows like Wipeout were introduced!
Family Feud (1976–1985, 1988–1995, 1999–present)
We surveyed 100 people and asked, “Name the top five reasons Family Feud belongs on this list.”
5. The family portraits in the set’s side panels at the beginning of each episode are priceless.
4. There’s really no way to prep for the show — basically, just don’t be brainless.
3. From Richard Dawson to Ray Combs, Louie Anderson, Richard Karn, John O’Hurley, and, most recently, Steve Harvey — the show has had more hosts than families have “passed” to the other team.
2. Who doesn’t get a cheap thrill out of yelling at the TV every time a player gives an answer that is obviously wrong?
1. We still have no idea who exactly these 100 people surveyed are or how the show finds them, but we’re okay with that.
The Gong Show (1976–1980, 1988–1989, 2017–2018)
This Chuck Barris production is like America’s Got Talent‘s grandparent. Contestants, often displaying dubious performance skills, were rated by a panel of celebrity judges drawn from the rung of the showbiz ladder that included Arte Johnson, Jamie Farr, and Rip Taylor. While Talent judges use a buzzing “X” to boot performers, The Gong Show judges rang an actual gong to stop subpar performers in their tracks.
Hollywood Squares (1966–1989, 1998–2004)
It’s human tic-tac-toe! With celebrities! The goal for the two contestants — almost always a man and a woman, better known as Mr. X and Miss Circle — was to win three squares in a row by deciding whether the star in the square was telling the truth when asked a trivia question.
It was a simple concept, but the celebrities — like Joan Rivers and Vincent Price in the original run — made it fun. The 1998 revival featured the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Jeffery Tambor, Bobcat Goldthwait, Brad Garrett, and Kathy Griffin at various times.
Jeopardy! (1964–1975, 1978–1979, 1984–present)
Clue: It’s the game show that inspired one of Saturday Night Live‘s funniest parodies.
Answer: What is Jeopardy?
Correct!
The quiz show — which first aired in 1964 and consists of three rounds where contestants try to answer clues in the form of a question — has cemented its impact on pop culture with more than 9,000 episodes and 40 seasons on TV. It’s also spawned spinoffs like Celebrity Jeopardy!, Jeopardy! Masters, Pop Culture Jeapordy!, and the Jeopardy! National College Championship.
Let’s Make a Deal (1963–1986, 1990–1991, 2003, 2009–present)
Game shows have always been about making a deal, but this was the mother lode! Longtime host Monty Hall did his best to trick contestants in the audience — who wore outlandish costumes to get his attention — into taking a deal that was worse than the prize already in their hands. Players, natch, were hoping to get more out of their deals.
Love Connection (1983–1994, 1998–1999, 2017–2018)
It was kind of like The Dating Game, but better. Before the show, a bachelor or bachelorette would choose one of three members of the opposite sex to take on a date, then the studio audience would pick whom they wanted the person to go out with. Original host Chuck Woolery would interview the daters, and if the audience’s pick matched the bachelor’s or bachelorette’s, the pair got another date for free! Ah, corporate-sponsored l’amour.
Match Game (1962–1969, 1973–1979, 1979–1982, 1990–1991, 2016–2021)
Fans adored this celebrity matching game primarily for its bawdy humor and banter between host Gene Rayburn and beloved panelists such as Charles Nelson Reilly, Brett Somers, and Betty White.
Name That Tune (1974–1981, 1984–1985, 2021–present)
Given a few notes from famous songs, contestants are challenged to, obviously, name that tune. This kind of format is certainly popular, as Name That Tune seems to have spawned Don’t Forget the Lyrics and The Singing Bee.
The Newlywed Game (1966–1974, 1977–1980, 1985–1989, 1996–1997, 2009–2013)
Newlywed couples answered questions to see just how well they knew each other. The show became famous for arguments between couples who maybe didn’t know each other as well as they thought; it led to more than one divorce.
Press Your Luck (1983–1986, 2002–2003, 2006, 2019–present)
We have nothing to say except, “No whammies!” “No whammies!” Just in case you have no idea what we’re talking about, we’ll explain. On the game show, which first aired in 1983, there were two rounds: In the first, players answered questions, and then in the second, they faced a big game board where they tried to have a rotating flashing light stop on a dollar or prize square and not on a “whammy” space, which would wipe out the prizes they’d earned.
The Price Is Right (1956–1965, 1972–present)
As host of the show for 35 years, Bob Barker made The Price Is Right an institution, with instantly recognizable games like Plinko, Triple Play, and the Showcase Showdown. Even though he retired in 2007, opening the door for new host Drew Carey, the answer to ”What did you do when you were home sick from work or school?” remains the same: ”I watched The Price Is Right,” of course!
Pyramid (1973–1988, 2012, 2016–present)
On this game show, two teams — each with one celebrity and one unfamous person — face off. One teammate gives the other clues for a certain category, such as “Things That Are in Egypt.” Clues would be words like “pyramids,” “sphinx,” and “Cairo.” Each round had six categories that, when stacked up, created the famous pyramid. Over the years, through its many different incarnations, the total prize money ranged from $10,000 to $100,000.
Singled Out (1996–1998, 2018, 2020)
Remember when contestants on a low-budget MTV matchmaking show whittled down possible mates by physical traits such as eye color? And remember when cohost Jenny McCarthy would yell at male players, yank their ears, and just be all-around crude on said series? No? Well, we do, and we secretly wish Singled Out — and the big naked cupid who served as the face of it — would make a comeback. (But this time on something longer than the short-lived Quibi.)
Supermarket Sweep (1965–1967, 1990–2003, 2020–2022)
Long before players raced around the globe for cash on The Amazing Race, they were racing around a grocery store on Supermarket Sweep. The game show, which originated on ABC in 1965, had teams of two answer grocery-related questions (e.g., unscramble this popular brand: “CYULK SRACMH”) to earn money toward a big sweep, where they were let loose in the store to stock up their carts. The 2020 reprise was hosted by former SNL cast member Leslie Jones.
To Tell the Truth (1956–1978, 1980–1981, 1990–1991, 2000–2002, 2016–2022)
To Tell the Truth took the What’s My Line? format and added an intriguing twist. A celebrity panel is presented with three contestants. They must guess which two are impostors and which is the real person described by the host. That real person is sworn to tell the truth (hey…that’s the name of the show!) while the other two do all they can to deceive the panel. Another classic of game shows’ golden era, ABC revived To Tell the Truth in 2016 with Black-ish star Anthony Anderson hosting.
What’s My Line? (1950–1975)
A true classic of TV’s first Golden Age, What’s My Line? saw a panel try to guess contestants’ occupations through a series of yes-or-no questions. The show also featured a “mystery guest” round, where the panelists would be blindfolded and attempt to determine a celebrity guest’s identity.
What’s My Line? remains incredibly entertaining more than half a century on. You can find a trove of classic episodes on YouTube, featuring such showbiz icons as Julie Andrews, Alfred Hitchcock, and Louis Armstrong.
Wheel of Fortune (1975–present)
Wheel of Fortune is the longest-running syndicated game show in the U.S., but perhaps more interesting than that is the fact that cohosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White have been around for just about every spin of the wheel and every utterance of the phrase ”I’d like to buy a vowel” since the syndicated version premiered in 1983. However, in June 2024, Sajak gave his final spin as host — and won an Emmy for his last season — with Ryan Seacrest stepping in as his replacement.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1999–2021, 2024–present)
Using lifelines — 50/50, phone-a-friend, and ask the audience — contestants attempt to answer enough trivia questions to reach the million-dollar grand prize. Sure, it sounds pretty simple, but when original host Regis Philbin inquires, ”Is that your final answer?” even we viewers at home feel nervously unsure.
The show — which was a hit in the U.K. before being adapted for U.S. audiences — was canceled in 2019, revived in 2020, canceled again in 2021, and brought back once more in 2024. The new daytime version is hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and features celebrities playing for charity.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
