The Name of the Game? More Games

Like every genre on television, television game shows have had their shares of ups and downs. The latest dip occurred in the late ‘80s, when networks and local stations dropped game shows to make room for talk shows and reality programming.

Still, viewers have remained loyal to the surviving games, notably “Wheel of Fortune,” “Jeopardy!” and “The Price Is Right.”

The public’s interest has not gone unnoticed.

This week, NBC replaces its canceled soap opera “Santa Barbara” with two game shows. “Scrabble” is hosted by “Love Connection’s” Chuck Woolery, who hosted a 1984-90 incarnation of the word game. “Scattergories,” hosted by Dick Clark, is based on the board game of the same name; in it, contestants--divided into teams of men and women--answer questions using letters of the alphabet.

Clark, who has hosted game shows since 1963’s “The Object Is,” says he thinks they can succeed again. Game shows, he said, “are healthy. Not robust--but they haven’t gone away.”

Of his new show, Clark says, “Scattergories has been the No. 1 board game for the last three years. It’s a personality game that anyone can play, and the audience can play along.”

Game show insiders are optimistic.

Sony is banking on the format big-time: The media conglomerate is planning to offer its 24-hour Game Show Channel on cable systems later this year.

Game shows were “weakened a couple of years ago because of the failure of a few syndicated shows that were too similar and too derivative for the industry’s good, but now there is a groundswell of activity that will ultimately lead to a strong return of the game show,” says Bob Boden, programming consultant for the channel.

Game shows air on the networks (including PBS) and on most local channels. And then there is cable, where original shows abound, including “Family Double Dare” (Nickelodeon), “Triple Threat” (Black Entertainment Television), “Supermarket Sweep” (Lifetime), “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (Comedy Channel), “Lip Service” (MTV), “Top Card” (The Nashville Network) and “That’s My Dog” (Family Channel).

But getting programmers’ attention can still be an arduous task: “It’s very hard right now,” says Michael Brockman, vice president of Mark Goodson Productions, about both developing and selling game shows.

He blames the problem on a rescheduling of traditional game show times.

“Time periods that have normally been available have vanished, and what has happened is the plethora of talk shows,” Brockman says.

“We live in a tabloid world at the moment,” Clark agrees. “And the spotlight is thrown on the bizarre, the unique and the unusual, and talk lends itself better to that than games do.”

Brockman says, “Audiences have not rejected the form (of game shows), but the marketing efforts have prevented them (from being watched). The talk shows are even cheaper to produce than game shows.”

It’s different from television’s salad days, when game shows were prominently featured in prime-time schedules. In the fall of 1950, viewers could watch 23 game shows each week. With one exception, they were in prime time.

Although network game shows today can be counted on one hand, their relatively low cost is in their favor.

“Game shows and talk shows have one standing set, so they are much cheaper to produce,” says David Schwartz, author of “The Encyclopedia of Game Shows.”

Mark Goodson Productions, despite the current ebb of the shows’ popularity and the recent death of founder Goodson, is “continuing to develop game shows all the time,” Brockman says.

The company is not giving up, he said. “Good heavens no, we’re not abandoning the game show. It’s our core business. We’re just going through a difficult time.”

“Game shows will never go away,” Boden said. “They are cost-effective programming. For one thing, they involve television and are usually formatted in ... a fast-paced manner that counteracts today’s remote-control generation.”

Schwartz agreed, adding, “They are still a popular form of entertainment. It’s in human nature. People like to play games.”

“Scrabble” airs at 11 a.m. on KNBC and noon on KNSD: “Scattergories” airs at 11:30 a.m. on KNBC and 12:30 p.m. on KNSD.