If American TV was late in getting to the reality and prime-time game show party, then NBC was in danger of not showing up at all.
It’s been nearly six years since “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” debuted on ABC, and almost as long since “Survivor” began its incredible run on CBS.
Both shows offered an unprecedented $1 million prize to the winner.
But NBC languished, first trying out a new version of “Twenty-one” in 2000 that went nowhere, and eventually coming at us with “Fear Factor,” “The Biggest Loser” and the short-lived “Weakest Link.”
Tonight, NBC tries to break back into the $1 million prime-time game show with “Deal or No Deal?”
I’m thinking, “No deal.”
The new game show is based on a format that airs in 35 other countries, and NBC tells us it’s one of the biggest shows in the land.
It has a couple of things in common with “Millionaire,” the first of which is the $1 million ultimate prize.
The second, though, is the possibility that the network will air it so many times in succession that we’ll get sick of it before we can even answer the question.
“Deal or No Deal?” premieres at 8 tonight and continues at that time through Friday on KING-TV.
After the initial five-night run, NBC will have to decide whether to extend the proverbial deal.
The game is relatively simple, and that’s good because comedian Howie Mandel is the host.
As Mandel says in tonight’s premiere, “There are no crazy stunts, no trivia questions. The most important question is, ‘Deal or no deal?’”
A contestant is selected from the crowd and is asked choose one of 26 closed briefcases that contain a dollar amount from 1 cent to $1 million.
Once the contestant has chosen a briefcase, he or she must start eliminating other briefcases by having them opened and revealing how much money is inside.
After each round in which the contestant opens six cases, then five, then four and on, the “bank” calls and offers an amount of cash in exchange for the unopened briefcase.
The bank is trying to give away as little money as possible, and this is where chance and timing come into play.
After revealing how much money is in some of the other cases and narrowing down how much could be inside the contestant’s case, the contestant must decide whether or not to take the bank’s offer: deal or no deal?
The more money that remains up for grabs, the higher the bank’s next offer will be, and vice versa.
Family members sit nearby and offer their advice while the crowd shouts its suggestions in a “Price is Right” kind of way.
There is certainly some drama in watching and waiting to see whether the person will make wise choices. There is also the potential train-wreck moment where the absolute wrong choice is made and someone walks away with a pittance.
But the ability to play along isn’t there. Unlike “Millionaire,” you can’t sit at home and shout, “Even I knew that one, you bonehead!”
I doubt many folks are going to be yelling at their TV sets, “Why didn’t you pick No. 17?”
So NBC is building in a play along at home element. Keep your cell phone handy because viewers get a chance to guess which is the “lucky case” for a chance to win $10,000.
You text message your “lucky case” choice to a number provided and a winner will be randomly selected from among the people who guessed the right one.
That still might not be enough to hold our attention.
We just want to be able to play along and have our own wits tested, regardless of the cash prize for the contestant.
That’s why the high-stakes prime-time entries such as “Millionaire,” “Greed” and “The Weakest Link” faded while “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!” hum along every night after more than two decades.
Victor Balta’s TV column runs Mondays and Thursdays on the A&E page. Reach him at 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.
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