There’s something about television gameshows. Whether it’s the eye-catching prizes, the sing-along theme tunes, or the hilarious presenters, gameshows have been a phenomenon of popular culture for the best part of two generations.
Fusing entertainment and light-hearted competition, there are several gameshows which have stood the test of time. Below, we celebrate five of the biggest gameshow franchises in recent memory.
Wheel of Fortune
Merv Griffin was the brainchild behind Wheel of Fortune, which aired on American television screens in 1975. It’s considered the original wheel-based game which gave rise to all the following wheel-based games and gameshows either side of the new millennium. The gameplay itself was based around word puzzles, akin to hangman. Players win instant cash prizes and other prizes for landing on certain segments of the wheel and correctly predicting words or phrases.
The show ran for over 40 seasons in the USA and has been aired for more than 7,000 episodes across all the syndicated versions worldwide. Ryan Seacrest will be the next host of Wheel of Fortune when he takes over from Pat Sajak in September 2023.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire originated in Britain, with production company Celador launching the quiz show in September 1998, hosted by popular presenter Chris Tarrant, who would go on to remain at the helm for 16 years. The show established itself at the heart of popular culture, with the carrot of correctly answering 15 questions (with the aid of three lifelines) to win a life-changing £1 million prize.
The global rights to the show were eventually sold on by Celador, with the franchise eventually airing in over 160 nations worldwide. The latest version of the show sees a tweak to the second cash prize safety net, which was originally £32,000. It’s now adjustable, allowing contestants to fix it at whichever prize level they want.
Deal or No Deal
Founded in the Netherlands, Deal or No Deal was conceived by gameshow creator, John de Mol, who also developed the concepts of reality television shows Big Brother and The Voice. The game requires players to pick numbered boxes to try and reveal the lowest available values, encouraging bigger cash offers from ‘the Banker’ for the player’s box. These offers can either rise until the player reaches the last two boxes or when they choose to accept an offer from the Banker.
The Dutch version first aired in 2000 and is still broadcast today. The British format arrived in 2005, with iconic television presenter Noel Edmonds at the helm. It would go on in the UK for 11 years before taking a seven-year hiatus in 2016. Its rebirth in 2023 with new presenter, Stephen Mulhern, has also seen the gameshow return to other areas of popular culture. The show even has its own licensed slot game which features prominently online due to its progressive jackpot and the Megaways game engine that powers it.
Jeopardy!
Jeopardy! Is a US-based gameshow also conceived by Wheel of Fortune creator, Merv Griffin. It’s an older gameshow than Wheel of Fortune, with the daytime version first airing in March 1964. It has changed hands between NBC and Syndication networks through the decades and is still aired on the latter today.
The gameplay in Jeopardy! sees three contestants compete across three rounds – Jeopardy!, Double Jeopardy! and Final Jeopardy! With every round, players are given clues to trivia answers which then frame an entire sentence or response. Players quickest to guess the sentence or response win. It’s that simple.
The Chase
The Chase is another iconic television gameshow which originated in the UK. It’s now been aired for 16 series and well over 2,000 episodes in Britain alone. It’s also been aired in the US and Australia. Essentially, The Chase sees contestants lock horns with a “chaser” – a professional quizzer who attempts to answer more questions than the contestant to prevent them from winning prizes and adding cash to the total prize pot.
It’s a team-based game with four contestants hand-picked for each episode. Celebrity versions of The Chase are also very popular in the UK format, raising funds for selected charities. Jeopardy! also offers celebrity shows, with the chance to win $1m to donate to a charity of their choice.
Other notable gameshows which have been huge mainstream hits include Family Feud, The Price is Right and The Crystal Maze.