Monday, September 22, 2014

On The Air: Celebrity Name Game (2014)

Craig Ferguson may be leaving CBS' Late, Late Show at the end of the year, but he's not leaving our TV screens anytime soon. Well, at least for now.

Ferguson will keep busy as a game show host, following in the footsteps of pal Drew Carey (Price Is Right) with his first game show, Celebrity Name Game. I guess swapping shows with Carey back in April convinced the CBS and Fremantle Media brass that Ferguson was ready to helm his own game. Ferguson serves not only as host, but as an executive producer, along with Courtney Cox (Cougar Town) and her ex-husband, David Arquette, among others.

Basically, Name Game is a variant of a sort on one of TV's most beloved game shows, Password, except that each round plays like a Lightning Round from that show's glory days in the 60's & 70's. Two teams of contestants are paired with a celebrity partner (Joely Fisher & Mena Suvari in the opener), up until the final round, at which point Ferguson takes over giving the clues. In the end game, the winning team gives clues to the celebrities, who are teamed up, to help the contestants win up to $20,000 (same grand prize as on Family Feud, another Fremantle entry).

The series also has its own YouTube channel, which gives us a preview......



In most markets, Celebrity Name Game faces a tall order, as it's opposite Jeopardy!. In my area, the series will air 4 nights a week (Monday-Wednesday and Friday) due to football on Thursdays through November, which will stretch out the initial 65 episode order, unless those CBS affiliates carrying the show will run it on Saturdays instead of Thursdays until CBS wraps its commitment to primetime football.

You could probably have more fun playing this at home with your friends.

Rating: B.

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