GSN Presents 'The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time'

Seven-Week Countdown Marathon Highlights Classic Series and the Best Episodes in Game Show History

Bil Dwyer Hosts Thrice Weekly Special Beginning Tuesday, July 18 From 10-11 PM ET

SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 20 -- Ever wonder what game show is the best of all time? Is it a 1950's classic such as "You Bet Your Life," a '70's favorite such as "Match Game," one that has stood the test of time like "Jeopardy," or a modern mega-hit such as "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" or "Deal or No Deal." The game show experts at GSN, the network for games, will reveal its answer to that question when it begins to count down the 50 best game shows ever produced starting Tuesday, July 18 from 10 to 11 PM ET. The program, "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time" airs every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night from 10-11 PM, until August 31, when the number-one show is revealed.

Bil Dwyer, host of "I've Got A Secret," serves as the emcee for the seven-week countdown, which features classic episodes from seldom seen series to the best moments from today's popular series.

Remarking on the announcement, GSN President and CEO Rich Cronin said, "At a time when everyone is rediscovering game shows, we thought that our audience would enjoy seeing the greatest series and past episodes in this genre. These programs are landmarks in television entertainment, and we're proud to be able to feature the best game shows in TV history."

To help create the ranking, GSN executives voted on the best game shows from a list that included hundreds of national broadcast titles representing series produced since commercial television began in the 1940's.

In course of telecasting these classic shows, "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time," will bring back memorable episodes from the game show library including such gems as the most notorious "Newlywed Game" episode which host Bob Eubanks denied existed for many years, and Michael Larson's scandalous "Press Your Luck" performance, with the late Peter Tomarken as host.

Also, Paul Lynde will be back in the center square when "Hollywood Squares" is honored and contestant hair-pulling and cat-scratching will be featured on the uniquely 1970's-era premiere of "Three's A Crowd." Other highlights include "Tic Tac Dough" featuring contestant Thom McKee who won 87 games and defeated 43 opponents. McKee set a fame show record that lasted 24 years.

Finally, industry professionals will no-doubt do a double-take when "Password Plus" debuts with a special contestant, GSN's Cronin. This two-time winner apparently realized later that there was a better path for him to fame and fortune in the game show world than being a contestant.

"The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time" is executive produced by Ramey Warren Black of Media Savvy Productions.

GSN, the Network for Games, is the only U.S. television network dedicated to game-related programming and interactive game playing. The network features game shows, reality series, documentaries and casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN features over 133 hours per week of interactive programming, which allows viewers a chance to win prizes by playing along with GSN's televised games via GSN.com. Now reaching more than 60 million Nielsen homes, GSN is distributed in the U.S. through all major cable systems and satellite providers. The network is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further media information, visit GSN's press website at corp.gsn.com .

-GSN-

SOURCE GSN
http://corp.gsn.com http://gsn.com