Which Game Shows Could Break Into New Primetime Emmys Category?
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It’s all fun and games until the Emmys start handing out awards. Then the real competition begins.
This year, the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards will present its first statue for outstanding game show. Previously, game shows were honored during the Daytime Emmys, where “Jeopardy” has claimed 11 of the last 20 years of awards.
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But in 2021, the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which handles the Daytime Emmys, and the L.A.-based Television Academy, which handles the Primetime Emmys, decided to bring game shows into the primetime heat.
It’s not a shock considering a slew of rebooted classic games (“Press Your Luck,” “Supermarket Sweep”) and wild new competitions have led to a resurgence in the genre. Coupled with the seemingly endless search for a new “Jeopardy” host that consumed the nation, game shows are all the rage again.
When confirming the category inclusion last August, the TV Academy broadly revealed what it takes to qualify, stating a program must have “game elements that primarily take place in-studio and involve mental challenges.” It also noted the programs must have gameplay that is either self-contained to a single episode or carried over to the next episode, but they cannot have “arced” narratives. The first year of nominees also had an expanded 18-month eligibility window.
So, under these new guidelines, what shows qualify as contenders for the first primetime game show Emmy? As of now, nominees will likely come from three groups that represent the past, present and future of the genre.
The Stalwarts
It is all but assumed that the frontrunner in the category is “Jeopardy,” even after a rocky transition following the death of longtime host Alex Trebek. But it likely won’t stand alone as the only long-running contender in the race. Daytime favorites “The Price Is Right” and “Let’s Make a Deal,” as well as “Wheel of Fortune,” have consistently competed against “Jeopardy” for Emmy hardware. “The Price Is Right” won the Daytime Emmy in 2018.
The Reboots
While broadcast has struggled in recent seasons, game show reboots have proven to be streaming-proof successes. The tried-and-true properties often lean on celebrities to boost appeal — NBC’s recent revamp of “Password,” executive produced by Jimmy Fallon and hosted by Keke Palmer being one example. The original “Password” was the first game show to win the Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding game show in 1974, fending off a pre-Trebek “Jeopardy” and “Hollywood Squares.” Nearly five decades later, “Password” will have to fend off its own rebooted competitors such as ABC’s “To Tell the Truth” and Fox’s “Name That Tune.” However, it remains to be seen if other reboots, such as the Elizabeth Banks-hosted “Press Your Luck,” will qualify because, as it says in the title, contestants rely on sheer luck rather than mental challenges.
The Next Generation
Then there are the new games on the block that aren’t fueled by established IP. Netflix is a leader in some of the wilder concepts that have popped up in recent years, including last year’s “Is It Cake?,” where contestants guess whether something is or isn’t cake, and “Floor Is Lava,” where teams try to strategize a way through an obstacle course flowing with simulated hot lava. However, the latter falls in reality competition rather than game show. But don’t count them out the more obscure game shows for nominations because they draw viewers — particularly younger ones. Other shows attempting to reinvent rather than reboot the genre are NBC’s “The Wall,” ABC’s “Generation Gap,” the since-canceled “The Final Straw.” Whether they can break the hold the vets have on voters could come down to the last second.
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