‘Love Connection’ getting Fox reboot with Andy Cohen as host
The 1980s classic game show Love Connection is being revived by Fox.
The network just announced a new spin on the series that promises to “amp up the original hit dating show for today’s audiences” with Andy Cohen (Watch What Happens Live) as host.
“I was a huge fan of the original Love Connection, and hosting the new version allows me to do one of the things I love most: meddling in people’s personal lives,” Cohen said.
Unlike the original, the show will include same-sex couples, Fox executives said.
Fox has ordered 15 episodes to be executive-produced by Mike Fleiss (The Bachelor).
Each hour of will feature single men and/or women in search of romance. After the singles are sent on three blind dates, they will “dish the dirt” in front of a live studio audience.
“The combination of the insanely talented Andy Cohen and the undisputed king of relationship shows Mike Fleiss is absolute magic .. add in the perfect home of Fox … and I think we have a match made in heaven,” said Mike Darnell, president, Warner Bros. Unscripted and Alternative Television.
The original Love Connection launched in syndication in 1983 and was hosted by Chuck Woolery. The series racked up more than 2,000 episodes before being retired in 1999. Here’s the show’s original intro:
In other Fox game show news, Jaime Foxx has been announced as the host of a Beat Shazam game show. The project is based on the popular app and has two teams racing against the clock and each other as they attempt to identify hit songs. In the end, the team with the highest score will outlast the competition and go against Shazam, the song-identification app, for the chance to win a cash prize. Mark Burnett will executive produce.
“Jamie is a quadruple-threat and creative genius,” Burnett said. “He is an incredible actor, comedian, singer, and dancer. Also, his musical knowledge is so great that he could probably… BEAT SHAZAM.”
Beat Shazam and Love Connection will both premiere this summer on Fox.
