IMHO, I think Mike Richards is doing a good job trying to take the show in a positive direction on several points.
I think he's trying to preserve the legacy that is
The Price Is Right and in the process trying to update the show to today's standards to keep it relevant to today's ADHD tv viewer.
Does he get everything right? NO. Has he brought some fresh ideas? YES! Does he go overkill on fresh ideas (i.e., special hosts, overpriced showcases, outdoing himself in the prize department, and etc.) SURE! Does he respond to the "hardcore" fanbase? Yeah in some regards.
With that in mind, I think he's trying to make the show all about the main reason we watch the show...the contestants, the games, and the prizes and putting emphasis on those things versus any one entity (i.e. host, models).
Back when Bob was hosting, the people that I know that watched the show pretty much watched the show for him and rightfully so and it somewhat evolved the show to the "Bob Barker Hour" versus "The Price Is Right"
Now let us give credit to where credit is certainly due! Bob Barker is a legend in this business and an icon that probably won't be seen again in this new generation of television. Bob came from a mold of emcees and he perfected his craft in that he engaged the viewer, those in the studio audience with his personality and charisma. He knew how to interact with contestants, the models, the announcers, the production crew PLUS he had the time to do it and still get on with the show! That's something that you don't see anymore in television (due to time constraints, producers and directors putting out half-@$$ quality programming) So with that in mind, those same people that watch the show then, now watch the show on a casual basis to see "what-crazy-prize-is-coming-up-next" OR "can-I-be-entertained-in-5-minutes-or-less" versus being engaged by the personality at the helm and stay for the full hour. So the interest and attention has shifted greatly and it is also being fought over by this age of 150+ channels and options that a person available to them while the show is on. I think there are several factors like television viewing habits that comes to mind in all of this that Mike Richards has to consider now and make decisions on.
Also, going back to Mike Richards...who's it to say that he's not being pressured by the higher ups at the CBS Daytime department for keeping the show relevant and make some necessary changes. Just in the past several years, CBS has removed 2 soap operas that I never would have thought would go off the air,
As the World Turns and
Guiding Light Heck,
The Young and the Restless (no.1 soap for years now) has made
a lot of changes in the cast, production crew, writers, and mostly the executive producer all so it can stay in the
RED and be profitable for Sony and CBS. Don't you think that CBS might have handed Fremantle Media and Mike Richards the same edict of making the show fresh for the viewers to hold on to them to make them appealing to the advertisers? For TPIR, does it really freakin matter about trip skins, set changes, depletion of good quality music cues, new directors, or whatever hell someone can complain about saying "it's not the same show as I was a child or when Bob was hosting it, or Roger producing it"
If it does, then God help you because even the good folks at Sony Pictures Television/King World now (CTD) knew what they had to do with Wheel of Fortune.
THAT show is nothing like the original version from the NBC Daytime version that started out in the 70s. Merv and the producers saw that the shopping element was getting old. So they try the BIG CASH format and it worked and it still works
and still works and Harry Friedman comes in and makes tweaks here and there and after 30 years the show is still the number one game show in America...period! And depending on who you talk to and what websites and other ratings material you read, the number one show in syndication. But they had to keep up with the changes of society in television viewing habits.
Also I read somewhere a while back that CBS is making a profit now in the Daytime. That goes without saying that there's a lot that we don't know that goes on behind closed doors with CBS, Fremantle, and Price Productions that we don't take into consideration as far as production meetings and meeting profits margins and stuff like that. After all Television is still a business and if you aren't in the business of making money at the end of the day then "what the hell are you doing wasting someone's time"? If I were the VP of Daytime Programming and the numbers are good for this show and there is potential (based on factual data) for the show to become even better and profitable, I would be pleased and I would encourage the person in charge of the show to continue to do what they are doing (the right things) to continue to bring in the money because at the end of the day, CBS doesn't give 5 craps if it p!sses off the hardcore fan,(see all the fan bases of the cancelled primetime shows in the past 5 years alone).
They or Les Moonves need to make a profit for this conglomerate media empire to keep his job as CEO of CBS and the stockholders happy!
So, I think Mike Richards is doing good! He can improve in a lot of areas but as long as he does what he thinks is best as executive producer based off of experience and knowledge and some mentoring can be good too (but that's for another day) and continues to listen to the fans and
the fans get behind him in support versus dogging this guy out all the darn time...I think this show can last for a good while and squeeze all the fun out of it while we can and we the fans and viewers of the show enjoy the ride. I will say that game show fans are truly hardcore and a niche of viewers that hard to please. For a show to be on for 41 years straight with no sights of cancellation, we are blessed to have this show still on the air.
*now I will say that he does have the format the Let's Make a Deal down pat. He's good at producing that show. He's only missing two elements on that show to make it perfect and that to increase the prize budget and to bring back the 2 player format of "The Big Deal of the Day".
