Silly post from Roger...

[Season36Fan]

When you launch into ad hominem attacks on a generation, the argument fails. "Today's generation" is different and yet the same as those that came before: they push back, rightly so, against assumptions of the past, and forge their own path. My kids probably fall into "today's generation," depending on the definition. Their tastes are sometimes mine, sometimes not. There is nothing problematic about them finding what grandma and grandpa watched to be entertaining. I didn't much care for my parents' choices, either.

Certainly it was a generalization, and opinions will vary from person to person, but I think it’s easy to see that over time, entertainment has had to become more and more flamboyant in order to keep the attention of the majority.    For instance 1972 game shows largely would fail in the ratings today, let alone ones from earlier.    Look at GSNs schedule - they largely abandoned classic game shows long ago.

[imhomerjay]

Of course 1972 shows would fail in 2019*. I'd also wager a fair number of shows from 1952 would have failed in 1972.  And people who grew up on the crooners and standards might not have cared for some of 1972's top songs....Heart of Gold, or perhaps Backstabbers. Perhaps they would have liked My Ding a Ling by Chuck Berry, but I digress.

Entertainment has been evolving since Og first banged two rocks together back in the cave. Beethoven might have been flamboyant in his day. And don't even get me started on Elvis and that hip swivel.

*Assuming the shows were presented "as they were." Price, circa 1972, of course, was a radical departure from the earlier version. With some facelifts over time and move to be more modern, the same basic show is still at it four decades hence. From that same general era (plus or minus), Let's Make a Deal, Pyramid, Match Game, Family Feud and To Tell the Truth have done quite well. Wheel of Fortune has rolled along continuously for decades, and then there's Jeopardy (certainly keeping up with technology, but I'd be hard pressed to classify it as flamboyant).

Entertainment--and fashion, food, decor...etc.--has "had" to evolve because successive generations have put their own stamp on the world. We learn more, we discover new things, we experiment with new approaches. Some of it may be "flamboyant," but some of it is far from it.

[pricefan18]

One of the things that's keep me watching is the consistency of the game play and flow of the show.  Roadgeek Adam alluded to it. 

The structure  of the show has barely changed: 

• "Come on down"
• Bid on a prize
• Winner goes on stage
• Play a game --> Win or Lose
• COMMERCIAL
• Repeat

There's never been an attempt to manufacture drama (a la Deal or No Deal, or Who Wants To Be a Millionaire) by inserting a commercial break in an annoying place.

"The actual retail price of the car is........right after this commercial break."

Thank goodness they don't do that.

Probably the only change they've had in this format is the removal of one break between games 1 and 2, and even that had roots in the Primetime Specials from Bob's era. Other than that it's been basically the same since 1975. Remarkable really considering how other shows have evolved and tried different formats over the years with various degrees of success, and even how many times other countries have taken this show and done that as well.

You could I suppose say the Nighttime versions have been an exception to this (Davidson's in 94 in particular), but for the main run....really it's been incredibly consistent as one format for going on 45 years now since the move to make it an hour. If/when the show ever does go away, or if it god forbid somehow changed from this at some point, it'll end a run I don't think will ever be matched again. For one show to sustain the same format with really no deviations from it in that long a span is an incredible feat, especially with how TV has changed since it began.

You'd almost think it'd be inevitable that someone would wanna drastically change it at some point, all the other stalwarts have over time (although I guess you could make a case for Jeopardy not changing much either, but even there the rules on champions have changed ostensibly changing something about the presentation), but it's never happened. It really is an amazing thing.

[garffreak]

You'd almost think it'd be inevitable that someone would wanna drastically change it at some point

As you said, it was Price is Right 1994.

[pricefan18]

As you said, it was Price is Right 1994.

Yeah, but I mean more for the regular run. That's a bit of an outlier. Although if it worked, could the daytime show have changed to follow suit? I suppose maybe, but can't say that for sure.