PYL 2019 Discussion [Spoilers]

[GameShowKid]

I liked everything but the bonus round. The main game seems like a faithful and reasonably modernized take on the original game, no objections at all. I think it's well done.

I did not like the bonus round - all the reaction/emotion and bringing in the contestant's husband didn't sit well with me. It feels like the sort of drama Deal or No Deal did and I never cared for it then, either. I'll see how it plays out a few more times before passing judgment, but the first run of it didn't impress me.

I’ve never watched an episode of the old TV show “Queen For A Day”. I’ve seen very short clips of it over the years, but I first heard about it when Bob Barker mentioned it on Price. During his hosting run, he brought it up several times and I pretty much got the idea of what it was about by understanding why he would mention it when he did (the context). It apparently involved some sort of emotional story and the contestant being offered prizes that would directly tie into her situation.

Of course now I can instantly discover all I want to know about that show (though I still haven’t ). But I felt like I was watching some combination of that show and Deal or No Deal when I watched the new PYL bonus round, which, by the way, is the longest bonus round I can recall seeing on a game show. I agree with others: it felt tacked on, and I would rather see two sets of contestants compete in two separate roughly half-hour games.

I will certainly keep watching though; the main game just feels so much like the original version, of which I was a fan. The Whammys look and sound great; I’m hoping to see “the Supremes” again (*sings* “All I need is cash, give me all your money. Give back the money...”).

[Roadgeek Adam]

I’ve never watched an episode of the old TV show “Queen For A Day”. I’ve seen very short clips of it over the years, but I first heard about it when Bob Barker mentioned it on Price. During his hosting run, he brought it up several times and I pretty much got the idea of what it was about by understanding why he would mention it when he did (the context). It apparently involved some sort of emotional story and the contestant being offered prizes that would directly tie into her situation.

What Queen For a Day was, basically, was a show that took four ladies throughout the country and had various sob stories. They listened to each of their stories (they being the audience and main host Jack Bailey, who did well with the show) and at the end, an audience meter would determine who had the best sob story. That person would be declared "Queen for a Day", given a robe and tiara, then offered the equivalent of whatever they were looking for to help their situation. Consolation prizes existed for the other 3.

As Seidelman put it on her review of Strike it Rich, Queen for a Day was gross done right. It is a show that would likely have a 13-week run nowadays, unlike the 19 year run it had on radio and television.

(and no, what we saw last night was not Queen for a Day-esque)

[GameShowKid]

(and no, what we saw last night was not Queen for a Day-esque)

Viewers and/or readers can decide for themselves.

[ThomHuge]

Viewers and/or readers can decide for themselves.

Well this viewer/reader agrees with Roadgeek Adam: what we saw last night as not Queen for a Day-esque.

[ThomHuge]

I’m hoping to see “the Supremes” again (*sings* “All I need is cash, give me all your money. Give back the money...”).

Here you go:

[AussieEvil]

Here are some of my notes from watching the preview episode:

• Is it ABC policy to hide contestant last names? This may be something minor but it annoys the hell out of me.
• Some of the contestant reactions didn't feel genuine -- were there a lot of "stop tape and act more enthusiastic" moments?
• Didn't really care for the sweeping camera shots when the contestant area turned around
• A little less conversation, a little more action.
• Dear god, the theme song. This is a new remix of the theme, right? I was annoyed by these cues missing: the "bridge" section, the lead-only section that was used coming into the second question round, and the most annoying omission of them all, the win theme! It seemed like the entire music package was the intro and the main 4 bars of the melody.

All in all, the game is acceptable, but it displays the hallmark of the production/direction missteps and over-editing that is endemic to the state of the American game show in this decade. It can do better.

[Axl]

Press Your Luck is a fast paced game, and slowing it down makes it feel dull. That’s the biggest flaw.

Bound to happen when you take a 30-minute game and stretch it into an hour.

Don’t like the bonus game? Turn it off after the main game and there’s your original PYL.

Yep.  I was impressed by how much fidelity they had to the original show.  Although, if you're going to make a change, why drop the on-screen display of the multiple choice answers?  I wasn't horrified by it, but I don't get why that was changed.

I've seen the term before, but always wondered what "central casting" meant.

Central Casting is the name of the best-known agency that supplies background performers to movies.  In this context, it means that the contestants are a little "too perfect," people performing as the producers want rather than behaving naturally.

[blozier2006]

All in all, the game is acceptable, but it displays the hallmark of the production/direction missteps and over-editing that is endemic to the state of the American game show in this decade. It can do better.

It did precisely as well as I expected it to do... and take it from me, that's not a compliment.

[someguy23475]

Not having last names given makes the contestant seem less real and relatable- like they are actors. That seems to be a theme with many game shows over the past few decades.

Is it just me, or does Banks have a grating voice at times?

Game 7 of the Stanley Cup will get my viewing tonight. This show just isn’t good right now.

[ThomHuge]

And now for night number two!

Okay, so far tonight seems MUCH better than last night. After the first spin round, the players seem a lot more genuine than the ones we had last night, and Elizabeth seems MUCH more comfortable. Maybe last night's show was the first one taped?

The one thing that bothers me--last night's first Whammy was a direct reference to The Bachelor, and one of the first ones tonight seemed to have a "love" theme. Last night it made sense since that's when it aired, but it makes less sense tonight.

First funny moment for tonight...Tom Hanks is a country you get when you reorganize the letters in Meg Ryan's name? That's what happens when you buzz in too early! (And Elizabeth made great use of it just like Peter would have, and the other two players had a little fun too. GREAT moment.)

[imhomerjay]

All in all, the game is acceptable, but it displays the hallmark of the production/direction missteps and over-editing that is endemic to the state of the American game show in this decade. It can do better.

Perhaps because the producers understand what works to appeal to today’s audiences.

[ThomHuge]

Checking in during spin round #2. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, seems to be having a lot more fun tonight than they were at the same point last night. They picked some excellent contestants, and as a result it seems like Elizabeth is able to have more fun overall. The pace seems a lot quicker, and even when we stop to ask the prices, it doesn't feel like the show is coming to a screeching halt like it did last night.

[ThomHuge]

Okay...let's talk about the bonus round. Maybe this is like any other event, in that your reaction to it varies depending on how much you like the contestant.

Terrell has been by far my favorite player from tonight's show, so I'm actually enjoying the bonus round with him playing. Last night, I thought the guy that wound up playing had an annoying personality and a terrible screen presence, so I stayed more out of curiosity about the game than because I was rooting for the contestant.

[Archviler]

Yeah, this episode was better than the first one. I still have a lot of issues with the bonus round, but the main game felt like an actual episode of Press Your Luck. Good stuff.

Perhaps because the producers understand what works to appeal to today’s audiences.

Pretty much. I don't like the bonus round, but it feels very much like it's catering to modern sensibilities. The sort that wants hype, overreactions and things that can be distilled down for a Twitter post or a reaction image.

If it works, it works and I don't fault the producers for doing it if so. Nonetheless I don't like it and I'll be tempted to flip off after the main game in future episodes.

[ThomHuge]

Alright so regardless of any feelings about the bonus round, it has a single built-in fatal flaw (pretty much the same one "24" had, where you knew the bad guy wasn't the Big Bad if there were episodes left in the season)--you can basically predict what's going to happen by where you are at 10 minutes away from the hour. I could pretty much tell which round would be his last when there were only a few minutes left in the show. It kind of takes the suspense out of it.