CBS has a clear dilemma here. If I’m an advertiser, I would *probably* rather spend my sponsorship dollars on a show producing first-run episodes vs a show airing repeats that a meaningful faction of the viewing audience will notice and subsequently not be interested in viewing (and even casual viewers will know the shows aren’t new if they pay even the slightest bit of attention to what’s going on in the world). If programs like Today and The View are churning out new episodes, then that’s where I’d be inclined to spend a more significant portion of my money. Even with the consideration that CBS won’t be spending money on the production itself, Drew Carey still needs to be paid, and I’m not sure the ad dollars vs lack of production costs will even out. I’d say CBS still comes up significantly short. I’m not an expert, and we have folks here who are much more knowledgeable of how network advertising works than I am, but it seems logical to me that CBS doesn’t win if Price enters an extended period without first run shows. Maybe I’m wrong.
OK, so what are the alternatives? I would bet five golden Plinko chips we will not see tapings at Television City at any point this summer. Maybe shows like James Corden’s can tape without an audience, but California’s restrictions — barring any changes — won’t allow a show like Price to film with any sort of audience for at least the next few months, and once they can, it’s doubtful they can do so with a full audience.
So short of airing repeats for weeks/months, what else can CBS and, by a lesser extent, Fremantle do to get Price back on the air as quickly as possible with new episodes?
The show can’t go on the road in a practical manner with all 70+ pricing games, set, et al. requiring extensive efforts to be transported — and then finding a facility to both act as a studio and house everything required for the production. However, the show doesn’t necessarily have to have every pricing game to function, and certain set pieces like the big doors and turntable can be recreated (think the 30th Anniversary Special) without having to go all-out with flashing lights and LED screens to help maintain cost efficiency. We also have the live stage show’s Big Wheel that is made for transportation, and I’m sure there are other things I can point to if I sat down and really thought it through.
Short of California doing a ‘180’ and allowing larger crowds to gather this summer, the only option that would allow for new first run episodes to begin airing as soon as September is to take the show on the road. It certainly won’t look the same. Not all pricing games can be included, and you might even have to go as far as shortening the show to a half hour temporarily if it makes more sense (maybe pair it with a half hour edition of LMAD and fill that show’s time slot with something else?). And then, of course, Fremantle has to agree to it, your host and production staff have to be on board, etc. And even more-so than that, the state the show is being filmed at has to be fairly relaxed with restrictions and maintaining low virus case numbers. The given studio may still have to have some sort of social distancing restrictions in place (wild idea: what if the show is taped at an outdoor venue?), and the crowd size would likely have to be less than that of a typical show. But it would be creative, and in fact more people might actually tune in just because it’s different.
I think road shows are logistically possible. Is it something CBS would actually do? Probably not, but I can’t imagine the idea isn’t being floated around. They have an entire fall lineup to fill with few answers on how to fill it properly, and I’m sure other shows will move production out of California temporarily to get episodes on the air. They kind of have to. If done right, The Price is Right can be among them.
The alternative, of course, is to air repeats. Here’s one significant problem with that: all of your Season 48 episodes worth airing a second time will be exhausted this summer unless the decision is made to go ahead with mixing in older episodes, which I don’t really see happening. If they go the route of repeats in the fall, just how far back are we going? Will George re-dub some of his lines to remove mentions of automobile model years? There is also the consideration that some vehicles the show has offered have been either updated or discontinued (RIP Chevy Cruze), and some viewers may pick up on that — same with smartphones from a few years ago (“It’s the brand new, state-of-the-art iPhone 6s!”). Those certain nuances will date each episode, potentially negating efforts to ‘trick’ the audience into thinking what they are watching is ‘new’.
We have a mess on our hands here, but the enthusiast in me can’t wait to see how it plays out. Regardless of what happens, Gavazzi will have his hands full with the timeline. 🤓