The Price is Right Live - On CBS

[OneBidTris]

No, this isn't a version of the stage show making its way onto TV; this is an actual episode of Price is Right that they're going to be attempting live this December as a primetime Christmas special.

It was just announced through Paramount Press Express today, so details are still unclear on how they'll pull it off, but there is a snippet in the press release http://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-news-and-stations/releases/?view=112752-cbs-announces-its-2026-2027-fall-primetime-schedule

If you want just the snippet about Price itself:

"For the first time in its 54-year history on CBS, television’s longest-running game show will air live with THE PRICE IS RIGHT LIVE. This high-stakes, must‑watch primetime Christmas television event unfolds in real time, raising the pressure with every passing second. Viewers gain unprecedented behind-the-scenes access alongside host Drew Carey, announcer George Gray, the models and the production team as they race to keep the show on track-resetting games, transforming the stage and beating the clock. Lucky contestants will “Come on down!” to play fan-favorite games Plinko, Cliffhangers and Lucky Seven, before spinning The Big Wheel for a shot at a luxury showcase – all played out live."

[ooboh]

This is one headline I never thought I’d see.

[TPIRighteous]

I’ve long said that the show could go back to live-to-tape if they didn’t have to hack it to pieces to fit into daytime slots, and that with a 1:05 show we’d see minimal cuts. Primetime offers that extra breathing room, so it will be cool to see the show operate the way it used to—pushing contestants along, no stopdowns, decisions on the fly, minor errors that add to the fun. I’m excited.

And hey, no way they’ll be able to do The Lion’s Share on a live show.

[gamesurf]

Very eager to see this.

I like the regular daytime broadcasts just fine... and I love the primetime shows, because they have far more breathing room... but I keep going back to tapings because they deliver a pure, uncut, exhilarating experience I can't wholly get anywhere else.

I’ve long said that the show could go back to live-to-tape if they didn’t have to hack it to pieces to fit into daytime slots, and that with a 1:05 show we’d see minimal cuts.

I think that might be kind of optimistic. Though the show usually runs very smoothly in tapings, it still hasn't been 100% live-to-tape for a good long while, and the choices they've made over the past 15 years reflect their priorities. This isn't a serious criticism--I think it's probably the only way to show the crew playing to their strengths while still fitting the whole 6PG format into a 38 minute timeslot--just an observation that I don't think "live to tape" is a switch you can turn off for 15 years and then turn on again as though nothing has happened. Like any muscle, it grows stronger when you exercise it frequently, and it gets weak and flabby when you put it in a sling. I'm eager to see them make steps in that direction, but I don't expect them to get a 100% Breslow-style cut first try out of the gate after 15 years of not aiming for one.

That's the fun of it, I like seeing the little tiny imperfections that can be masked by an editor.

The press release lists just three pricing games (won't list the names so as not to spoil them) which indicates a possibility this will be a modified half-hour format in an hour timeslot. I'm fine with that. I'm pleased to see the showrunners are willing to work that muscle out a bit more. I am sure it is going to be a lot of work to get the logistics right, but I think it's likely getting those reps in will pay dividends for the production of the daytime show.

This is big and ambitious and something I never would have expected, and my hope is it gets the home audience a little taste of the quality that makes studio tapings so addicting.

[LiteBulb88]

IIRC, even when Bob was hosting, a taping still took around 75 minutes because the commercial breaks were longer in studio than they were on TV. So there's no way now this can be a 60 minute special with 6 PGs, 2 SSDs, and the showcases and be live. I too suspect they will go for a 3 game day with the behind the scenes footage making up the rest of the time.

That said, I am very excited and plan to go to this if at all possible. Should be really fun to see how they pull this off.

[jhc2010]

The press release lists just three pricing games (won't list the names so as not to spoil them) which indicates a possibility this will be a modified half-hour format in an hour timeslot. I'm fine with that. I'm pleased to see the showrunners are willing to work that muscle out a bit more. I am sure it is going to be a lot of work to get the logistics right, but I think it's likely getting those reps in will pay dividends for the production of the daytime show.

They also list “The Big Wheel” in the press release so it won’t be a old school half-hour format if they’re spinning.

[illustriousrocket]

They also list “The Big Wheel” in the press release so it won’t be a old school half-hour format if they’re spinning.

It could be a hybrid of the old-school format and the Canadian highest-two-spinners-advance concept.

[GRWHAMMY the 2nd]

or they could pull out the Range Game Showcase from 1994 (even if it's on the normal Range Game prop, ala the pilots), if not the Aussie Mega Showcase

i say that because they mention A showcase - singular

[Flerbert419]

Sounds like a challenge that I am interested to see how they take on. I cannot see this being 6 pricing games, too much potential for things to go wrong and run over.

Drew has previous live game show hosting experience with Pepsi's Play For A Billion in 2003.

[TPIR98665]

I think I am more interested in the 'how' rather than the actual show...

show time must be either 8pm or 9pm ET...so 5pm or 6pm in beautiful Glendale.

Not sure if the games listed will be actually played or if they are just throwing out popular games as potentials...If they do 6 games they will need at least 2hours of TV time..So maybe 3 or 4 games to make it less than 2 hrs.

[jhc2010]

I have a feeling they’re going to have side-by-side commercials and behind the scenes live video like CBS does with CBS Evening News and The Late Show (even though The Late Show is taped)

[Prizes]

As someone who works in live TV, I'd love to know how this is going to be handled if there's a technical mess. You can't always help that type of deal, but such occurrences do happen, you know?

I saw a taping a couple of years back where the First Four calldowns had to be entirely redone. I'm not sure why, because it was never explained to us, but what do you do if you're CBS in that kind of spot for live programming with a fixed airing time? Even with overtly inflated estimates from your timeslot, you're still up against a limited timeslot by quantity of minutes.

[jhc2010]

Maybe CBS will treat this like a sporting event and if it overruns it’s allotted time slot like NFL, Golf, NCAA Basketball, etc the rest of primetime and late night will be delayed? Or they could cut the show off immediately at the end time like NBC does with SNL.

Can you imagine if a Showcase Showdown has multiple spin-offs causing the show to run late? Or several overbids that was ordinarily get edited out? Drew might have to use some Barker hurry-up mode if those scenarios happen.

[noahproblem]

Maybe CBS will treat this like a sporting event and if it overruns it’s allotted time slot like NFL, Golf, NCAA Basketball, etc the rest of primetime and late night will be delayed? Or they could cut the show off immediately at the end time like NBC does with SNL.

Can you imagine if a Showcase Showdown has multiple spin-offs causing the show to run late? Or several overbids that was ordinarily get edited out? Drew might have to use some Barker hurry-up mode if those scenarios happen.

Or schedule a live "Young and The Restless" episode, to be cancelled if necessary...

Seriously, I'd guess four pricing games, with 2 head-to-head Showcase Showdowns.

[Axl]

As someone who works in live TV, I'd love to know how this is going to be handled if there's a technical mess. You can't always help that type of deal, but such occurrences do happen, you know?

I saw a taping a couple of years back where the First Four calldowns had to be entirely redone. I'm not sure why, because it was never explained to us, but what do you do if you're CBS in that kind of spot for live programming with a fixed airing time?

There was some talk a couple of years ago about possibly doing a live episode of Jeopardy! in prime time, and one idea that was tossed around was to have sort of a play-by-play team who can jump in and fill time/analyze the game if something goes wrong that requires a play stoppage.

That said, most of the TPiR retapes in recent years seem to be of the optional variety (audience wasn't excited enough, camera coverage wasn't optimal, etc.) and I'm sure producers know which setups and props are most likely to give them problems, so it doesn't seem like an insurmountable issue.

And if everything does come crashing down... well, you'll get some free media out of it.