Feud 94

[adamjk]

I am wondering, had the OJ Simpson trial never happened, do you think the 94-95 version of Feud with Dawson returning, could have lasted longer? I understand it was doing fairly well up until the OJ trial, and then a number of stations that carried it, chose to air the trial instead of Feud. I think it could have, the one thing that makes me it might not have, is that the winnings potential was quite cheap for that time. It would be even cheaper by today's standards.

BTW, maybe it's me, but I get the impression that Feud 94 didn't even make it through a full season. Did it?

[vegitoth]

it was originally renewed for a second season but filming didnt even start because of the trial

[WesternEstates]

From what I remember the ratings for the '94 version of Family Feud were not that great and there were alot of reasons for that one of which was which you mention The Simpson trial.

Another reason from what I remembered was CBS didn't really promote the show that well because they believed since they had Richard Dawson that the show would be a big draw.

Another possible reason was possibly bad timing. It was on during the 90's which were really bad to game shows in general because the talk show format was in vogue. Most game shows that premiered in the '90s didn't even last more than six months, in matter of fact there were only three game shows that survivied that period (Jeopardy!, Wheel Of Fortune and The Price is right).

Another reason I think was Richard Dawson himself. He wasn't as good as he was on the original Family Feud. He was much slower, he wasn't as witty as he was in the '70s, there were a couple times when he said something and I couldn't understand him because he mumbled his words. I'm not saying he was a bad host in that version by any means. I'm just saying he wasn't as good.

I don't know what time it was in the rest of the country but in L.A. it was on in the middle of the afternoon which is a really odd time for a game show because that's usually when the talk shows were on. I just think the show had alot of strikes going against it (No pun intended).

[adamjk]

Do you think maybe people were getting tired of the Feud after all those years?

[Grey]

adamjk said:

Do you think maybe people were getting tired of the Feud after all those years?

I think what happened was that Jonathan Goodson made some horrible choices and the public let him know the only way they could -- changing the channel.

[WesternEstates]

adamjk said:

Do you think maybe people were getting tired of the Feud after all those years?

I think the answer to that is yes and no. At around that time there were tons of bad game show revivals including To Tell The Truth, scrabble, Let's make a deal, the Dating Game, The Newlywed game and the worst game show revivals of them all Joker's Wild and Tic Tac Dough. On top of that there were bad game show originals including:

1. Family Secrets: A show where Bob Eubanks ask Newlywed Game-esk questions to children secrets about there parents.

2. Big Deal: Which was a horrible version of Let's Make a Deal.

3. Secrets: Another show that was on fox in the '94, '95 season where the host would ask teenaged friends sleazy questions about each other. The reason it got canceled from what I remember was not the ratings. It was one episode where the show aired a picture of a bunch of teenaged males in the shower naked (with mosaics on the private areas of course.) The sad thing was not only did I see this but I was with several friends who were in the room with me watching it.

4. Nick Arcade: Worst host of all time and not that fun to watch either.

I can go on all day but I think you get the idea. At that time a lot of people had lost faith and respect in the game show format and because of that alot of them turned to talk shows or watched the Simpsons trial. Which is on reason why Family Feud didn't last that long. Ratings talk and anything else walks.

[TV Favorites]

CBS didn't have to promote Feud '94 as it wasn't a CBS network show. It aired in syndication only.

[WesternEstates]

TV said:

CBS didn't have to promote Feud '94 as it wasn't a CBS network show. It aired in syndication only.

Oops. I stand corrected. I just assumed that since it stayed on CBS that naturally that it was their show. Then again that's what happens when I assume.

[FrankieV]

I just think the show went down hill when they let go of Ray. I feel he was the best host for the show. When Richard came back he was older and slower and didnt have the same style of host as he once did. Also the change of the set and music was just too cheesy. The only thing that hurt family fued in the rates was itself. Even now I think the show is still missing something. The set is way too differnt and I dont like the music. Sometimes things are just better left alone.

[WesternEstates]

FrankieV said:

I just think the show went down hill when they let go of Ray. I feel he was the best host for the show. When Richard came back he was older and slower and didnt have the same style of host as he once did. Also the change of the set and music was just too cheesy. The only thing that hurt family fued in the rates was itself. Even now I think the show is still missing something. The set is way too differnt and I dont like the music. Sometimes things are just better left alone.

I completly agree for the most part. Although when Mark Goodson was alive he did some amazing game show revivals. He really did have a knack at it and when he did change the rules, set or any facet of the game show it usually turned out for the better. In some cases I think some of his revivals he did were even better than the originals. For example Match Game, Card Sharks just to name a few and of course his best game show revival of them all The Price is right.

[vegitoth]

what was really missing was the turning board

[Todd Robinson]

vegitoth said:

what was really missing was the turning board

The entire game, including fast money and the main game, was run from the electronic board only. The audience, host, and players would see the electronic board while home viewers would see a computer-generated overlay on top of the game board that was made to look similar to the panel-structured board we're all so used to. Though I've never actually seen a '95-'95 episode, I hear the effect had its visual ups and downs. Someone with viewing experience can clarify.

[WesternEstates]

That whole effect came off as akward. I wish they didn't do that at all. I think they were trying to do what other versions of Family Feud have done across the world and have just the electronic board (Like Family Fortunes) and added the computer graphic for cosmetic purposes only. Speaking of..... do you ever think GSN will ever show Family Feud '94 again?

[Grey]

Todd said:

The entire game, including fast money and the main game, was run from the electronic board only. The audience, host, and players would see the electronic board while home viewers would see a computer-generated overlay on top of the game board that was made to look similar to the panel-structured board we're all so used to. Though I've never actually seen a '95-'95 episode, I hear the effect had its visual ups and downs. Someone with viewing experience can clarify.

All I can really say about the FF94 board is that if you've seen the current version with Richard Karn (or even Louie Anderson, for that matter), you've seen the FF94 board. The only difference between the 94 board and the current board is that when they only had 4 answers on there, the "panels" would be centered and glass blocks would be posted on either side, filling the gap that was there. Also, they used a live feed for the computer-generated filler because I remember one time during a show, (Bankroll round, I believe) Richard Dawson's hand actually appeared on the board itself. I was young at the time and barely have memories of it, but I knew immediately that it was a mistake.

[adamjk]

I doubt you do, but you wouldn't happen to have a pic of that would you?