History Creator / GSN

Founded in 1994 and owned by Creator/SonyPictures, Game Show Network originally featured reruns of classic TV game shows from the 1950s onward. At first, the network's rerun lineup ran the gamut from [[Creator/MarkGoodson Goodson-Todman]] stalwarts (such as ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'', ''Series/{{Password}}'', ''Series/FamilyFeud'', and ''Series/MatchGame'') to programs produced by Sony (such as ''Series/{{Pyramid}}'', ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'', ''Series/WheelOfFortune'', ''Series/TicTacDough'', ''Series/TheNewlywedGame'', and ''Series/TheJokersWild''). In the late 1990s, the network began creating its own games, starting with live call-in programs and eventually branching out into original formats and revivals.

Compare and contrast Buzzr, a digital subchannel network run by Creator/FremantleMedia (the current owners of the Goodson-Todman library among others), and the former "Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} Games and Sports for Kids" networks.

Beginning in March of 2004, the network began using the abbreviated "GSN" moniker, ushering in one of the most infamous eamples of NetworkDecay. GSN expanded its programming scope to not only include reality competitions, but poker, [[NetworkDecay and even programs that were only tangibly related to game shows or any kind of competition if at all.]] Things would cool down towards the end of TheNewTens, as the network's programming would shift back towards more traditional formats. It all culminated in a 2018 network refresh that would even restore their full name in promotion.[[note]]The network's full name has also been used for brief periods and occasions since 2016.[[/note]]

Beginning in March of 2004, the network began using the abbreviated "GSN" moniker, ushering in one of the most infamous eamples of NetworkDecay. GSN expanded its programming scope to not only include reality competitions, but poker, [[NetworkDecay and even programs that were only tangibly related to game shows or any kind of competition if at all.]] Things would cool down towards the end of TheNewTens, as GSN's original programming would shift back towards more traditional formats. It all culminated in a 2018 network refresh that would even restore their full name in promotion.[[note]]The network's full name has also been used for brief periods and occasions since 2016.[[/note]]

Beginning in March of 2004, the network began using the abbreviated "GSN" moniker, ushering in one of the most infamous eamples of NetworkDecay. GSN expanded its programming scope to not only include reality competitions, but poker, [[NetworkDecay and even programs that were only tangibly related to game shows or any kind of competition if at all.]] Things would cool down towards the end of TheNewTens, as GSN's original programming would shift back towards more traditional formats. It all culminated in a 2018 network refresh that would even restore their full name in promotion.[[note]]The network's full name has also been used for brief periods and occasions since 2016.[[note]]

Beginning in March of 2004, the network began using the abbreviated "GSN" moniker, ushering in one of the most infamous eamples of NetworkDecay. GSN expanded its programming scope to not only include reality competitions, but poker, [[NetworkDecay and even programs that were only tangibly related to game shows or any kind of competition if at all.]] Things would cool down towards the end of TheNewTens. Apart from occasionally referring to themselves by their full name, GSN's original programming would shift towards more traditional formats. It all culminated in a 2018 network refresh that would restore their full name.

Beginning in March of 2004, the network began using the abbreviated "GSN" moniker, ushering in one of the most infamous eamples of NetworkDecay. GSN expanded its programming scope to not only include reality competitions, but poker, [[NetworkDecay and even programs that were only tangibly related to game shows or any kind of competition if at all.]] Things would cool down towards the end of TheNewTens. Apart from occasionally referring to themselves by their full name, GSN's original programming would shift towards more traditional formats. 2018 would see a network refresh that restored their full name.

Beginning in March of 2004, the network began using the abbreviated GSN moniker and began one of the more infamous periods of NetworkDecay. GSN expanded its programming scope to not only include reality competitions, but poker, [[NetworkDecay and even programs that were only tangibly related to game shows or any kind of competition if at all.]] Things would cool down towards the end of TheNewTens. Apart from occasionally referring to themselves by their full name, GSN's original programming would shift towards more traditional formats. 2018 would see a network refresh that restored their full name.

The network has caught flack by [[UnpleasableFanbase a subset of game show fans]] for airing contemporary and recent shows [[note]]Their [[AdoredByTheNetwork love of the Steve Harvey-hosted ''Family Feud'']] being the most notable example. [[/note]], including the network's own original programming. Their [[ExecutiveMeddling treatment]] of classic game show reruns since the 2000s hasn't done them any favors. The network eventually lost the rights to the Goodson-Todman library for good, save for a few standouts, and instead focused on a larger push towards original programming to build inventory.

The network has caught flack by [[UnpleasableFanbase a subset of game show fans]] for airing contemporary and recent shows [[note]]Their [[AdoredByTheNetwork love of the Steve Harvey-hosted ''Family Feud'']] being the most notable example. [[/note]], including the network's own original programming. Their [[ExecutiveMeddling treatment]] of classic game show reruns since the 2000s hasn't done them any favors. The network eventually lost the rights to the Goodson-Todman library, save for a few standouts, and instead focused on a larger push towards original programming to build inventory.

Compare and contrast Buzzr, a digital subchannel network run by Creator/FremantleMedia (the current owners of the Goodson-Todman library among others), and the former "Creator/Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids" networks.

Beginning in March of 2004, the network began using the abbreviated GSN moniker and began one of the more infamous periods of NetworkDecay. GSN expanded its programming scope to not only include reality competitions, but poker, [[NetworkDecay and even programs that were only tangibly related to game shows or any kind of competition if at all.]] Things would cool down towards the end of TheNew10s. Apart from occasionally referring to themselves by their full name, GSN's original programming would shift towards more traditional formats. 2018 would see a network refresh that restored their full name.

Founded in 1994 and majority-owned by Creator/SonyPictures, Game Show Network originally featured reruns of classic TV game shows from the 1950s onward. At first, the network's rerun lineup ran the gamut from [[Creator/MarkGoodson Goodson-Todman]] stalwarts (such as ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'', ''Series/{{Password}}'', ''Series/FamilyFeud'', and ''Series/MatchGame'') to programs produced by Sony (such as ''Series/{{Pyramid}}'', ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'', ''Series/WheelOfFortune'', ''Series/TicTacDough'', ''Series/TheNewlywedGame'', and ''Series/TheJokersWild''). In the late 1990s, the network began creating its own games, starting with live call-in programs and eventually branching out into original formats and revivals.

The network has caught flack by [[UnpleasableFanbase a subset of game show fans]] for airing contemporary and recent shows [[note]]Their [[AdoredByTheNetwork love of the Steve Harvey-hosted ''Family Feud'']] being the most notable example. [[/note]], including the network's own original programming. Their [[ExecutiveMeddling treatment]] of classic game show reruns since the 2000s hasn't done them any favors. The network eventually lost the rights to the Goodson-Toddman library, save for a few standouts, and instead focused on a larger push towards original programming to build inventory.

The network has caught flack by [[UnpleasableFanbase a subset of game show fans]] for airing contemporary and recent shows [[note]]Their [[AdoredByTheNetwork love of the Steve Harvey-hosted ''Family Feud'']] being the most notable example. [[/note]], including the network's own original programming. Their [[ExecutiveMeddling treatment]] of classic game show reruns since the 2000s hasn't done them any favors.

Beginning in March of 2004, the network began using the abbreviated GSN moniker and expanded its programming scope to not only include reality competitions, but poker, [[NetworkDecay and even programs that were only tangibly related to game shows or any kind of competition if at all.]] The network eventually lost the rights to the Goodson-Todman library, save for a few standouts, instead focusing on a larger push towards original programming.

In 2015, the network gained competition in the form of Buzzr, a new digital subchannel network run by Creator/FremantleMedia. Buzzr is airing the programs they own that are not part of GSN's lineup/.

Television cable network founded in 1994, dedicated to the GameShow genre. In particular, Game Show Network was founded to air reruns of classic TV game shows from the 1950s onward. Starting in the late 1990s, the network began creating its own, starting with live call-in programs and eventually branching out into original formats and revivals of obscure formats.

At first, the network's rerun lineup ran the gamut from [[Creator/MarkGoodson Goodson-Todman]] stalwarts such as ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'', ''Series/{{Password}}'', ''Series/FamilyFeud'', and ''Series/MatchGame'' to other familiar programs owned by Sony (such as ''Series/{{Pyramid}}'', ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'', ''Series/WheelOfFortune'', ''Series/TicTacDough'', ''Series/TheNewlywedGame'', and ''Series/TheJokersWild''). Over time, the lineup has undergone countless changes, thanks in no small part to some degree of NetworkDecay.

The current schedule is sometimes criticized by fans for relying too much on fairly recent material (''Series/DealOrNoDeal'', the Sherri Shepherd version of ''Series/TheNewlywedGame'', the Steve Harvey seasons of ''Family Feud'') and material that doesn't quite qualify as game shows (''Series/HighStakesPoker'', ''Series/DancingWithTheStars'', ''Family Trade'', ''Skin Wars'').

The network officially shortened its name to "GSN" in 2004 to coincide with [[NetworkDecay a new programming focus]] (moving to more reality-based competition series), but officially reverted to its former moniker almost 15 years later, in 2018, after a year or so of using both in tandem with each other.

In 2015, the network gained competition in the form of Buzzr, a new digital subchannel network run by Creator/FremantleMedia. Buzzr is airing the programs they own that are not part of GSN's lineup (barring ''Series/MatchGame'') and is currently in several markets with a planned nationwide rollout.

* ''As Seen On...'' (series that basically consisted of clips)

* ''Faux Pause'' (essentially ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' with game shows, only really terrible)

* ''Series/{{Lingo}}'' (revivals of 1980s game show)

* ''The Money List'' (revival of FOX's one-and-done ''The Rich List'')

* ''Skin Wars'' (Body-painting reality show with professional body painters)
** ''Skin Wars: Fresh Paint'' (Body-painting reality show with people from several artistic fields doing body painting for the first time)

* ''Series/{{Whammy}}!'' (revival of the 1980s ''Series/PressYourLuck'')

%%[Note: while network pages generally don't have examples, there's really no other way to get these points across.]%%

* AprilFoolsDay: In 2003, the hosts of the network's original shows at the time traded places, except for Chuck Woolery who stayed with ''Lingo''. That day's ''Lingo'' featured four of the hosts playing a charity game against each other, with remaining host [[Series/{{Whammy}} Todd Newton]] serving as announcer/comic relief. [[note]](Also airing that day was a 1984 episode of ''The Newlywed Game'' hosted by Jim Lange.)[[/note]]
* CreditsPushback: Originally nonexistent. Until 1999, the only thing Game Show Network did during the credits was a brief, unobtrusive voiceover for other network programming that echoed those of the classic games and was typically placed over the "coming up" voiceovers of the original episode.
** From 1999-2001, the credits were horizontally crunched for a brief promo, with the show on the right side and from 2001-04, both show and promo in square boxes. In both cases, everything was still legible and the shows weren't cut off early.
** Since the change to GSN, the crunches have become annoying to the point of illegibility, taking up about 90% of the screen and moving on to the next show when the promos conclude, cutting off the {{Vanity Plate}}s on most shows and almost always nullifying the fee plugs read by TheAnnouncer (though those, strangely, are still closed-captioned).
** They at least had the decency not to crunch ''Series/LetsMakeADeal'' (since Monty Hall made mini-deals with the audience throughout the credits) or some of the ''Black And White Overnite'' shows.
* KidsBlock: During GSN's heyday, "Kids Zone", a block of kids/teen episodes of adult game shows (e.g., "Teen Week" of ''Wheel of Fortune''), kids versions of adult game shows (e.g., ''[[Series/TheJokersWild Joker! Joker! Joker!]]'', ''Jep!'' and ''Wheel 2000'') and kids-only programs (''Juvenile Jury'', ''The Quiz Kids Challenge'') was aired on Saturday mornings, with young Kimberly Aaberg doing pre-show and commercial bumpers.
** After the "Dark Period" ended in 1998, these programs often included commentary cut in by a "Junior GSN Ball" and adult host Adrian R'Mante (usually when an announcer would stumble over copy, host-contestant interaction, the kids were being themselves, etc.), which most viewers found very annoying instead of cute or humorous.
* TheRemake: Done often to obscurities. The Woolery-hosted revival of ''Lingo'' was by far the best received, while ''Catch 21'' is considered a worthy ''Gambit'' revamp with minimal changes to what had been a winning format (along with being heralded as Creator/MerrillHeatter's return to TV after nearly 20 years). ''Whammy'' was considered a worthy successor to the original ''Press Your Luck'' despite needless format changes such as [[CoveredInGunge Double Whammies]] and the ill-conceived Big Bank round, and though he didn't hold a candle to Peter Tomarken, Todd Newton was still seen as a competent, enjoyable host. The Dylan Lane-hosted ''Chain Reaction'' returned the mental agility that was the Instant Reaction bonus game, but was tempered by clueless contestants and Lane's generally sucky hosting (Mike Catherwood's version is generally well received, with Catherwood being more genial). ''Extreme Gong'' and Bill Engvall's ''Lingo'', on the other hand...

** From 1999-2001, the credits were horizontally crunched for a brief promo, with the show on the right side and from 2001-04, both show and promo in square boxes. In both cases, everything was still legible and the show generally .

* KidsBlock: During GSN's heyday, "Kids Zone", a block of kids/teen episodes of adult game shows (e.g., "Teen Week" of ''Wheel of Fortune''), kids versions of adult game shows (e.g., ''[[Series/TheJokersWild Joker! Joker! Joker!]]'', ''Jep!'' and ''Wheel 2000'') and kids-only programs (''Juvenile Jury'', ''The Quiz Kids Challenge'') was aired on Saturday mornings.

* ''America Says''

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The network officially shortened its name to "GSN" in 2004, but has referred to itself by its former moniker on several occasions since. In August 2012, GSN began using "Game Show Network" under the logo in promos for ''The Pyramid'', which quickly spread to the credit crunches (amusingly, in a vertical style reminiscent of the original 1994-97 logo). In 2013, GSN began referring to itself explicitly in its promos as "Game Show Network" for the first time in nearly a decade; this lasted several months. GSN tried doing this again starting in late 2017; time will tell if this sticks.

In 2015, the network gained competition in the form of Buzzr, a new digital subchannel network run by Creator/FremantleMedia. Buzzr is airing the programs they own that are not part of GSN's lineup (barring ''Series/MatchGame'' and ''Series/CardSharks'') and is currently in several markets with a planned nationwide rollout.

** Since the change to GSN, the crunches have become annoying to the point of illegibility, taking up about 90% of the screen and moving on to the next show when the promos conclude, cutting off the {{Vanity Plate}}s on most shows and almost always nullifying the fee plugs read by TheAnnouncer (though those, strangely, are still closed-captioned). However, on a rare occasion, the pushback may be left unused, due to very short credits on older shows.

** Since the change to GSN, the crunches have become annoying to the point of illegibility, taking up about 90% of the screen and moving on to the next show when the promos conclude, cutting off the {{Vanity Plate}}s on most shows and almost always nullifying the fee plugs read by TheAnnouncer (though those, strangely, are still closed-captioned).

The current schedule is sometimes criticized by fans for relying too much on fairly recent material (''Series/DealOrNoDeal'', the Sherri Shepherd version of ''Series/TheNewlywedGame'', the Steve Harvey seasons of ''Family Feud'') and material that doesn't quite qualify as game shows (''Series/HighStakesPoker'', ''Series/DancingWithTheStars'', ''Family Trade'').

In 2015, the network gained competition in the form of Buzzr, a new digital subchannel network run by Creator/FremantleMedia. Buzzr is airing the programs they own that are not part of GSN's lineup (barring ''Series/MatchGame'', ''Series/CardSharks'', ''Series/PressYourLuck'', and ''Series/LetsMakeADeal'') and is currently in several markets with a planned nationwide rollout.

* TheRemake: Done often to obscurities. The Woolery-hosted revival of ''Lingo'' was by far the best received, while ''Catch 21'' is considered a worthy ''Gambit'' revamp with minimal changes to what had been a winning format (along with being heralded as Creator/MerrillHeatter's return to TV after nearly 20 years). The Dylan Lane-hosted ''Chain Reaction'' returned the mental agility that was the Instant Reaction bonus game, but was tempered by clueless contestants and Lane's generally sucky hosting (Mike Catherwood's version is generally well received, with Catherwood being more genial). ''Extreme Gong'' and Bill Engvall's ''Lingo'', on the other hand...