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game show

game show
or quiz show

Radio or television show designed to test the knowledge, luck, or skill of contestants or experts. Among the shows popular on U.S. radio were Dr. I.Q. (1939–49), Information, Please (1938–48), and The Quiz Kids (1940–53). The genre was adopted by television and cash awards were increased, so that radio's $64 Question became television's $64,000 Question. In the mid-1950s, to increase their shows' popularity, some producers began feeding answers to contestants who had been chosen to win. An accusation of unfair practices on Twenty-one (1958) led to a government investigation and the quick demise of the big-money shows. The game show later regained popularity when it was revived in formats with lower stakes and easier questions, as on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. At the turn of the 21st century, game shows such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire boasted large cash prizes and gained popularity in prime time, and reality shows like Survivor adopted aspects of the game show genre.

Learn more about game show with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Game show
A game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems for money and/or prizes. On some shows contestants compete against other players or another team while other shows involve contestants playing alone for a good outcome or a high score. Game shows often reward players with prizes such as cash, trips and goods and services provided by the show's prize suppliers. Many television game shows descended from similar programs on radio.

Game shows around the world

Argentina

Australia

As with most countries, Australia has made many adaptations of U.S. based game shows, most of which copy the U.S. version's set, particularly with the Grundy shows.

Belgium

Brazil

Bulgaria

Canada

Canadian game and quiz shows (at least the English-language ones) have often been aimed towards children and teenagers between the ages of six and 19. A majority of these game shows often run for 30 minutes in each episode.

They are often derived of its formats from game shows that are produced in the United States, having most of them been run on Canadian networks such as CTV, Global and Citytv. One of the only actual English prime time game shows to air on Canadian television is Deal or No Deal Canada.

Although American game and quiz shows are popular in Canada, Canadian residents are not eligible to be contestants on some of them, Jeopardy! and The Price Is Right being two notable exceptions. Unlike in the United States, game show winnings in Canada are not subject to income tax (actually, most countries aside from The US are not subject to income tax).

There are very few Canadian adaptaions of American, British, and Dutch-originated quiz shows in the English language. Most, like versions of The Price Is Right, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, and Family Feud, are in French. Some English-language versions of these shows include Deal or No Deal, Supermarket Sweep, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? , Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, and Cash Cab. There is also a French-language version of Deal or No Deal (and soon a version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?). Most of the game shows that air in Canada and that are in English are the US game shows.

Czech Republic

Chile

Denmark

Realityshows:

Finland

Original Finnish series

  • Far Out (Game show where two teams did tasks in several European cities. The winner team of the week (voted by the TV audience) got to a different city for the following week, the losers had to come back to Finland)
  • Tuttu juttu (game show full of roses and love about knowing your life partner)
  • Suuri kupla (children's game show about the world of comics)
  • Maailman ympäri (geographical quiz show)
  • SF-Studio (entertaining quiz show about the latest news)
  • Giljotiini (quiz show where you need to know who doesn't know)
  • Reitti 44 (trip around the world in two teams, including tasks)
  • Retsi ja Jykke (quiz show, followed by spin-off shows by the same team, until the death of Jyrki Otila (Jykke))
  • Räsypokka (strip poker show)

Finnish versions of international series

  • Uutisvuoto (Finnish version of Have I Got News for You)
  • Haluatko miljonääriksi? (Finnish version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?)
  • Heikoin Lenkki (Finnish version of The Weakest Link)
  • Greed
  • Mitä Maksaa (Finnish version of The Price is Right)
  • Voitto kotiin (Finnish version of Family Feud)
  • Onnenpyörä (Finnish version of Wheel of Fortune)
  • Napakymppi (Finnish version of The Dating Game, not considered officially as the same program in the first years of the show, but eventually the producers admitted the resemblance)
  • Tuntemattomat (Finnish version of Identity, coming in 2008)

France

Germany

Hungary

  • Áll az alku (Hungarian adaptation of Deal or No Deal)
  • A széf (Hungarian adaptation of The Safe)
  • Szerencsekerék (Hungarian adaptation of The Wheel of Fortune)
  • Egy a száz ellen (Hungarian adaptation of 1 vs. 100)
  • Legyen Ön is milliomos (Hungarian adaptation of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?)
  • Az örökös
  • Kapcsoltam
  • Multimilliomos
  • Multimilliomos - Most vagy soha?
  • Activity
  • Activity - A milliós küldetés
  • Pókerarc
  • Tűz, víz, kvíz!
  • Kvízió
  • Játékidő
  • Okosabb vagy, mint egy ötödikes? (Hungarian adaptation of Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?)
  • Csaó, Darwin!
  • Az igazság ára (Hungarian adaptation of The Prize of Truth)

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Iran

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Korea, South

Macedonia

Malta

TVM

  • Deal or No Deal
  • Ħadd Għalik? ("A Sunday For You?")
  • Il-Kunjata ("The Mother-in-law")

Net TV

  • Kontra l-Ħin ("Against The Time", possibly a Maltese version of Beat the Clock)

Mexico

Netherlands

Pakistan

  • Antakshari
  • Kya Aap Banay Gay Karohr Pati? (Who wants to be a millionaire?)
  • The Weakest Link

Panama

Philippines

ABS CBN

GMA

NBN

ABC

Q (Quality Television)

IBC

RPN

UNTV 37

Studio 23

Poland

Portugal

Puerto Rico

Russia

Russian quiz, game & dating shows

Russian reality shows

Serbia

  • TV Slagalica
  • Visoki Napon
  • Kviskoteka
  • Želite li da postanete Milioner (Serbian version of Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?)
  • Uzmi ili Ostavi (Serbian version of Deal or no Deal)
  • Da li ste pametniji od Đaka Petaka? (Serbian version of Are You Smarter Than a Canadian 5th Grader?)
  • Keš Taksi (Serbian version of Cash Cab)
  • Veliki Brat (Serbian version of Big Brother)
  • Najslabija Karika (Serbian version of The Weakest Link)

South Africa

Spain

Turkey

United Kingdom

United States

Venezuela

See also

External links

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Last updated on Sunday October 05, 2008 at 21:24:20 PDT (GMT -0700)
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