Read an oral history of The New Hollywood Squares
-
After the original Hollywood Squares aired from 1966 to 1981, the format was revived in sydnication from 1986 to 1989 with John Davidson as host and Joan Rivers and Jim J. Bullock as regulars. "The ’80s game show was a nightly mini-cabaret that was way weirder and more fun than Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune — and left an outsized legacy on network TV," says C. Brian Smith, adding: "For young Gen Xers, The New Hollywood Squares was a reliably weird and occasionally entertaining backdrop to our prepubescent evenings. On most weeknights of Ronald Reagan’s waning years in office, shortly after Brokaw and just before The Cosby Show, American television sets broadcasted impromptu mini cabarets disguised as a back-of-the-envelope children’s game."
TOPICS: Hollywood Squares, The New Hollywood Squares, Jim J. Bullock, Joan Rivers, John Davidson, Game Shows, syndication
More Hollywood Squares on Primetimer:- For Gilbert Gottfried, the idea that a joke could be "too soon" was offensive
- Tom Bergeron will host a video on demand tribute to Hollywood Squares: The Hollywood Museum Squares
- Original Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall joins Twitter ahead of his 95th birthday
- Former Falcon's Crest star Abby Dalton dies at 88
