44 - Top 5 Game Shows of 2023
Hello!
2022, and not really far off from it, 2023 have been really painful and stressful times in my life. It honestly, is hard to put into words how I felt mentally and physically in the “post-covid” years that still haunt me from “covid years” and “pre-covid”.
I have had to go back on projects, and take step backs from podcasts and content to help out family, and it takes it’s toll on me. My birthday was, to say the least, “sad”, and i’m still trying to figure out how to just get that one “W” to feel better, but maybe that might not come this year.
Normally, on my Birthday, I do come up with a “Top 5 Game Shows” list. When I do “Game Shows I Suppose” I covered game shows from past to present and internationally, and those that don’t really know about it, always ask “whats your favorite game show?” to which, i had to think about it, and thus my YEARLY LIST shows up where I try and answer this.
The last few years, have been REALLY challenging, mostly because of long-running shows like “The Price is Right” and “Let’s Make a Deal” versus a brand new format showing up from the UK, or an international format like “Schlag Den Raab” showing up and being a weird obsession for a good chunk of my year.
This year, a great chunk of my list was not finished, and was switched out constantly. “The Traitors” was on my Top 5 for the longest time, but then, a new “I Literally Just Told You” showed up and “Oh wait, that was good!” or then, suddenly NBC’s “Password” shows up and I jump out of my chair because of the great casting of contestants.
It’s the ultra rare time, when I actually tried my hardest to NOT come across as a bias for UK formats, or international formats, because of my status as an American, and even when that was the case, a new format pops up, and suddenly I am just having to “redo it all over.
Every one of the 5 shows listed this year survived after constant redos, because of one element that was in all of them - “Surprise”. Rather it’s “Bridge of Lies” and it’s Ticking Clock, Cheat showing up LITERALLY LAST MINUTE and having a great end game, Limitless Win taking it’s changes to heart and making it a MUST SEE QUIZ, Taskmaster continuing to innovate on an international scale, and Press Your Luck going from my 6th place to rocketing to 1st, because of the mere act of “bringing back a studio audience”.
I know, fandoms will disagree with this list, so many formats go unlisted, from your Drag Races to Iron Chef, your The Voice and Survivor to Beat Shazam and The Price is Right.
It goes to show you, game shows are still a growing format, in the constant-shifting world of internet and streaming, and hopefully, in this year, and future years, I will continue to be that annoying op-ed writer (or as I’ve been nicknamed “The Dave Meltzer of Game Shows”) about the future of the television industry, and the weird world of “giving away air fryers for knowing stuff” category within.
If you want to see me squirm and getting rid of shows left-and-right, please check out my patreon this month, where the video is out.
And also, check out my discord, where many others are probably going to talk game shows with me there, if they remember, who knows.
I hope you all have a happy, safe, year. Send all the positive vibes my way, I need them.
Your Friend,
Jordan Hass
