23 Classic Game Shows That Shaped TV History

Game shows have been part of television for almost as long as television itself. Long before streaming, social media, or even widespread ownership of TV sets, viewers were already watching people answer questions, solve puzzles, take ridiculous chances, and occasionally walk away with life-changing money.

This list works backward through nearly nine decades of game-show history, from modern hits such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to a pioneering BBC spelling competition that aired in 1938. Most of the shows became fixtures of American television, while others helped establish the format before U.S. game shows really took off.

Along the way, the genre produced some genuinely strange television history. Contestants figured out supposedly random game boards, enormously popular quiz shows were exposed as rigged, beloved hosts became institutions, and shows that looked dead returned years later with new casts and new networks.

24/7 Tempo reviewed network and production records, Television Academy materials, official show histories, and other television archives to verify debut dates, hosts, revivals, and major events associated with each series.

This post was updated in September 2026 to reflect current information.

The American version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire debuted on ABC on August 16, 1999, with Regis Philbin in the host's chair. It quickly became a ratings phenomenon built around multiple-choice questions, increasingly large prizes, and the possibility of winning $1 million. A syndicated version arrived in 2002 with Meredith Vieira, followed over the years by Cedric the Entertainer, Terry Crews, and Chris Harrison.

ABC brought the show back to primetime in 2020 with Jimmy Kimmel as host. The revival has continued on and off since then, and Kimmel returned for another season in 2026. The format has changed over the years, but that $1 million top prize still does a pretty good job of keeping people in the chair.

Win, Lose or Draw debuted on September 7, 1987, with contestants and celebrities trying to communicate clues by drawing them. Two versions ran at the same time, which is where its hosting history can get confusing. Bert Convy hosted the syndicated version, which ran through August 31, 1990, while Vicki Lawrence hosted NBC's daytime version from 1987 to 1989.

The concept was essentially televised Pictionary before Pictionary became a household game-night staple. Burt Reynolds and Convy were among the show's executive producers, and Disney later spun the format into Teen Win, Lose or Draw for younger contestants.

Super Password premiered on NBC on September 24, 1984, with Bert Convy as host. The show built on earlier versions of Password, pairing celebrities with contestants who had to get their partners to guess words using one-word clues. Those answers then became clues to a larger puzzle.

The NBC run lasted until March 24, 1989. Convy had previously appeared as a celebrity player on Password Plus, so by the time he became the host, he was already pretty familiar with how much damage one badly chosen clue could do.

Press Your Luck debuted on CBS on September 19, 1983, with Peter Tomarken as host. Contestants answered trivia questions to earn spins on a flashing game board packed with cash, prizes, and the dreaded Whammy, which could wipe out everything they had accumulated.

Its most famous contestant was Michael Larson, who discovered that the board's flashing lights followed repeatable patterns. After studying recorded episodes, Larson memorized those sequences and won $110,237 in cash and prizes during his 1984 appearance. CBS investigated but ultimately concluded that memorizing the board did not violate the show's rules, so Larson kept his winnings. ABC revived Press Your Luck in 2019 with Elizabeth Banks, and the revival was still airing new episodes in 2026.

The original Card Sharks premiered on NBC on April 24, 1978, with Jim Perry as host. Contestants answered survey questions and then tried to predict whether the next playing card would be higher or lower than the one before it. Simple enough to explain, considerably less simple when money is riding on whether a seven goes up or down.

Perry remained with the original version until it ended in 1981. The format has returned several times since, including versions hosted by Bob Eubanks and Pat Bullard. ABC revived the show again in 2019 with Joel McHale, with that incarnation running for two seasons before ABC dropped it in 2022.

Wheel of Fortune debuted on NBC on January 6, 1975. Chuck Woolery hosted the original version alongside Susan Stafford. Pat Sajak took over as host in 1981, and Vanna White joined the show in 1982. The familiar syndicated version premiered the following year and eventually turned the pair into two of the most recognizable faces in game-show history.

Sajak stepped down as the regular syndicated host in 2024 after 41 seasons of that version of the show. Ryan Seacrest took over alongside White and remains the host in 2026. The giant wheel, letter board, and occasional contestant who confidently solves something that absolutely is not the puzzle have survived the transition just fine.

Family Feud premiered on ABC on July 12, 1976, with Richard Dawson as host. Its premise has barely needed changing: two families try to guess the most popular answers given to survey questions, which sounds easy until somebody has five seconds to name something people keep in a garage.

The show has gone through several lives and several hosts. Ray Combs led its late-1980s and early-1990s revival, Dawson later returned, and Louie Anderson, Richard Karn, and John O'Hurley hosted later syndicated versions. Steve Harvey took over in 2010 and remains host of Family Feud and Celebrity Family Feud in 2026.

The Price Is Right actually dates back to a different version hosted by Bill Cullen in the 1950s, but the version audiences know today debuted on CBS on September 4, 1972. Bob Barker hosted that incarnation for 35 years as contestants tried to guess retail prices closely enough to win cash, cars, vacations, appliances, and whatever else the producers could roll onto the stage.

Drew Carey took over in 2007 and remains host in 2026. CBS calls it the longest-running game show in television history, and more than five decades into the current version, people are still very willing to sprint down an aisle when someone yells, "Come on down!"

The Newlywed Game premiered on ABC on July 11, 1966, with Bob Eubanks as host. Newly married couples were asked questions about one another and earned points when their answers matched. When they did not, America occasionally learned considerably more about somebody's marriage than anybody had planned.

The show became especially associated with the euphemism "making whoopee," and Eubanks became the host most closely identified with the franchise. Different versions appeared over several decades, including a GSN revival hosted by Sherri Shepherd that ran into 2013.

Hollywood Squares debuted on NBC on October 17, 1966, with Peter Marshall as host. Contestants played what was essentially a giant game of tic-tac-toe, choosing celebrity panelists who answered questions from individual squares. The celebrities were encouraged to be funny, so contestants then had to decide whether those answers were actually true.

The format has returned repeatedly, including versions hosted by John Davidson and Tom Bergeron. CBS launched another revival in January 2025, this time with Nate Burleson hosting and Drew Barrymore occupying the center square. That version returned for a second season in 2026.

The Dating Game premiered on ABC on December 20, 1965, and became one of producer Chuck Barris' signature creations. With Jim Lange hosting, a contestant questioned several potential dates hidden from view and then chose one based entirely on their answers. The original ABC daytime run lasted until July 6, 1973.

Several syndicated revivals followed. ABC revisited the idea again in 2021 with The Celebrity Dating Game, hosted by Zooey Deschanel and Michael Bolton. That version lasted one season and was canceled in 2022, but given the history of this franchise, declaring it gone forever would be asking for trouble.

The original Jeopardy! premiered on NBC on March 30, 1964, with Art Fleming as host. Creator Merv Griffin flipped the normal quiz-show formula by giving contestants the answers and requiring them to respond in the form of a question.

The current syndicated version debuted in 1984 with Alex Trebek, who hosted nearly 8,000 episodes before his death in 2020. Former champion Ken Jennings now hosts the show. Long before taking the lectern, Jennings became a household name by winning 74 consecutive games in 2004, still the longest winning streak in the show's history.

Match Game first appeared on NBC on December 31, 1962, with Gene Rayburn as host. The original version was considerably more restrained than the celebrity-heavy revival that arrived on CBS in 1973, where contestants tried to fill in blanks with the same answers supplied by a panel of celebrities.

That version turned Rayburn, Charles Nelson Reilly, Brett Somers, and other regular panelists into game-show fixtures. The format has been revived several times since. ABC brought it back with Alec Baldwin in 2016, then launched yet another version in 2025 with Martin Short as host.

1961: American television host Hugh Downs posing with his arms crossed on the set of the NBC game show 'Concentration,' which he hosted. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Concentration debuted on NBC on August 25, 1958. Hugh Downs was its first host, and contestants matched prizes hidden behind numbered spaces while gradually uncovering a rebus puzzle that had to be solved to win the game.

The original NBC daytime run continued until March 1973, with Bob Clayton and, briefly, Ed McMahon also serving as hosts. The format later returned in syndication, and Alex Trebek hosted Classic Concentration from 1987 to 1991.

To Tell the Truth premiered on CBS on December 18, 1956, with Bud Collyer as host. A celebrity panel faced three people claiming to be the same person. Two were impostors, one was telling the truth, and the panel had to work out which was which through questioning.

Collyer hosted the original CBS version through 1968, while Garry Moore became the best-known host of the syndicated run that began in 1969. The format has repeatedly returned to television. ABC launched another version in 2016 with Anthony Anderson as host, proving there are apparently very few expiration dates on a good panel-game premise.

I've Got a Secret debuted on CBS on June 19, 1952. Contestants whispered an unusual fact or secret to the host, and a panel of celebrities tried to uncover it using yes-or-no questions.

Garry Moore hosted from 1952 to 1964, followed by Steve Allen through the end of the original CBS run in 1967. The show returned several times afterward, including a 1976 CBS revival hosted by longtime panelist Bill Cullen. The original series aired its final episode on April 3, 1967.

What's My Line? debuted on CBS on February 2, 1950, with John Charles Daly as host. Celebrity panelists questioned ordinary contestants in an attempt to identify their occupations, while famous mystery guests appeared with the panel blindfolded.

The original network run lasted until 1967 and won three Emmy Awards for quiz or audience-participation programming, along with a 1962 Golden Globe for best TV show. A daily syndicated version followed from 1968 to 1975, extending a format that had already become one of early television's defining panel shows.

The $64,000 Question premiered on CBS on June 7, 1955, with Hal March as host and quickly became one of the biggest television sensations of the decade. Contestants answered increasingly difficult questions in a specialized subject, with the prize doubling as they worked their way toward $64,000.

The show's reputation was later caught up in the quiz-show scandals that shook television in the late 1950s. Congressional investigations and testimony revealed that contestants on several major quiz programs had been coached or supplied information in advance, including allegations involving the related $64,000 Challenge. The $64,000 Question left the air in 1958 as public trust in big-money quiz shows collapsed.

Twenty-One debuted on NBC on September 12, 1956, with Jack Barry as host. The quiz show became nationally famous after Columbia University professor Charles Van Doren went on a long winning streak, defeating reigning champion Herbert Stempel and becoming a television celebrity.

The problem was that the competition was not legitimate. Stempel alleged that producers had manipulated results, and on November 2, 1959, Van Doren admitted before a congressional committee that he had participated in the deception and had received answers and coaching in advance. Twenty-One had already ended in 1958. Congress responded to the wider scandal in 1960 by making the rigging of supposedly legitimate broadcast contests a federal offense.

You Bet Your Life started on radio in 1947 before moving to NBC television in October 1950. Groucho Marx hosted alongside announcer George Fenneman, but the quiz itself was often secondary to Groucho's improvised conversations with contestants.

The original television version lasted until 1961, with its final season retitled The Groucho Show. The franchise has resurfaced several times since, most recently in a syndicated revival hosted by Jay Leno from 2021 to 2023.

Truth or Consequences began as an NBC radio show in 1940. It actually made a one-night experimental television appearance in July 1941, during the earliest days of commercial broadcasting, before returning as a regular television series in 1950.

Ralph Edwards created the show and served as its first major host. Jack Bailey followed, and Bob Barker took over in 1956, hosting the program for nearly two decades across network television and syndication. Later hosts included Bob Hilton and Larry Anderson. The final syndicated revival ended in 1988.

CBS Television Quiz began on July 2, 1941, on New York television station WCBW, the station that later became WCBS-TV. Gil Fates hosted and produced the program, while Frances Buss served as scorekeeper.

The program ran until January 7, 1943, and is generally credited as the first regularly scheduled television game show. That distinction matters because Truth or Consequences had appeared on television one day earlier in 1941, but only as a one-time experimental broadcast before its regular TV run began years later.

The oldest show on this list was not American at all. Spelling Bee was a BBC television program broadcast live from Alexandra Palace in London on May 31, 1938. Guinness World Records recognizes it as the first television game show.

Freddie Grisewood hosted as contestants competed to spell words correctly. The program grew out of a radio format inspired by American school spelling competitions and ultimately ran for five television episodes, with the final installment airing on September 1, 1938. It was short-lived, but the basic idea of putting ordinary people in front of cameras and turning a contest into entertainment was about to become very big business.