I'm watching the new Match Game one night after it aired. I have avoided reading critiques of it to this point, so here are reactions to my initial viewing of the first episode.
I don't mind the updated look to the set. I'm sure some people wanted the classic Gene Rayburn set recreated.
It's obvious after the first segment that banter by the host and celebrities is mandated in order to stretch out the game play. Alec Baldwin's jokes aren't great, and they seem forced.
What kind of stimulants did they pump the initial two contestants full of? Marissa isn't over the top, but middle-aged Alissa is whack-tastic. (The lack of last names and cities of residence for the contestants is annoying. I'm old fashioned.)
First question of the show: A question about the "adults only" section of Costco. Exactly what I feared.
But the next two questions were somewhat clever without being overly sexual. The fourth question seemed to lead to only one possible answer, which game Alissa an easy win.
Who the hell is this JB Smooth and why does he think he's the star of the show? His dance session in the middle of the game with Alissa didn't entertain me, it annoyed me. A lot.
This Sutton Foster woman in the sixth celebrity seat is the opposite of Smooth. I don't know who she is, but at least she's not annoying.
And Rosie O'Donnell is rather sedate on this show, much to my surprise.
Two segments into the show and Baldwin has lost me as host.
After two segments Alissa is playing the audience match for up to $5,000, and she is nuttier than a fruitcake. It's hard to root for her.
Smooth is dancing again. Make him stop.
Alissa just lost the head-to-head match with O'Donnell, and I'm not the least bit disappointed.
So with one game in the books Baldwin has disappointed me as host, the emphasis on celebrity wisecracking is more than I care for and JB Smooth is insufferable. Despite all that, it's not a horrible update of the game. Perhaps today's game show viewers want the celebrity antics that I have little patience for.
Game 2: First question has a pun about Uranus, and the celebrities are making gay sex and genital wart jokes. And JB Smooth is canvassing the celebrities again for their answers. This guy is 10 times more annoying than I expected O'Donnell to be.
Question about Donald Trump wakes O'Donnell from her coma, predictably.
Smooth is not only annoying, he sucks at Match Game. Worst celebrity on the panel by a country mile.
Baldwin just threw to a commercial by suggesting sexual innuendo about Debra Messing. Why not, this ain't 1976.
I expected Michael Ian Black to be more entertaining than he has been. He's not bad, but I feel like he's underwhelmed by the show.
Round 2: Mick Jagger question about Viagra, followed by a Mr. Potato Head question suggesting drug or alcohol use.
I thought a couple of the questions from the first week of the show were creative and fun, but it's hard to applaud the writers when they go for cheap, obvious answers like "boner" in the Mick Jagger question.
I've got one final super match round to go for episode 1. I'll forgo further critique.
Overall the show isn't as lowbrow as I expected, but it certainly panders to that crowd. I doubt it's going to win over game show purists. Perhaps there's a large enough audience for what ABC is selling, but I'm skeptical this show has legs, either as a summer prime time offering or as a future syndicated program.
