TV Guide's 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time
by jordanhores | created - 25 Dec 2018 | updated - 27 Sep 2019 | PublicThis list is a list of the greatest game shows in television history based on critical reception, diversity and cultural impact. Including both retro, (pre-1960s,) and modern, (1970s-present.) Excluding those with mixed, negative and panned reception. No specific ranking.
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1. The Gong Show (1976–1980)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Game-Show
Amateur talent contest judged by three celebrities.
Stars: Chuck Barris, Trixie Dejonge, Gary Owens, Rocky Bonifield
Votes: 860
2. Jeopardy! (1984– )
TV-G | 30 min | Short, Game-Show, Reality-TV
A returning champion and two challengers test their buzzer skills and their knowledge in a wide range of academic and popular categories.
Stars: Alex Trebek, Johnny Gilbert, Jimmy McGuire, Sarah Whitcomb Foss
Votes: 8,214
3. The Joker's Wild (1972–1991)
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
A long-running quiz show hosted by TV veteran Jack Barry, and later by Bill Cullen. In this show, contestants would have to answer questions on a wide variety of topics, with the prize ... See full summary »
Stars: Jack Barry, Johnny Jacobs, Bill Cullen, Jay Stewart
Votes: 180
4. Wheel of Fortune (1983– )
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
Hosted by Pat Sajak, this game show features 3 contestants who try to solve a puzzle by spinning the wheel and guessing letters in a word or phrase.
Stars: Pat Sajak, Vanna White, Charlie O'Donnell, Jim Thornton
Votes: 3,568
5. Family Feud (1976–1985)
TV-G | 30 min | Game-Show
Two families compete by trying to outguess the opponents about survey results.
Stars: Richard Dawson, Gene Wood, Johnny Gilbert, Steve Bond
Votes: 2,381
6. Password Plus (1979–1982)
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
Revised version of the verenable Goodson-Todman game show, where celebrity-contestant teams try to convey passwords.
Stars: Allen Ludden, Tom Kennedy, Bill Cullen, Gene Wood
Votes: 287
7. The Price is Right (1972– )
TV-G | 60 min | Family, Game-Show
Contestants compete for prizes and cash, including cars and vacations, in games that test their knowledge of consumer goods pricing.
Stars: Bob Barker, Janice Pennington, Dian Parkinson, Holly Hallstrom
Votes: 4,265
8. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (1998– )
60 min | Game-Show
The original British version of the popular quiz show, that became a worldwide phenomenon.
Stars: Chris Tarrant, Jeremy Clarkson, Judith Keppel, Eamonn Holmes
Votes: 2,458
9. Match Game PM (1975–1981)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Family, Game-Show
A group of celebrities would be given a sentence with a missing word, which they would then have to fill in. The contestants would then give their own answer, and scored points according to how many celebrities gave the same answer.
Stars: Gene Rayburn, Johnny Olson, Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly
Votes: 549
10. Match Game (1973–1990)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Game-Show
The five-day-a-week syndicated successor to the popular CBS game show, where two could compete to match fill-in-the-blank phrases with those of the celebrities.
Stars: Gene Rayburn, Johnny Olson, Brett Somers, Richard Dawson
Votes: 2,470
11. Super Password (1984–1989)
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
Second revised version of the classic Mark Goodson game show, where celebrity-contestant teams conveyed passwords using one-word clues.
Stars: Bert Convy, Gene Wood, Jamie Farr, Tom Poston
Votes: 339
12. Blockbusters (1983–2012)
30 min | Game-Show
General knowledge quiz for 16-18-year-olds.
Stars: Bob Holness, Liza Tarbuck, Daniel Strauss, Peter Tomlinson
Votes: 197
13. Card Sharks (1978–2019)
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
Hosted by Jim Perry, were contestants are asked questions about how 100 people answered a poll question then played a card game where they tried to guess whether the next card drawn from a deck in a sequence would be higher or lower.
Stars: Jim Perry, Janice Baker, Gene Wood, Lois Hamilton
Votes: 507
15. Double Dare (1986–1988)
TV-Y | 30 min | Comedy, Family, Game-Show
One in a long-running series of game shows, where two-member teams of children compete to answer questions and complete stunts.
Stars: Marc Summers, John Harvey, Robin Marrella, Dave Shikiar
Votes: 2,184
16. Press Your Luck (1983–1986)
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
A game show where contestents answer trivia questions and then have to gamble their winnings on a randomly flashing game board.
Stars: Peter Tomarken, Rod Roddy, Charlie O'Donnell, John Harlan
Votes: 765
17. Pyramid (2002–2004)
TV-PG | 30 min | Game-Show
Revival of the classic word association game show, where teams attempt to convey a category of words and/or phrases within a time limit.
Stars: Donny Osmond, John Cramer, Melissa Peterman, Kelly Packard
Votes: 99
18. Win, Lose or Draw (1987–1990)
30 min | Game-Show
Syndicated show which debuted in the USA in September 1987, and ran until 1989. Two teams of three men and three women competed, one person from a team was given the name of a famous person... See full summary »
Stars: Vicki Lawrence, Bert Convy, Linda Blair, Burt Reynolds
Votes: 347
19. Wipeout (2008–2014)
TV-PG | 42 min | Comedy, Family, Game-Show
Contestants make their way through a giant obstacle course to win a cash prize.
Stars: John Henson, John Anderson, Jill Wagner, Vanessa Lachey
Votes: 8,204
20. Win Ben Stein's Money (1997–2002)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Game-Show
Contestants compete against each other and host Ben Stein for a chance to win money from Stein himself.
Stars: Ben Stein, Jimmy Kimmel, Nancy M. Pimental, Sal Iacono
Votes: 1,542
21. Whose Line Is It Anyway? (1998–2007)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Game-Show
Improvisational comedy competition show in which four members of the regular cast as comedians and often with guest appearances with other comedians and celebrities and members of the audience perform various comic games and sketches.
Stars: Drew Carey, Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles, Laura Hall
Votes: 46,377
22. Tattletales (1974–1977)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Game-Show
Celebrities & their spouses, playing for sections of the studio audience, try to match answers to questions about their personal lives.
Stars: Bert Convy, Gene Wood, Jack Clark, Bobby Van
Votes: 334
23. Scrabble (1984–1990)
22 min | Game-Show
For years, one of America's favorite board games was Scrabble, the Selchow & Righter-marketed game introduced in the 1930s. The game was revised and brought to television in 1984 by Reg ... See full summary »
Stars: Chuck Woolery, Charlie Tuna, Jay Stewart, Tom Lancaster
Votes: 105
24. Sale of the Century (1983–1989)
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
Updated version of the 1969-1974 NBC game show. Three contestants competed to answer trivia questions, with scoring in dollars. The game was interrupted at certain intervals for Instant ... See full summary »
Stars: Jim Perry, Summer Bartholomew, Lou Mulford, Don Morrow
Votes: 180
25. What's My Line? (1950–1967)
30 min | Family, Game-Show
Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions.
Stars: John Daly, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf, Dorothy Kilgallen
Votes: 1,769
26. You Bet Your Life (1950–1961)
30 min | Comedy, Family, Game-Show
Groucho Marx hosts a quiz show which features a series of competitive questions and a great deal of humourous conversation.
Stars: Groucho Marx, George Fenneman, Melinda Marx, Tuulikki Woods
Votes: 745
27. Tic Tac Dough (1956–1959)
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
The classic quiz show hosted by Win Elliot. In this game, the contestants are faced with a tic-tac-toe board with a different category in each square. To put their mark (X or O) in the ... See full summary »
Stars: Jay Jackson, Jack Barry, Gene Rayburn, Win Elliot
Votes: 25
28. Beat the Clock (1950–1961)
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
Classic game show where couples (and sometimes families) competed to win prizes by completing stunts within a time limit.
Stars: Bud Collyer, Dolores Rosedale, Bern Bennett, Bill Shipley
Votes: 115
29. To Tell the Truth (1956–1968)
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
Classic game show in which a person of some notoriety and two impostors try to match wits with a panel of four celebrities. The object of the game is to try to fool the celebrities into voting for the two impostors.
Stars: Bud Collyer, Johnny Olson, Kitty Carlisle, Tom Poston
Votes: 532
30. The $64, 000 Question (1955–1958)
30 min | Family, Game-Show
Among the most influential of the big-money quiz shows, and the undisputed king of the genre of the 1950s, contestants answer questions in a specific field in an attempt to win $64,000.
Stars: Geoffrey Holder, Hal March, Joyce Brothers, Bergen Evans
Votes: 77
31. Who Do You Trust? (1956–1963)
30 min | Game-Show
Married pairs of contestants were asked to answer questions, the husband deciding whether he or she would answer. The original emcee Edgar Bergen was later replaced by Johnny Carson.
Stars: Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd, Effie Klinker
Votes: 30
32. The Price Is Right (1956–1965)
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
The original version of an American icon, "The Price is Right" rewarded contestants with valuable prizes for their ability to price items.
Stars: Don Pardo, Bill Cullen, Jack Narz, Merv Griffin
Votes: 273
33. Treasure Hunt (1956–1959)
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
The original version of the game show, where contestants use their intuition and luck to help them win cash and prizes by deciding whether to keep the unknown contents of a box they have chosen.
Stars: Jan Murray, Tom Reddy, Buddy Hackett, Greta Thyssen
Votes: 31
34. Let's Make a Deal (1963–2003)
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
Audience contestants picked at random, dressed in ridiculous costumes, try to win cash or prizes by choosing curtain number 1, 2 or 3. Hilarious situations occur, from winning a rotten prize to jackpot.
Stars: Monty Hall, Carol Merrill, Jay Stewart, Wendell Niles
Votes: 502
35. Password (1961–1975)
TV-G | 30 min | Family, Game-Show
Two celebrity-contestant teams compete to guess words by giving one-word clues in this all-time classic game show.
Stars: Allen Ludden, Jack Clark, John Harlan, Lee Vines
Votes: 508
36. The Newlywed Game (1966–1974)
TV-PG | 30 min | Game-Show
Married couples compete to see how much they really know about each other.
Stars: Bob Eubanks, Johnny Jacobs, James Farentino, Michele Lee
Votes: 596
37. Masquerade Party (1952–1960)
30 min | Family, Game-Show
A panel of celebrities met with another celebrity who was in heavy make-up and/or costume; this disguise would always provide clues to the celebrity's actual identity. The panel asked ... See full summary »
Stars: Johnny Olson, Bert Parks, Audrey Meadows, Sam Levenson
Votes: 26
38. Concentration (1958–1973)
TV-G | 30 min | Game-Show
Two contestants revealed pieces of a rebus-like puzzle by matching 15 pairs of cash amounts and prizes, then tried to solve it before the other.
Stars: Hugh Downs, Bob Clayton, Paola Diva, Art James
Votes: 126
39. Dollar a Second (1953–1957)
30 min | Comedy, Family, Game-Show
A prime-time game show, where contestants earned one dollar for each second that the host's questions were answered correctly. Incorrect replies earned punishment - a stunt had to be performed, a la "Truth or Consequences".
Stars: Jan Murray, Ken Roberts, Dagmar, Pat White
Votes: 23
40. 20 Questions (1949– )
30 min | Family, Game-Show
A television version of the radio quiz show "Twenty Questions". Panelists had to guess in twenty questions the identity of an item selected by the audience members. The television show ... See full summary »
Stars: John McPhee, Herbert Polesie, Florence Rinard, Fred Van Deventer
Votes: 17
41. Two for the Money (1952–1957)
30 min | Family, Game-Show
Stars: Herb Shriner, Fred Allen, Walter O'Keefe, Glenn Boyington
Votes: 26
42. You Don't Say (1963–1975)
TV-G | 30 min | Game-Show
Two teams of two players compete against each other to determine the name of a famous person. One member of the team, who knew the answer, would give clues to his or her teammate.
Stars: Tom Kennedy, John Harlan, Pat Carroll, Betty White
Votes: 48
43. Name That Tune (1953–1959)
Family, Game-Show, Music
The original version of the popular and long-running quiz show, hosted by Red Benson Contestants competed to see who had the more comprehensive knowledge of popular songs by trying to be ... See full summary »
Stars: Pat White, Bill Cullen, Norman 'Red' Benson, George DeWitt
Votes: 54
44. The Name's the Same (1951–1955)
30 min | Family, Game-Show
Guests who have the same name as famous persons, fictional characters, or things, are quizzed by celebrity panelists who try to determine their name.
Stars: Joan Alexander, Robert Q. Lewis, Gene Rayburn, Roger Price
Votes: 98
45. The Match Game (1962–1969)
TV-G | 25 min | Game-Show