On This Day 6 January

25 years ago today (1/6/86)-three game shows premiered during a "crossroads" season of sorts of the game show genre at the time (1985-86). One was a revival, another introduced a UK host to US television and another offered the first million dollar prize!

The first one that I want to mention is the US debut (?) of UK game show host Bruce Forsyth. Here's a guy that hosted the UK versions of Card Sharks and The Price is Right among others. His US series called Hot Streak premiered on ABC on this day, and ran until April.

Another game show that premiered on this day was the first and the only one at the time with the "richest prize in television" of one million dollars (and I do remember vaguely). I am talking about The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime, which catapulted Jim Lange to return as a game show host since Name that Tune was cancelled after the 1984-85 season. The show, with the letter and puzzle guessing elements, had the feel of Wheel of Fortune. The format and elements of the show changed during season 2, with $1 million not just in cash, but also prizes were added, including Mazda cars and trucks (a couple season two episodes are on YouTube), and the addition of Karen Thomas as Lange's sidekick for that second season. The show, which spawned nine millionaires throughout its run, ran in syndication until September 1987.

Finally, on this day in 1986, after 4 1/2 years on hiatus, Goodson-Todman's Card Sharks returned, but this time on a new network, with Bob Eubanks at the helm as host (he also was busy with The New Newlywed Game at the time), and two new dealers, new to the franchise. Like the Jim Perry NBC daytime version (1978-81), the Money Cards was the endgame, until a month into season 2. That is when the car game for this and the syndicated version (hosted by Bill Rafferty of Blockbusters and Every Second Counts fame) were added. A week dedicated to teens called "Young People's Week" featured a trip to Hawaii (in season 2 and the lone season of the Rafferty version). In the final season of Eubanks' run, a "range game" was the car endgame, involving the audience poll members. That aformentioned CBS daytime version was cancelled in March 1989, and ironic that production moved over the following week to the revival of another G-T show, Now You See It, which lasted about a few months at that timeslot CS occupied during its run on CBS daytime.