Millionaire Sets New Milestones

As ABC nears the end of its tenth anniversary Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? programming stunt, TV Real Weekly looks at what’s new for the venerable game-show format.

Just a little more than a decade since the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? format made its debut in the U.K., the iconic quiz show’s indelible mark on pop culture is far from fading. Not only has the format seen countless international iterations, spin-off series and merchandise extensions, but it also inspired the 2008 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Slumdog Millionaire. The success of the series worldwide is credited with helping reinvigorate the appetite for game shows, a genre seeing strong demand in the market today.

"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? has been a global success story, which continues to resonate hugely with viewers around the world," says Mike Morley, the chief creative officer and executive VP of international production at Sony Pictures Television, which holds rights to the format as part of its acquisition of 2waytraffic. "Just some of the countries where the show has been licensed include India, Colombia, China, Venezuela, Malaysia, Australia, Russia, Singapore, Philippines, Kazakhstan, Poland, the U.K., Germany and Israel. Most pleasingly, the introduction of a new variation, Millionaire Hot Seat, has seen the show become a regular ratings winner in Australia even against tough competition from the likes of Deal or No Deal. As well as demands for new twists, there are clear opportunities for the classic show to return and play to its old strengths."

The show returned to the U.S. with a special prime-time event, from August 9 to 23, on ABC. To mark the tenth anniversary of the U.S. treatment, a star-studded roster of actors, singers, athletes and other celebrities are taking the hot seat at the end of each episode, looking to answer a single question correctly worth $50,000 for the charity of their choice. The lineup includes rapper Snoop Dogg, Lauren Conrad of The Hills, Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson, The View co-host Sherri Shepherd and NBA star Steve Nash, among others.

CNN’s senior political correspondent Candy Crowley joins the panel of experts for the tenth anniversary’s "Ask The Expert" lifeline, which also features Wolf Blitzer, Connie Chung, Sam Donaldson, Gwen Ifill, Ken Jennings, Bill Nye, Jodi Picoult, Cokie Roberts, Mo Rocca and George Stephanopoulos. "Ask the Expert" and the substantially faster gameplay—there are now time limits on each question—are imported from the daytime version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The tenth anniversary edition continues many elements of the original prime-time show, along with some of the more recent modifications to the format that were streamlined over its run in syndication. The "Fastest Finger" element returns, and the lifelines include perennial favorites "Ask the Audience," "Phone a Friend" and also "Double Dip," which originated during Super Millionaire.

Host Regis Philbin returned for the anniversary event. In a phone call with the press, Philbin called the show "a highlight in my career and in my life. I loved every minute of the five years that we did it and it’s a thrill to be back. So that’s frankly why I’m doing it."

Philbin also reflected fondly on the legacy that Millionaire created in its time on air. "I think it reinvented television game shows for sure. I mean, just the million dollars and the lifelines. It was a very, very special show and I don’t know if you can ever get another show quite like it. It just covered everything, every possibility and I think we’ve even improved it with this version."

Series executive producer Michael Davies, who first brought the British format to the U.S., shared a similar sentiment on the show’s impact. "The legacy of Millionaire should have been that the economics of television should have changed. Shows like Millionaire, game shows, are so much cheaper to produce than dramas, comedies, news magazines and other reality shows."

He added, "They’re all so interactive, they have extensions, they have quality to them and they do really good jobs in lots of different time periods across television at a great price point…. I think quite apart from anything else, games are timeless. This is a format that has worked for the entire history of television and broadcasting, and radio as well. There will always be games on television. They are really, really sticking. There are lots of reasons for people to watch and tune in, lots of reasons for people with families to go and watch and tune in and lots of ways for people to participate."