Shine America
There are just three new series debuts this week, all fitting into the game show genre but only one of them being moderately successful. 2004 had a singing competition that pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes … and got into some hot water for its deception, and produced a traditional trivia-style game show that had a multiple season run on a network few people watched. 2014 had a high-profile celebrity game show on a major network that ended its short run with the bulk of its episodes unaired. Scroll down the list to learn more about the shows that premiered this week and tell us if you remember any of them.
1954
- No new series premiered this week in 1954.
1964
- No new series premiered this week in 1964.
1974
- No new series premiered this week in 1974.
1984
- No new series premiered this week in 1984.
1994
- No new series premiered this week in 1994.
2004
- May 17 – Superstar USA (The WB, One season, 7 episodes)
- May 17 – On the Cover (PAX TV, Four seasons, 89 episodes)
Superstar USA was a spoof of American Idol in which the show’s judges were actually looking for the worst singers, while the contestants believed they were looking for the best. The judges were Christopher Briggs, the show’s producer, Tone Loc and Vitamin C. It was hosted by Brian McFayden. During the finale, the live audience was told the contestants were terminally ill so they would remain respectful, and the performances were granted by the One Wish Foundation, which does not exist but people interpreted it as the Make a Wish Foundation, which forced the network to issue an apology.
On the Cover was a trivia game show in which contestants answered questions based on the covers of magazines, CDs and DVDs.
2014
- May 13 – Riot (Fox, One season, 13 episodes, 9 unaired)
Riot was an American game show based on the Australian series Slide Show, which was based on the French series Vendredi tout est permis (‘On Fridays, Anything Goes with Arthur’, aka Anything Goes). The two teams were composed celebrities and comedians. The Office stars Steve Carrell and Andy Buckley were the team captains in the premiere episode. Guest captains included Jason Alexander, David Arquette, Mayim Bialik Michael Ian Black, Andy Dick, Tom Green, D.L. Hughley, Orlando Jones, Chris Kattan, Will Sasso and Nicole Sullivan. The show was cancelled after four very low-rated episodes.
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