‘Million’ quiz blends old and new
Ryan Seacrest knows no rest. The “American Idol” host, radio star, TV producer and celebrity interviewer hosts the new trivia show “The Million Second Quiz” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
More than most primetime game shows, “Million” is worth thinking about — not so much as another TV show but as a way TV might be turning into something new and different. “Million” invites viewers to do more than passively watch, but to download a home version of the game onto their tablets or mobile devices. Players can answer questions just like television contestants, in a rapid- fire fashion that allows only five seconds for answers. Should a home player rack up an impressive score, he or she could get invited to play along on television, with the chance to win oodles of money.
It’s no secret that television shows have begun to use social media as a metric of audience measurement and as a means of promotion. Some months back, the tacky Syfy spoof “Sharknado” got so- so ratings, but received spectacular attention for being the most tweeted-about event of the evening. The publicity for the Twitter chatter resulted in high ratings for the second and subsequent showings of the movie.
To look at it another way, Seacrest has long been associated with “Idol,” which encourages viewers to vote via phone or Internet. Now “Million” is using interactive and social media as part of the audition process.
There’s no telling if this will advance the art of the game show beyond that of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” or if this will make for good television. The real question is: Is this still television at all, or some new hybrid and the shape of things to come?
TONIGHT’S HIGHLIGHTS
An outbreak complicates matters on a two-hour episode of “Bones” (8 p.m., Fox, r, TV-14).
Solar flares endanger the passengers of a spaceship on a tourist excursion around the moon in the 2013 thriller “Exploding Sun” (8 p.m., Reelz).
A strange birthday highlights the season finale of “Mistresses” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
Closing night for “Cinderella” on “Breaking Pointe” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG).
Big Jim keeps the emotional kettle boiling on “Under the Dome” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
A hostile local tribe takes hostages on “Siberia” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
A resort on the Delaware Water Gap features a professional golf course but is handicapped by amateur owners on “Hotel Impossible” (10 p.m., Travel, TV-PG).
SHORT TAKES
Robin hunts down a buried relic on “How I Met Your Mother” (8 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-14).
Stolen secrets on “Hart of Dixie” (8 p.m., CW, repeat, TV-PG).
Alan breaks up and breaks down on “Two and a Half Men” (8:30 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-14).
Bit parts on “2 Broke Girls” (9 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-14).
“American Ninja Warrior” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).