Come on down for prime-time game shows
Star-studded casts host competitive action for everyone this summer.
Let the games begin. ❚ In a summer TV lull, the usual onslaught of star-studded prime-time game shows are back to fill your DVR, along with a few new twists on the genre. If you’re not sure which to watch, fear not: There’s one for every type of competitive spirit. If student loans have got you down: ‘Paid Off’
Sports cars and tropical vacations are nice and all, but why not use those game-show winnings for something practical? Enter TruTV’s “Paid Off,” (premiering Tuesday, 10 EDT/PDT), which gives three college grads the chance to have their student debt paid off in three fast-paced rounds of trivia. The half-hour show is infused with zany energy by host Michael Torpey (“Orange Is the New Black”) and guest comedians, whose colorful commentary and college-related segments give the format a fresh spin.
If you thought ‘American Ninja Warrior’ needed more Kevin Hart: ‘TKO: Total Knock Out’
It’s you versus everyone else in this extreme new CBS competition (premiering Wednesday, 9 EDT/PDT) from Mark Burnett (“Survivor”), hosted with his usual manic gusto by comedian Kevin Hart. Players compete for a cash prize by racing through a “Wipeout”-style obstacle course lined by “combat zones,” where fellow contestants armed with foam spikes, giant Frisbees and other “weapons” try to
knock them off their feet — and out of the competition. They had better hope all those years of middle-school dodgeball come in handy.
If you’ve ever beaten a polygraph test: ‘ To Tell the Truth’
ABC’s game-show revival (Sundays, 10 EDT/PDT), now in its third season, is TV’s equivalent of spotting a criminal in a police lineup. Hosted by “Black-ish” star Anthony Anderson, the show invites panels of four celebrity contestants — among them Mel Brooks, Bill Hader and Octavia Spencer — to deduce which of three unusual guests is actually the person they all claim to be. (Recent examples: a world champion in talking backward, and a couple who renewed their wedding vows 112 times.) As the stars ply them with questions to try to sniff out the liars, it’s hard not to get swept up in their increasingly ridiculous queries.
If Catch Phrase is your go-to party game: ‘The $100,000 Pyramid’
Arguably the most intense game of word association you’ve ever seen. Overseen by genial “Good Morning America” co-anchor Michael Strahan, the third-season ABC revival (Sundays, 9 EDT/PDT) pairs contestants with celebrities including Snoop Dogg, Leslie Jones and Kevin Smith, who try to guess as many words as possible based on their teammates’ descriptions. The outthere categories – ranging from “B-jobs” (careers that start with “B”) to “Yes we cannabis” (people you’d be surprised smoke marijuana) – are a highlight, as are the overexcited reactions of competitors gunning for the cash prize.
In ABC’s third revival of a classic game show (Thursdays, 9 EDT/PDT), contestants try to match the answers to humorous, occasionally raunchy “fill in the blank” questions with as many celebrity panelists as they can for the chance to win $25,000. The series attracts a wide array of famous guests, recently including Laverne Cox, Ellie Kemper and Joel McHale. But the real treat is watching host Alec Baldwin, whose playful mocking and acerbic barbs about his fellow actors are reminiscent of Donaghy, the corporate blowhard he played on NBC’s “30 Rock.”