By Bob Boden, co-founder of the National Archives of Game Show History
On September 4, 1998, ITV network in the United Kingdom premiered a one-hour primetime game show called Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. It featured one contestant, sitting across from host Chris Tarrant, answering up to 15 multiple choice general knowledge questions of increasing values, from £100 to a top prize of £1 million. As long as the player answered questions correctly, they could remain in the “hot seat”, or they could walk away at any level and keep their winnings. If they delivered a wrong answer, their winnings would often be reduced to one of several milestone amounts (£1,000 or £32,000) or to zero if the failure occurred in the first four questions.
The show, created by David Briggs with Steven Knight and Mike Whitehill, went on to become a ratings powerhouse, and it was soon adapted for U.S. audiences by an ABC executive, Michael Davies, who left his network position to executive produce the series. (Davies is now the executive producer of the U.S. version of Jeopardy!). Who Wants to Be a Millionaire premiered domestically with host Regis Philbin on August 16, 1999. At the time, summer primetime programming was almost exclusively reruns. Millionaire instantly soared to the top of U.S. ratings and has proven to be a very durable format.
There have since been numerous versions on broadcast TV, including four additional primetime series, one of which, featuring celebrity contestant pairs, currently airs on ABC with host Jimmy Kimmel (and is still executive produced by Davies); in addition, more than 3,000 half-hour episodes have been produced for syndication with hosts Meredith Vieira, Cedric the Entertainer, Terry Crews, Chris Harrison, and a variety of guest emcees.
To date, more than a dozen players have earned $1 million (or more) in the U.S. The first was IRS agent John Carpenter. His million-dollar question: Which of these U.S. Presidents appeared on the television series “Laugh-In”?
- Lyndon Johnson
- Richard Nixon
- Jimmy Carter
- Gerald Ford
(answer below*)
What was perhaps most notable about Millionaire was its groundbreaking scenic, lighting and music design, which emphasized drama in ways that no game show had done before. In stark contrast to most of its predecessors, Millionaire featured a set in the round, with lights focused mainly on two people (a host and contestant) center stage and heart-thumping music providing a soundtrack for the entire show. These elements have radically redefined the look and feel of most contemporary prime time game shows.
During the recording of each episode, contestants were allowed unlimited time to ponder their answers, which resulted in many drawn-out, nail-biting moments. The high-tension environment was relieved, somewhat, with “Lifelines” that provided help from the audience, a hand-picked “phone-a-friend” awaiting a call remotely and reducing the number of multiple choices; each lifeline could only be used once by each contestant.
As the show evolved, different formats, money ladders, and lifelines were introduced, but the epic “shiny floor” spectacle remained intact. A famous catch phrase, “Is that your FINAL answer?” had its origins on Millionaire. The show has won numerous accolades, including two EMMYs for outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show, one for Philbin and two for Vieira.
Before Millionaire’s debut 25 years ago this month, the presence of game shows on U.S. prime time TV was very limited, largely a result of the rigging scandals of the 1950s. The enormous overnight success of Millionaire provided numerous new opportunities for game show formats in the evening; today the airwaves are populated by many original and revived titles that have found new life and given broadcast networks an appealing alternative to more expensive and less popular products. In the fall of 2000, ABC programmed Millionaire an unprecedented four nights a week; this over-exposure ultimately led to the original version’s prime time demise.
In the mad rush after its monumental debut performance, networks fast-tracked many other prime-time attempts to create similar immersive series and capture advertiser gold, none of which approached the success of Millionaire. Among them was a FOX series simply called Greed, featuring a $2 million top prize, which went from pitch to air in 10 weeks and lasted for nine months. (I co-created the series with Dick Clark, and we both served as Executive Producer for all 44 episodes.)
Other short-lived attempts included CBS’ Winning Lines and a new version of the notorious format that had previously been tainted by scandal, NBC’s Twenty-One.
Eventually new prime time formats would catch on and last, including The Weakest Link and Deal or No Deal, and reimagined versions of iconic legacy shows like Celebrity Family Feud, The $100,000 Pyramid, Match Game, Press Your Luck, To Tell the Truth, Card Sharks, The Price is Right at Night, Let’s Make a Deal Primetime, Celebrity Jeopardy!, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, among many others.
In the 25 years since Millionaire’s U.S. premiere, the series has been produced in almost 100 other territories across the globe. It was also the subject of the 2008 theatrical film Slumdog Millionaire, which garnered eight Oscars including Best Picture.
*The answer to John Carpenter’s question is Richard Nixon, who, while campaigning for President, famously uttered the phrase “Sock it To ME?”
CAN YOU CORRECTLY ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS THAT WON PLAYERS $1 MILLION ON THE ORIGINAL U.S. VERSION OF WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? (answers at the bottom)
The earth is approximately how many miles away from the Sun? (won by Dan Blonsky in 2000)
- 9.3 million
- 39 million
- 93 million
- 193 million
Which insect shorted out an early supercomputer and inspired the term “computer bug”? (won by Joe Trela in 2000)
- Moth
- Roach
- Fly
- Japanese beetle
Which of the following men does not have a chemical element named for him? (won by Bob House in 2000)
- Albert Einstein
- Niels Bohr
- Isaac Newton
- Enrico Fermi
Which of the following landlocked countries is entirely contained within another country? (won by Kim Hunt in 2000)
- Lesotho
- Burkina Faso
- Mongolia
- Luxembourg
In the children’s book series, where is Paddington Bear originally from? (won by David Goodman in 2000)
- India
- Peru
- Canada
- Iceland
What letter must appear at the beginning of the registration of all non-military aircraft in the U.S.? (won by Bernie Cullen in 2001)
- N
- A
- U
- L
ANSWERS:
- C. 93 million
- A. moth
- A. Albert Einstein
- A. Lesotho
- B. Peru
- A. N