ABC cancelled three of its 10 game shows

ABC’s once-strong slate of revived classic game shows is getting thinner now that the network has cancelled three of those shows, and one attempt at a new format.

That doesn’t mean the end of prime-time game shows, though. As BuzzerBlog pointed out on Twitter, there are many game shows coming to broadcast and cable: “Probably around 30+ game shows on TV this summer!”

Returning to ABC are Celebrity Family Feud, The $100,000 Pyramid, Press Your Luck, along with The Chase, which will have three new stars (more on that below).

To Tell the Truth is currently airing its sixth season, while Supermarket Sweep and Celebrity Wheel of Fortune have not yet been renewed or cancelled.

ABC’s cancelled game shows

Variety first reported that Match Game, Card Sharks, and Celebrity Dating Game are “unlikely to return,” which is Hollywood for “cancelled.” All three are no longer listed on ABC’s site.

Of course, especially given the longevity of those formats, it’s possible they could be revived in the future, on ABC or elsewhere.

After two seasons, The Hustler—a game show version of The Mole hosted by Craig Ferguson—has also been cancelled, and fun new competition series The Ultimate Surfer is also not being renewed.

Match Game is the longest-running of the three classic game shows, but hasn’t aired a new episode since 2021—and that was just two episodes, which were actually leftover from the season that premiered in the summer of 2020.

While the writing of the questions was not great, it was a lot of fun thanks to the celebrities, the contestants, and their interaction.

Variety confirms that the cancellation has nothing to do with Alec Baldwin accidentally killing a cinematographer on the set of a film in 2021, noting the game show “hasn’t been in production since 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Chase adds three chasers, subtracts two

ABC is bringing back The Chase, with Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer and three new chasers. However, it’s making some changes.

Mark Labbett and Ken Jennings are not returning.

Labbett—who was the sole chaser on the GSN version of the show—tweeted that he had “not been re-signed, That’s life.”

Ken Jenning is currently hosting Jeopardy!.

The new chasers, along with their ABC bios, are:

1. Victoria Groce, “the smartest woman in the world based on her domination of online trivia tournaments”
2. Brandon Blackwell, “a speed-quiz champ”
3. Buzzy Cohen, “known for his flashy personal style and razor-sharp wit”

The Chase will premiere on the same night in May as Holey Moley.