Match Game (1998)

Match Game
Premiere	September 21, 1998
Finale	September 17, 1999
Creator	Mark Goodson Bill Todman
Host	Michael Burger
Network/Provider	Syndication
Style	30-minute game show
Company	Mark Goodson Productions
Seasons	1
Origin	USA

Match Game is a game show that aired in syndication. It was the seventh version of Match Game.

This version had only five celebrities (four regulars--Vicki Lawrence, Nell Carter, Judy Tenuta and George Hamilton--and a revolving guest spot) and basically followed the rules of the CBS edition except for question selection (each question is based on a category) and scoring. Each match was worth a point, and in the second round, points double. The Super-Match remained unchanged.

As where the CBS show was bawdy, out of control and zany, with questions that pushed the envelope, this version folds, spindles and mutilates the envelope. The answers we didn't dare give in the 70s but only thought about were actually being used. Viewers didn't see any chemistry among the panelists, none matching the chemistry of Rayburn, Somers, Reilly and Dawson. It barely made a blip in the ratings and was canceled after one season.

Match Game would lead two more lives. It was an element of CBS's Gameshow Marathon in 2006 and was hosted by Ricki Lake (and even had Betty White, semi-regular on the CBS show, as a panelist) and then would appear on ABC's prime time Sunday line-up in the summer of 2016.

Panelists

Person	Duration
Nell Carter
Vicki Lawrence
Judy Tenuta

Seasons

Season	Premiere	Finale	#
Syndication
Season One	September 21, 1998	September 10, 1999	—

In-Depth

• At a Glance: Additional information about the series