"The Dating Game" and "The Newlywed Game" to be resurrected, possibly with gay inclusion

Posted by

on June 4, 2008

The Game Show Network is resurrecting two iconic game shows of the 70's, The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game, with some modern twists:

"For Dating Game, the network is seeking to partner with an online dating site like eHarmony.com to use a compatibility test that helps find worthwhile dates for the show's bachelors and bachelorettes. GSN also wants to have contestants be able to consult with best friends during the show about which date to select. Having occasional gay or lesbian contestants also has not been ruled out."

Admittedly, it's not exactly a "yes, definitely!", and the mention of eHarmony always makes me shudder, but it got me thinking about celebrity editions of the shows. For instance, having Luke McFarlane on The Dating Game, or George Takei and Brad Altman on The Newlywed Game.

We've seen another GSN reimagining of a game show staple do swimmingly with a gay twist (I've Got a Secret, which had an all-gay panel), and other "relationship" game shows like MTV's Next and Parental Control regularly feature gay couples with no fanfare. If these remakes are gay-inclusive and they take off, there are all sorts of ancient game shows that can be brought back and gayed up...

Tattletales ran in the mid 70's, and again in the early 80's. Three celebrity couples competed to win money for the studio audience by predicting how their mate would react in certain situations. I can definitely see Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka playing, perhaps against Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi and T.R. Knight and Mark Cornelsen.

Match Game was another staple of the 70's, and integral to its success was the banter of old school broad Brett Sommers and old school gay Charles Nelson Reilly. Trying to replace them is an exercise in futility, but they might come close with Kathy Griffin and Carson Kressley.