'Tis Lousy to Have Loved and Lost... : 2006-2007's TV Casualties Part 5

SHOW ME THE MONEY

Synopsis: The ubiquitous William Shatner hosted this trivia game show, in which people would gain or lose money based on both the correctness of their answer (duh), and what money amount is inside these futuristic-looking scrolls held by who was obviously Shatner's harem.

What Worked: Quite a bit. As far as modern game shows go ("1 vs. 100," "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire," "Deal or No Deal") this was above and beyond my favorite one. My idea of a great game show is "Win Ben Stein's Money," one that really relied on your knowledge and common sense, and not this bullshit picking random cases which takes no thought at all. (Not that I don't catch "DOND" every once in a while and enjoy it, but it's not my cup of tea.) While the game could be considered a little complicated, it boiled down to knowing your trivia and moving along naturally in the game. There was none of this new-TV bullshit where if you get one question wrong, you're out. I honestly can't stand that. Like "Jeopardy," but without those pesky other contestants, you lost money with incorrect answers but still had a chance to bounce back.

The questions on this show, also, spread themselves out into all fields, going from pop culture to politics very easily, as opposed to completely random and unimportant facts that nobody has a right to know ("Millionaire" was the worst at this). This is finally a show I felt like I could be on and not suck out loud.

Shatner himself made the show as enjoyable as it was. Here was this absolutely insane man having the time of his life, randomly dancing for no reason and sometimes all-out mocking the contestant without seeming like a total jackass. His energy wasn't smarmy (Howie Mandel) or seemingly bored (Bob Saget), but more someone who (and this is Shatner to a T) seemed to be struggling onto their last bout at pop culture legend status. It was fascinating.

Also, the women who held the scrolls containing the amount of money you were to win/lose upon the answering of the question were of special importance. Now, in such shows as "DOND," the "ladies" of the show seem to be struggling actresses/models who are using this opportunity to eke by along the prime-time television casting pool one step at a time. On "Show Me the Money," however, the women were clearly strippers to whom Shatner owed a lot of money. How else to explain the poledances that preceded every single commercial break?

What Didn't Work: The "Killer Card" was the only thing I truly hated about this show. After answering a question and picking one of the scroll-wielding strippers, there was a 1-in-20 chance (or however many strippers were out there) that they held the "Killer Card," which would automatically end your game unless you answered the next question correctly. This was just a way for the show to seem more like their cruel brethren, and it didn't fit the optimistic nature of the show.

Why Not Enough People Watched: The show's rules couldn't be explained in one easy sentence, which is always a struggle for any new game show. Try the Wikipedia article for a better explanation than I could muster up. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show_Me_the_Money_(US_game_show)).

Ironically, though, it was the show's simplicity that did it in. There was no goofy new idea, like the statistics of "DOND" or that sweet wall of 100 in "1 vs. 100," or the fun little celebrities on "Identity." It was just a good old fashioned trivia show with some bells and whistles.

It had no chance.

Overall Series: 8 (out of 10)

Final 2006-2007 Neilsen Rating: #79 (7.3 million viewers)

Fun Fact: Reruns and the few unaired episodes will air on the Game Show Network (GSN) very very soon. Catch them if you can.