Hollywood Squares

For this reboot/reimagining/whatever. I was a huge fan of the original, and was hoping for good things from this reboot. So disappointed, tho I have found some laughs. Where are the risque questions, that would lead to the double entendre responses? Where are they? Those were the hallmarks of the original! As for the celebrities, well they need to get some that are quicker off the mark and wittier. Some that have been on, I have no idea who they are and I don't care. I think the writers need to go back and rewatch the original, and they need to find celebrities that are much wittier and way funnier.

Listen, it's not great, but most of these reviews are too harsh. The feel of this show reminds me of Alec Baldwin's Match Game. If you were a fan of that, or you're just a game-show trash goblin like me, this show is for you.

Some people seem outraged by the lack of consistency with the amount of game play had, yet money is still awarded to the players for the number of Xs or Os currently on the board and that goes towards their bank totals.

Others were complaining about the scripted jokes... duh, it's a bunch of B and C listers who've probably rarely, if ever, interacted. Those who end up frequently cycling in and out of the show will probably develop a more naturally rapport, but again, that'll take time.

"The questions are dumb". Yeah, it's a bunch of out-of-touch celebrities and the goal is for normal people to win money. This ain't jeopardy...

"I don't know these celebrities". Y'all, c'mon. Turn on a TV once in a while.

"Drew Barrymore ruins it". I'm no fan, but let's chill out. She isn't trying to steal the show in the way I thought she would so I was pleasantly surprised.

Anyway, I just felt obligated to submit a review in support for the show because of how brutal some of the reactions were... this isn't a masterpiece of cinema to be critiqued, it's a goofy little game show that fulfills what it promises.

I left my burrow after the football game for about an hour and when I came back in, Hollywood Squares was on. Being a fan of the original, I thought I would sit and give it a watch.

Cancel it right now. Just pull the plug. Put everyone out of their misery.

The contrived jokes, the fake laughs, the celebrities trying too hard to be funny and edgy. The gay celebs try to shock everyone with their "Hey, everybody! Look at me! I'M GAY" answers that you feel pummeled after 10 minutes. They need to take a lesson by watching videos of Paul Lynde. He made the show hugely popular and all the celebrities laughed with genuine humor. The version I saw tonight was trying so hard to be edgy that it accomplished the opposite. Play the game and let the humor come naturally, or at least deliver your jokes without over the top BS.

We definitely don't need this garbage.

Wow. If you thought network TV had already reached rock bottom like I did, let me tell you we weren't even close. Hollywood Squares is so unwatchably bad that it makes every other one star show noticeably better. The host is just terrible, the pseudo-celebrities in the squares are painfully unfunny and the writing (there are writers, right?) wouldn't even be worthy of a passing grade in middle school. When I die and end up in the great abyss down under I fully anticipate that my punishment will be to watch the new Hollywood Squares on a loop with my eyes and ears forced open while glued to a chair so I can't get away. In fact starting today I will work hard to be a better person just in case.

First off, this is coming from someone who isn't familiar with Hollywood Squares and was only fully exposed to it by watching the Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (I'm not kidding about that BTW, more on that on a later date).

So, most of you remember the original HS hosted by the late Peter Marshall, known for featuring some familiar celebrities like Rose Marie, Buddy Hackett, Karen Valentine, Cliff Arquette as Charley Weaver and of course, the center square of that era, Paul Lynde, who is quick witted and delivers one-liners with ease.

Throughout the years, it has been revived a few times, with the aforementioned Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour with Jon "Bowzer" Bauman as the host of the HS portion (a full review of that show soon), The New Hollywood Squares in the 80s with John Davidson and the Tom Bergeron era in the late 90s and early 2000s, with Whoopi Goldberg as center square in the first 4 years of that era.

Now, in 2025, we get reintroduced to the tic-tac-toe game with celebrities in a whole new way.

Watching the first 2 episodes (as it is a half-hour show), I concluded that it's OK and nothing too special.

Nate Burleson, currently known for hosting CBS Mornings, is a decent host who has a decent amount of energy, and he does keep the game moving when necessary.

Drew Barrymore as the center square is fine as well, never really taking the spotlight from the other celebrities while still being... well, Drew Barrymore.

As I said before, it's nothing too decent and I do dislike that it is way overhated because it's not that bad and we've gotten much worse than this.

That's my 2 cents on it and I'll leave it there.

However, it's probably best if you don't watch it every week because as I said before, it's nothing too special as its Hollywood Squares.

To conclude, it's a time-passer and nothing more than that, but I hope that it'll get better as it goes along and won't be as hated as it initially was.