I'm as a big a fan of this show as they come, so I have a love/hate relationship of this incarnation. It started out with promise; a lot of new faces on the show (Gilbert Gottfried, Penn & Teller, and the very attractive Judy Gold were my favorites) and a few old regulars like Joan Rivers and Louie Anderson. Shadoe Stevens was back in the announcer's chair, although his role was severely limited compared to the Orion version, and Tom Bergeron proved to be very adept for the hosting role. So what could go wrong with this crowd?
The big downfall was none other than Ms. Whoopi Goldberg. While most celebrities were able to bluff or deliver one-liners efficiently, Whoopi would hog the spotlight for as long as she could, either stretching a semi-funny joke to the point where it was embarrassing, or even interrupting, whether it was other celebrities with her shtick, or even the contestant introductions by making some comment about their job or life. I really did not find her entertaining in the least and it was obvious she designed this show as an ego boost for herself. Face it, when the show opens with "...and starring Whoopi Goldberg!", and she is an executive producer, you know what's more important here Some other weaknesses were celebrity choices; the show suffered greatly from Caroline Rhea and Martin Mull overkill, and other celebrities seemed to treat the show more like a party and big joke and didn't really respect it. That was most disappointing to see.
Thankfully after 4 years, Whoopi moved on to other projects, and Henry Winkler came on to take her spot at co-producer. The show finally became enjoyable again with new themes, a new set, and no egos to deal with on screen. Now that "Whoopi Goldberg's brown-nosing sidekick" was no longer part of his job description, Tom Bergeron really blossomed as a host and proved why he was selected for the job in the first place. He proved to have as a good of a wit as the stars (or at least the joke writers) and made the show his own. The center square saw a different mix of panelists, including Magic Johnson, Brad Garrett, and Pamela Anderson among many many others. I admit that I didn't like the idea of rotating center squares at first, but it did keep the show fresh. And who could forget both Game Show Weeks? Particularly the first with the triumphant return of Peter Marshall. Between this, his book, and the classic squares returning to GSN, 2002 was a great year to be a Hollywood Squares fan! The only downside was replacing Shadoe Stevens with Jeffrey Tambor and John Moschitta, Jr. respectively. Both had very little announcing experience and it showed. They weren't terrible, but I think that is one thing I wish the Fonz had left alone.
Sadly the audience slowly slipped away and after two years, Squares was canceled. However, the two seasons under Winkler really saved it in my opinion. Nothing against Whoopi personally, as she has done a lot of good for many people and is a brilliant actress and comedienne in her own right, but Squares wasn't her forte, and her ego wasn't very well hidden on here.
