Paul Drinkwater, NBC Bob Saget is the host of the new NBC prime-time game "1 vs. 100."

By Rob Owen
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</>

You know a TV show's a hit when it launches a spate of imitators. As if we needed further proof (aside from the Nielsen ratings) that NBC's "Deal or No Deal" is the real deal, along comes a new game show from the same producers that utilizes a similar set and another comic-turned-host.

		Related Story Cartoon Network's Adult Swim debuts a funny new series, "Frisky Dingo." Read Rob Owen's review at Rob Owen's Tuned In Journal.

At least "1 vs. 100" (9 tonight, NBC) requires some knowledge, even if it's usually about pop culture ephemera. "Deal" is just an excuse to watch people gamble.

Bob Saget hosts "1 vs. 100," following in the footsteps of "Deal's" Howie Mandel, whom he gently mocks by refusing to shake hands with the first player (Mandel is a germaphobe).

In this new game, one contestant faces off against a mob of 100. All 101 people have to answer the same multiple choice trivia questions. Mob members who answer incorrectly are out of the game. If the contestant gets a question wrong, his game is over, and the mob splits the amount of money the contestant has won up to that point. If the contestant gets every question right, he'll win $1 million. After each correct answer, contestants can choose between taking the money they've won to that point or facing off against the mob again.

Questions are ridiculously easy and have a dumb-jokey tone:

Question: This Hawaiian appetizer is often found on Asian cuisine menus.

Answers: A) Pu-pu platter, B) Ka-ka combo, C) Du-du delight.

Mob members in the first episode include "Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings and some of the "Deal" briefcase-toting models.

Saget said hosting a game show was appealing because it offers him a chance to "riff off of people, and that's what I do."

He compared the show's set to another classic game show: "It's a wall of 100 people. It looks like 'Hollywood Squares' kept cloning itself and didn't stop growing." He said the show actually feels like a cross between "You Bet Your Life" and "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."

Executive producer Scott St. John acknowledged it's not as academic as "Millionaire" -- not that you'd think it was after that sample question.

"It's about how much more do you know than the people you're facing," St. John said in a teleconference last week. "You never know what kind of question will eliminate which opponent. The questions do get more difficult as you go up the [prize money] ladder."

One last example of a question featured in the show, just so you know exactly how simple-minded "1 vs. 100" is:

Question: You're singing the name game song with the current secretary general of the United Nations. How is his name sung?

Answers: A) Juan Juan Bo Buan, B) Henry Henry Bo Benry, C) Koffi Koffi Bo Boffi.

Fall season fallout

They're dropping like flies in TV land. Already, networks have started tearing up their schedules, moving some shows to new time slots and taking others out back for an Old Yeller-style send-off.

There's no huge breakout hits to report, though ABC's "Ugly Betty" and NBC's "Heroes" are probably the healthiest freshmen series. ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" actually draws more viewers than "Heroes," but it also loses a chunk of its "Desperate Housewives" lead-in. CBS's "Shark" also loses many "CSI" viewers, but it is scoring comparable ratings to "Without a Trace" when it began its run a few years ago before it blossomed into a hit.

Some viewers have called me to question the networks' trigger-finger cancellations of "Smith" and "Kidnapped," but the reality is neither show displayed signs of life, with ratings dropping three weeks running before each was pulled.

"Smith" was probably a victim of its own ambition to tell the story of thieves who murder, if necessary, during their robberies. The broad swath of mainstream American TV viewers don't like anti-heroes, which is why those shows work more successfully on cable (see: "The Sopranos," "The Shield," etc.).

"Kidnapped" might have been done in by viewer exhaustion. It was one too many of the large-cast, serialized dramas this fall. It, too, was a bit of a downer, what with a child being kidnapped and held hostage.

Overall, prime-time TV appears to have veered too far in the direction of dark and brooding shows (ABC's bank robbery hostage drama "The Nine" is losing a big chunk of the viewers who watch "Lost," which also saw year-to-year ratings declines), and viewers are rejecting them. Contrast these programs and their performances with "Ugly Betty," an upbeat, bright and cheerful series, that's seeing early ratings success.

'Medium,' '3 Lbs.' scheduled

NBC will usher "Medium" into the 10 p.m. Wednesday slot, formerly occupied by "Kidnapped," starting Nov. 15.

CBS will fill the 10 p.m. Tuesday slot, vacated by "Smith," with the new Stanley Tucci medical drama, "3 Lbs." beginning Nov. 14.

Bad idea of the week

Daily Variety reports Fox will adapt "The Devil Wears Prada" for TV as a single-camera, half-hour comedy. This seems like a bad idea for one simple reason: There's already a TV version of "The Devil Wears Prada," and it's called "Ugly Betty."

What not to say ...

During breaking news coverage of the small plane crash into a Manhattan condo high-rise Wednesday, a booker for MSNBC who was on the scene repeatedly stated, "The gang's all here," in reference to the police, firemen, emergency services personnel and media outlets that are always on the scene for breaking news.

While the "gang" may be a reality, and there's no doubt they were all there, using such a colloquial, pleasant term for those on the scene of a tragic accident sounds crass. Viewers think of the media in that way already; no need to reinforce the notion.

Don't get mad, watch TV

There was a time I would have recommended the following program for local TV newsroom managers, but the screamers mostly left in the late '90s. Regardless, for people with a rage-o-holic in their life, clip this handy reminder and leave it for them -- anonymously, of course, lest you get yelled at.

In conjunction with the YWCA Week Without Violence, next week PBS will air classic "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" programs with the theme "What do you do with the mad that you feel?" (11 a.m. weekdays). The episodes help children (and, potentially, adults) find outlets for their anger and develop self-control.

A free brochure is available in English or Spanish by sending a self-addressed stamped business-size envelope to: FamilyCares, c/o "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," 4802 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh PA 15213.

TV Q&A

This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about "Kidnapped," "King of Queens" and Patrice King Brown. Read it online at www.post-gazette.com/tv.