Pax TV will launch two half-hour prime-time game shows this summer.
On the Cover is a pop culture trivia game from Western International Syndication. It is expected to launch first. Balderdash, targeted for late summer, is based on the popular Mattel board game and is co-produced by Mattel and The Hatchery.
The Hatchery, in turn, is headed by Bruce Stein, former president of, you guessed it, Mattel, as well as by former Hallmark Channel President Margaret Loesch.
Pax has ordered 26 weeks of each show, which will air each weeknight.
Stephen Appel, head of sales and marketing for the network, says the two will be "a key part of the fall lineup," which is being revamped as part of a program consulting agreement between Pax and one-third owner NBC.
