As the wheel turns on cable's game-show scene, a new version of Press Your
Luck will become the first entrant in Game Show Network's latest first-run
gambit, while USA Network's Smush will spin into near-oblivion.
Smush, USA's erstwhile late-night great hope, will be relegated to the 4
a.m. time slot as of March 4. During a seven-week run at 11 p.m., the Michael
Davies-produced game failed to meet expectations, averaging a 0.6 household
rating. A subsequent move to midnight has further dropped the rating to a 0.3
average.
Press Your Luck -- which USA ran for years in daytime after a successful
mid-1980s run on CBS -- will become Whammy! in its GSN incarnation, starting April 15.
The show introduced 'Whammys' -- mischievous cartoon characters animated by
Savage Steve Holland -- to game-loving audiences.
GSN introduced Press to its lineup a few months ago, and it will run
65 new episodes hosted by former Hollywood Showdown emcee Todd
Newton.
GSN originally intended to launch its new show collection with Russian
Roulette, a quiz game with low-scoring players exiting -- in dramatic
fashion -- after each round. That debut will be pushed back to
summer.
