Our Lord and Savior, Steve Harvey?

It is very rare in anything to say that one person can make such a big difference in an industry that is known for copycats and regurgitation. But what I am about to say is the absolute truth and I will fight anyone who tries to come at me.

Steve Harvey, by himself, has brought game shows back to life.

In 2010, Family Feud was on life support. The show had been in syndication since 1999, and it was on its last legs. The producers replaced John O'Hurley with Steve Harvey, who had the show more formatted to his humor. The first big result of this was this moment, IMO:

That is the moment Family Feud, IMO, rose from the ashes. The ratings took off and in a few years, Family Feud passed stalwarts Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! to become the top rated game show in syndication.

But that was just the beginning.

ABC, looking for some programming for the summer, decided to bring FF back home (Family Feud, with Richard Dawson aired on ABC from 1976-1985). They commissioned Celebrity Family Feud, which had already flopped with Al Roker on NBC a few years earlier.

This time it wouldn't be a flop.

It was a hit. ABC, sensing a pattern, commissioned more game shows from the past. To Tell The Truth, which has aired in every decade since the 1950s (only TPIR has done that) with Anthony Anderson. The $100,000 Pyramid, whom some consider to be the greatest game show ever, with Michael Strahan. Match Game with Alec Baldwin, which has proven to be the best version since the classic Rayburn version. The Gong Show, with a disguised Mike Myers as host. All of these shows have lasted more than one season and have helped ABC to great and shocking summer success.

In a way, it's not surprising. In an age where we are inundated with negativity from everywhere, it is great to sit back and watch people win stuff and have fun doing it, while we watch and don't have to worry about the next storm or political crisis.

But we would never have gotten to this point if it not for a brilliant decision to hire Steve Harvey to host Family Feud and respark the love that Americans and people in general have for game shows.

It is also ironic that I am typing this right around the 20th anniversary of the previous game show renaissance. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? premiered in Britain in September 1998 and changed the game show format forever. I should do a separate post about that in a few days, but with me and my jumpiness, we will see. hehehehehe

Anyway what's your favorite game show?