The $20,000 Pyramid
| Pyramid | |
|---|---|
Logo from 2016 ABC revival of The $100,000 Pyramid
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| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Bob Stewart |
| Directed by | Mike Gargiulo (1973–81) Bruce Burmester (1982–92) Paul Nichols, Bob Loudin (2002–04) Paul Overacker (2012) Rich DiPirro (2016) |
| Presented by |
Dick Clark (1973–88) Bill Cullen (1974–79, syndicated) John Davidson (1991) Donny Osmond (2002–04) Mike Richards (2012) Michael Strahan (2016–) |
| Narrated by |
Bob Clayton (1973–79) Steve O'Brien (1979–82) Alan Kalter (1979–81) Jack Clark (1982–85) Johnny Gilbert (1982–88, 1991) John Cramer (2002–04) JD Roberto (2012) Brad Abelle (2016–) |
| Theme music composer | Ken Aldin (1973–81) Bob Cobert (1982–92, 2012, 2016) Barry Coffing, John Blaylock (2002–04) Alan Ett, Scott Liggett (2012) Bleeding Fingers Music (2016) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Anne Marie Schmidt (1973–88) Sande Stewart (1981–88) Francine Bergman (1982–88) David Michaels (1982–92) Erin Perry (1991–92) Stephen Brown, Cathy Cotter (2002–04) John Ricci Jr., Jonathan Bourne (2012) |
| Running time | 22 minutes (1973–2012) 44 minutes (2016–present) |
| Production company(s) |
Bob Stewart Productions (1973–88) Basada, Inc. (1973–74, 1978–81, 1986–88) Stewart Tele Enterprises (1991) Sony Pictures Television (2002–04, 2012, 2016) Embassy Row (2012) GSN Originals (2012) SMAC Entertainment (2016) |
| Distributor |
Viacom Enterprises (1974–79) CPM, Inc., Chicago (1981) 20th Century Fox Television (1985–88) Orbis Communications (1991) Multimedia Entertainment (1991) Columbia TriStar Television (2002) Sony Pictures Television (2002–04, 2012, 2016) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
The $10,000 Pyramid CBS 1973–74 ABC 1974–76 The $20,000 Pyramid ABC 1976–80 The $25,000 Pyramid Weekly syndication 1974–79 The $50,000 Pyramid Daily syndication 1981 The (New) $25,000 Pyramid CBS 1982–87, 1988 The $100,000 Pyramid Daily syndication 1985–88, 1991 Pyramid Daily syndication 2002–04 The Pyramid GSN 2012 The $100,000 Pyramid ABC 2016 |
| Original release |
Original daytime series: March 26, 1973–74 (CBS) 1974–80 (ABC) Weekly syndicated series: 1974–79 Revived daytime series: September 20, 1982–December 31, 1987; April 4, 1988–July 1, 1988 First daily syndicated series: 1985–88 Second daily syndicated series: 1991 Third daily syndicated series: 2002–04 GSN revived series: September 3, 2012–October 26, 2012 ABC revived series: June 26, 2016 – present |
Pyramid is an American television game show franchise that has aired several versions domestically and internationally. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973, and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series (most with a full title format matching the original series, with the title reflecting the top prize increase from $10,000, $20,000, $25,000, $50,000 to $100,000 over the years). The game features two contestants, each paired with a celebrity. Contestants attempt to guess a series of words or phrases based on descriptions given to them by their teammates. The title refers to the show's pyramid-shaped gameboard, featuring six categories arranged in a triangular fashion. The various Pyramid series have won a total of nine Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Game Show, second only to Jeopardy!, which has won thirteen.
Dick Clark is the host most commonly associated with the show, having hosted every incarnation from 1973 to 1988, with the exception of the original version of The $25,000 Pyramid, which aired in weekly syndication from 1974 until 1979 and was hosted by Bill Cullen. The $100,000 Pyramid was revived for a brief 1991 run with John Davidson hosting. In 2002, the series was revived as simply Pyramid, with Donny Osmond hosting for two seasons. GSN's The Pyramid was hosted by Mike Richards and aired for a single forty-episode season before it was cancelled in 2012. Reruns of The (New) $25,000 Pyramid are currently shown on GSN. A revival of The $100,000 Pyramid debuted June 26, 2016, on ABC with Michael Strahan as host.
The $10,000 Pyramid, with host Dick Clark, made its network debut on March 26, 1973 and was a ratings hit, sustaining its ratings even when episodes were delayed or preempted by the Watergate hearings. A year later, the ratings temporarily declined (against the original version of Jeopardy! on NBC) and CBS canceled it. The show was quickly picked up by ABC, and began airing on that network on May 6, 1974. As per CBS custom at the time with celebrity game shows, three weeks of episodes for CBS were taped in Hollywood, at CBS Television City, Studio 31. The remainder of the 1973–81 episodes originated in New York City at the Ed Sullivan Theater, moving to ABC's Elysee Theatre after Pyramid switched networks.
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