The Hindu : National : ‘Slumdog’revives quiz show trend

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 15, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

‘Slumdog’revives quiz show trend

Brian Stelter

New York: Slumdog Millionaire is a love story, a fairy tale and an Oscar contender. It is also inadvertently an advertisement for one of the most prominent game shows in television history.

The film, which has grossed nearly $80 million in the United States and will compete for best picture at the Academy Awards later this month, has revived interest in ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,’ the quiz show popularised by ABC in 1999.

The film, set in India, uses the ‘Millionaire’ format as a narrative device, interspersing game show segments with flashbacks to explain the main character’s improbable ability to answer all the questions correctly. In doing so, the film acts as a big-screen reminder of one of the biggest television hits of the past decade.

Slumdog… may also be a catalyst for a prime-time comeback for ‘Millionaire’ on ABC. Talks are continuing between the executive producer Michael Davies and ABC about a revival, perhaps tied to the 10th anniversary of the series.

“I couldn’t tell you whether Slumdog… has done anything to accelerate those conversations, but it certainly hasn’t hurt,” Mr. Davies said.

Tens of millions of viewers were hooked on ‘Millionaire’ after it had its premiere 10 years ago. The game show helped start the era of reality programming that dominates television, from ‘Deal or No Deal’ and ‘The Biggest Loser’ to ‘Survivor’ and ‘American Idol.’ After three and a half years and 363 episodes, the ABC edition with host Regis Philbin ended in 2002, the same year that a daytime version with Meredith Vieira began syndication.

‘Millionaire’ remains a mainstay of daytime television, and its repeats are among the highest-rated shows on the cable channel GSN. The format has been licensed or optioned in more than 100 territories; the show recently went into production in Afghanistan. “The producers around the world are absolutely thrilled that the movie has come along,” said Paul Smith, an executive producer of Slumdog… “It’s drawing new attention to ‘Millionaire.’ It’s revitalising it.”

Mr. Smith, who helped pitch the original British version of the television show, which had its debut on the network ITV in 1998, is a prominent connection between the show and film. He has no stake in the small-screen version; his production company, Celador Productions, sold its television interests two years ago. He said in an interview that he viewed ‘Millionaire’ merely as the “linking device” for the film.

Still, moviegoers may find themselves humming the ‘Millionaire’ theme music as they leave the theatre, and if they do, Mr. Davies won’t mind one bit. “Enough people have asked me, ‘Isn’t this great for ‘Millionaire?’ that I know it’s been great for the overall brand in the U.S.,” he said. Mr. Davies said he was convinced that the show would be back on ABC someday. “I’ve never lost confidence in it.”

And the presence of Slumdog at the Academy Awards can only help, he said. “By the way,” he added, “I’ve got to think the ‘Survivor’ folks and the `Idol’ folks are thinking, ‘Movie, movie, movie.’” — New York Times News Service

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National