ABC has dealt a huge blow to embattled Hollywood star Alec Baldwin by canceling his TV show “Match Game.”
Baldwin hosted the show that debuted in 2016 and ran for five seasons but shut down production during the pandemic, according to Variety.
Questions were mounting over whether the show would return after Baldwin killed a cinematographer on a movie set and injured another crew member.
However, Variety is saying the cancelation is not related to the fallout from Baldwin’s accidental shooting.
Other shows getting the ax besides Baldwin’s are “Card Sharks,” “Celebrity Dating Game,” and “The Hustler.”
According to The Wrap:
“Match Game” last taped in 2020 before the pandemic and only ran two new episodes in 2021.
“’Card Sharks,’ hosted by Joel McHale; Sony Pictures TV’s ‘Celebrity Dating Game,’ hosted by Zooey Deschanel and Michael Bolton; and All3Media’s Studio Lambert’s ‘The Hustler,’ which was hosted by Craig Ferguson, have also not aired since 2021.”
Alec Baldwin’s ‘Match Game’ Canceled at ABC, Along With ‘Card Sharks’ and More as Network Firms Up Summer Plans (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/P54zWH93sF
— Variety (@Variety) April 2, 2022
It was unclear if the show would return after Baldwin accidentally shot dead a cinematographer on a movie set. https://t.co/aUOU5jW9j1
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) April 2, 2022
Alec Baldwin’s #MatchGame Reboot, Three More Game Shows Cancelled at ABC https://t.co/0YK8tRyIuK
— TVLine.com (@TVLine) April 2, 2022
From Variety:
Produced by Fremantle, “Match Game” centered on four contestants competing for $25,000 as they try to match the answers of six celebrities in a game of fill-in-the-blank.
The format, which first premiered in 1962, hosted by Gene Rayburn, has been revived several times in the decades since then. Executive produced by showrunner Scott St. John and others, the ABC run produced approximately 69 episodes.
As for “Card Sharks,” hosted by Joel McHale, the revival ran for two seasons on ABC, most recently in July 2021.
Also from Fremantle and showrunner St. John, “Card Sharks” features players trying to win a cash prize by wagering on the cards that are about to be flipped over.
The format first debuted in 1978; the ABC edition aired 21 episodes starting in June 2019.
“Celebrity Dating Game,” hosted by Zooey Deschanel and Michael Bolton, aired for just one season in 2021.
The show, which premiered last June, brought celebrities to the “Dating Game” format as they quiz potential suitors and the civilians try to guess the stars behind the wall.
