Trivial Pursuit

So what exactly is the Trivial Pursuit TV show? If you know the board game then it's pretty much exactly how you'd imagine it. Contestants battle to answers questions in each of the standard Trivial Pursuit categories, then the winner goes on and has to answer another 6 in a showdown style event. All fine and good, just your a basic, bland trivia show. What kills this show however is the host, LaVar Burton. He...talks...so...slow...and...deli...ber...ate in such a highly overly dramatic manner that it's literally hard to listen to. It's like nails on a chalkboard that grinds away at your soul. If this show had a better host it would still only be meh, but with Burton at the wheel it's unwatchable.

If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes...

Ok, the view rarely changes, more on that in a moment.

Trivial Pursuit is a new game show on the CW, but it was developed in the wake of LeVar Burton not getting the Jeopardy gig way back in 2021. It's surprising that a show that spent so long in development is so straightforward, and constrained. Ultimately, end result is disappointly bland.

Since I appear to be the first written review, I'll give a basic rundown of the format. Three contestants. There is an introductory buzz-in round(which cycles through the six Trivial Pursuit categories, three times). The buzz-in round eliminates one contestant. This is followed by a multiple choice round, which eliminates the second contestant. This leaves the grand prize round(20,000 dollars) for the remaining contestant. I apologize for the long review, explaining game shows takes a lot of words, so many words.

As stated, there is an initial round with 3 iterations of 6 questions each. The 6 questions are one each of the classic Trivial Pursuit categories. The very first question is chosen at random. After that the player who buzzes in first and answers correctly controls the board - and there is no penalty for a missed question. Those two factors are very important. Each right answer is 100 points, and the first time you answer a question in that category you get a pie piece and a bonus 200 points. You do not get an additional pie piece(or 200 points) in the following rounds if you already have it in that category - you will still get the 100 points if you get it right.

This is why I titled the review, your view never changes if you're not the lead dog. I watched four episodes and the initial round always quickly left one contestant in the dust. It is a set 18 questions total. There is no dice rolling/moving around the board element, there are no opportunities to steal points from an opponent or wager on questions(a la Jeopardy), there is no scramble round(like Wheel of Fortune). In my viewing experience, one player quickly established dominance(like prison) and it was difficult for the other players to catch up.

Now, some game show viewers feel like surprise elements are patently unfair. It is valid to think random chance allowing more points to be earned or deducted isn't in the spirit of an authentic trivia type competition. While I can see that POV, it also makes for a very tedious competition. In other words, if you think the Whammy on "Press Your Luck" is unfair, this is the show for you.

After the first round is over, one player is eliminated. LeVar Burton talks to the remaining two contestants who tell him a funny or interesting anecdote, again, like Jeopardy. YMMV on how funny or interesting they are.

The second round is 5 questions each per player. The value of these questions are in 200 dollar increments. The contestant assigns a dollar amount to each category and abstains from answering one Trivial Pursuit category. For example, Joe chooses to make Sports his $200 category, all the way up to $1000 for Arts and Entertainment(pop culture) - while abstaining from answering a science question. Again, the players control the scoring in this round - making it very difficult to catch up. LeVar then asks each contestant about their methods for ranking the questions, inevitably getting an obvious answer(I watch a lot of TV, or I like to read). This round is multiple choice and again, there is no real chance for players to steal points. I watched 4 episodes and only one person managed to win the game after trailing at the beginning of the round.

The final round is sixty seconds, answering a question from all six categories. Each right answer is worth 1k each, or 20k if all six are answered in time. If there is time it'll cycle back to the questions in the missed categories. The only drawback I saw with this round is that LeVar Burton will say the correct answer after each miss. This burns valuable seconds off of a 60 second clock. When you have approximately ten seconds per question - question, wrong answer, correction and then reading next question is a very time consuming process. A few contestants did win 20k, when they realized the key to saving time was to interrupt LeVar while he was asking the question.

Sorry for the long set-up. Game shows are somehow simple and complicated.

Here are the positives: Lots of questions. 18 in the first round, a possibility of 10 in the second, and 6+ in the finale. There are two episodes within the 45 minute airtime. That equates to 60-ish questions in under an hour. It would probably take Who Wants to be a Millionaire five episodes to ask 60 questions(To be fair, Millionaire questions are much higher quality). In my opinion, the questions on Pursuit are on the easy side. That's not what I was expecting as Trivial Pursuit was the "smart board game" when I was growing up. Speaking of Millionaire, the set and sound cues on this show were definitely "inspired" by WWTBAM. The show has a clean, bright look and isn't overly flashy. The show moves along at a brisk pace and you're never looking at your watch wondering how 5 minutes have passed since the last question was answered. It's very easy to binge.

The negative is unfortunately a huge one. The format doesn't allow for dynamic scoring. A slow starting contestant will be virtually eliminated after the first iteration of six questions. The second place contestant will need a meltdown by the leader to stand a chance to advance to the final. If you want some quick paced trivia, this should work for you. If you're the type to cheer for certain players, it will be frustrating.

Now, the million dollar question - How is LeVar Burton as a host? He's... ok. His interactions with the contestants are a little robotic. Several of the "casual" moments outside of the trivia segments are repeated verbatim every show. He projects warmth and camaraderie with the players, as opposed to a mastery of the format or a quick wit. There is also a fair amount of audio that has been looped in after the live taping of the show, and it is rather obvious.

I grew up watching LeVar Burton on Reading Rainbow so I have a natural affection for him, but he's just not a natural as a game show host. Game show host seems like the easiest job in the world until you see someone who is not great at it. It's a particular set of skills that they have and it's often underestimated. His enjoyment while hosting the show is readily apparent and perhaps he'll grow into the role.

It is my sincere hope that the show lasts long enough to give him the opportunity to do that, but that they are smart enough to overhaul the format/scoring, it is truly holding the show back.

Levar Burton is an okay actor, but game shows need hosts, not actors reading the hosts' lines. It is exactly what was wrong with Mayam Bialik when she hosted Jeopardy! She had no personality: Burton has no personality. His constant mentioning of how great the contestants are really gets annoying. Trivial Pursuit was a fun board game. It's boring television.