Hollywood Squares

OK, full disclosure -- I only watched through the first two questions (which were pretty lame in the first place.)

The introductions of the stars (half of whom I had no idea they were stars in the first place) were painfully immature and the mugging and posturing were painful to watch. More than the equally but similarly antics of Celebrity Jeopardy and Celebrity Family Feud; can't so-called-celebrities act like grown-ups on these outings?)

The original had a lot of sexual innuendo thrown about, but not as cringey as this one probably will have (I won't know since I won't be watching it.)

Luckily a lot of the old episodes are available online so if you want to compare how bad this is, you can.

The jokes/innuendos have always been part of the squares' schtick, even though they're usually just corny, pre-written jokes. But the way the contestants give an editorial comment when they are picking a square, then again when they finally answer the question--is beyond lame. And both are done for EVERY CELEB-and it drags the show. It's fine if there's nothing else on that interests me. But it's not a must-see either, by any stretch... As for the celebrities themselves, many of them ive never even heard of. Some are funny, some try too hard to be funny--it will never come close to any of the incarnations before it.

I have to agree with the previous review. Not only is is a waste of tv time, but the format is totally unfair to the contestants. There is never enough time for the second round, leaving the first round winner to most likely win for that show. I have always liked Tiffany Haddish, but she needs to keep her tongue in her mouth. It's gross. The questions are odd and the answers totally not funny. Producer Drew's writers should find new jobs. Even the contestants have no personality. The host is just 'okay.' So, fake celebrity laughter, boring contestants, 'C" host, canned audience.... Just not worth anyone's time.

Listen, it's not great, but most of these reviews are too harsh. The feel of this show reminds me of Alec Baldwin's Match Game. If you were a fan of that, or you're just a game-show trash goblin like me, this show is for you.

Some people seem outraged by the lack of consistency with the amount of game play had, yet money is still awarded to the players for the number of Xs or Os currently on the board and that goes towards their bank totals.

Others were complaining about the scripted jokes... duh, it's a bunch of B and C listers who've probably rarely, if ever, interacted. Those who end up frequently cycling in and out of the show will probably develop a more naturally rapport, but again, that'll take time.

"The questions are dumb". Yeah, it's a bunch of out-of-touch celebrities and the goal is for normal people to win money. This ain't jeopardy...

"I don't know these celebrities". Y'all, c'mon. Turn on a TV once in a while.

"Drew Barrymore ruins it". I'm no fan, but let's chill out. She isn't trying to steal the show in the way I thought she would so I was pleasantly surprised.

Anyway, I just felt obligated to submit a review in support for the show because of how brutal some of the reactions were... this isn't a masterpiece of cinema to be critiqued, it's a goofy little game show that fulfills what it promises.

First off, this is coming from someone who isn't familiar with Hollywood Squares and was only fully exposed to it by watching the Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (I'm not kidding about that BTW, more on that on a later date).

So, most of you remember the original HS hosted by the late Peter Marshall, known for featuring some familiar celebrities like Rose Marie, Buddy Hackett, Karen Valentine, Cliff Arquette as Charley Weaver and of course, the center square of that era, Paul Lynde, who is quick witted and delivers one-liners with ease.

Throughout the years, it has been revived a few times, with the aforementioned Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour with Jon "Bowzer" Bauman as the host of the HS portion (a full review of that show soon), The New Hollywood Squares in the 80s with John Davidson and the Tom Bergeron era in the late 90s and early 2000s, with Whoopi Goldberg as center square in the first 4 years of that era.

Now, in 2025, we get reintroduced to the tic-tac-toe game with celebrities in a whole new way.

Watching the first 2 episodes (as it is a half-hour show), I concluded that it's OK and nothing too special.

Nate Burleson, currently known for hosting CBS Mornings, is a decent host who has a decent amount of energy, and he does keep the game moving when necessary.

Drew Barrymore as the center square is fine as well, never really taking the spotlight from the other celebrities while still being... well, Drew Barrymore.

As I said before, it's nothing too decent and I do dislike that it is way overhated because it's not that bad and we've gotten much worse than this.

That's my 2 cents on it and I'll leave it there.

However, it's probably best if you don't watch it every week because as I said before, it's nothing too special as its Hollywood Squares.

To conclude, it's a time-passer and nothing more than that, but I hope that it'll get better as it goes along and won't be as hated as it initially was.