by Drew Deitch
| Updated
risk! It exists in a very unique place in the game show's ecosystem. It is one of the few old school game shows remaining from the old guard genre. With its trivia-based setting and tournaments, it was the only game show that best glorified the ideas of intelligence, education, and facts.
But in a cultural landscape where these ideas are increasingly not celebrated (or even openly denigrated), risk! It had to change with the times and adjust itself to welcome a larger audience. The latest attempt to do so has jeopardized the reputation of the show, which seems increasingly less true to its intended spirit.
Pop culture menace!
Pop culture menace! It is a new series streaming on Amazon Prime Video which acts as a sub version of the classic movie risk! appearance. But, in reality, width is simply the lowest denominator in dealing with bar trivia with risk! The skin is wrapped over it. The series, hosted by Colin Jost, is clearly aimed at a much wider and younger audience than your typical game show viewers.
And here it is Pop culture menace! It reveals the crack in its foundation. By limiting the scope of potential trivia to “pop culture,” the series recognizes that a lot of current cultural moments aren't worthy of being interesting trivia. Watch as the contestants are unable to answer questions about… YouTube Controversy and TikTok celebrities don't make me feel bad for the contestants. It makes me wonder why anyone should know these things, let alone the audiences watching risk! To showcase their own knowledge while also learning worthwhile topics.
Pop culture menace! Explains what makes the actual risk! A very engaging series after all these years: Viewers loved the show's defense of legitimate intelligence on a wide variety of topics. By narrowing things down to “popular culture,” the format and presentation don’t seem in sync.
This seems to be the direction the series wants to go, and it makes me want to stop watching any of it risk! displays.
End of an era
Look, I love movies. If there's one topic I feel confident about when it comes to trivia, it's movies. I don't want there to be a risk! In the movies series. Why? because risk! It's not formatted and themed to be the best game show around movies. Instead, you should create a new game show around that as the core concept and create a game format that better reinforces the idea of a movie-centric game show.
The same goes for popular culture, but because risk! It's a brand that people will recognize. Unlike a new game show property, this new series should try to box itself into a niche. risk! jacket. And I can see risk! Continue to produce spin-offs in this vein until you find something that sticks.
There have been other issues with Regular Show over the years, but it still manages to stay true to its spirit risk!. This episodic mentality seems like a dilution that will only continue when the regular show begins to lose its cultural relevance.
I grew up with risk! And I've always tried to watch it when I can. But lately, it's starting to feel like the end of an era for a certain game show. With Ryan Seacrest taking over Wheel of fortune and risk! It's starting to transform itself into new forms, perhaps it's best to find old episodes and remember the best years of one of my favorite game shows.
