Alec Baldwin To Host Revived TV Game Show 'Match Game'

Alec Baldwin is set to host a revival of the classic panel game show ‘Match Game’ when it returns to primetime TV this summer.

‘Match Game’ made its first ever appearance on TV way back in 1962, hosted by Gene Rayburn, and ran for a whopping 20 years on NBC. It was revived briefly for one season in both 1990 with Ross Shafter as host and then in 1998 with Michael Burger fronting it.

It sees two contestants competing against each other to match the answers of six celebrities in a game of fill-in-the-blank. The franchise was broadcast around the world in similar formats, and was more famously known in the United Kingdom as ‘Blankety Blanks’, where it was hosted variously by Terry Wogan, Les Dawson and Lily Savage.

The show will be making its comeback on the ABC network, during its Sunday Fun & Games block at 10pm on June 26th, alongside perennial game show favourites like ‘The 100,000 Pyramid’ and ‘Celebrity Family Feud’.

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Baldwin is also due to take up an executive production role alongside FreeMantleMedia’s CEO Jennifer Mullin for its 10-episode run, and he’ll donate his appearance fee to the Hilaria and Alec Baldwin Foundation, the charity he and his wife set up together.

“I am beyond grateful to ABC and FremantleMedia for the chance to host a summer series of the legendary ‘Match Game’,” said Baldwin in a statement. “Hilaria and I are thrilled to donate this fee to arts-related charities. And we look forward to having a lot of fun.”

Mullin added in her own statement that the show “is one of the crown jewels in our portfolio, and we’re thrilled to be bringing it to viewers in primetime… with the charismatic and quick-witted Alec Baldwin as our host, ‘Match Game’ has all the right elements to be a fun and entertaining summer staple.”

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