Richard Dawson and contestants on the set of the television game show Family Feud, 1976
In 1923, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle debuted a local radio program called “Brooklyn Eagle Quiz on Current Events,” the earliest known example of a game show in mass media. Over the next century, game shows spread from radio to broadcast and cable television and, more recently, streaming platforms. Along the way, they survived scandals, congressional investigations, and repeated predictions of their demise—while awarding hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and prizes to contestants around the world.
When radio gave way to television in the late 1940s, familiar quiz formats evolved to take advantage of the new visual medium. By the 1950s, America was captivated by high-stakes prime-time quiz shows and the ordinary people who became national celebrities overnight. That fascination came crashing down with the quiz show scandals, which exposed widespread manipulation and sparked public outrage, government investigations, and lasting changes to the industry.
Yet game shows endured. Over the decades, more than 1,000 different formats have entertained generations of viewers, combining knowledge, skill, luck, and the enduring appeal of watching everyday people win big. Drawing on nearly 50 years in the industry, game show producer and archivist Bob Boden—co-founder of the National Archives of Game Show History and executive producer of the CBS series Funny You Should Ask—traces the evolution of the genre through archival clips, behind-the-scenes stories, and insights into the programs that became cultural touchstones. From early radio quizzes to enduring favorites such as Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, Boden explores why game shows remain one of television’s most resilient and beloved forms of entertainment.
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