Hollywood Squares has been on the air on an off since it debuted on NBC daytime in 1966. There have even been versions dedicated to country music and hip-hop. But the version that’s coming to CBS — delayed a week due to the Southern California wildfires — takes a lot of cues from the original, at least in spirit.
HOLLYWOOD SQUARES: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: Julie Bowen, one of the celebrity panelists in the first episode, announces, “From Television City in Hollywood, it’s Hollywood Squares!“
The Gist: Drew Barrymore is an executive producer of this new version of Hollywood Squares, which has aired in various versions since 1966. She sits in the center square in every episode, a spot which has been occupied in past versions by stars such as Paul Lynde, Joan Rivers, Whoopi Goldberg and Martin Mull. The host for this version is Nate Burleson of CBS Mornings and The NFL Today.
The game is pretty straightforward: It’s tic-tac-toe. One contestant (usually male) plays “X” and the other (usually female) plays “O”. They select from among the 9 stars and Burleson asks them a question. After uttering a funny line, the celebrity answers the question to the best of their ability — or they bluff. The contestant says they either “agree” or “disagree”. If they’re right, their “X” or “O” gets the square. Of course, there are opportunities to block, but whichever contestant gets threein a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally — or gets five of their letter on the board, wins that game and the money associated with it.
Whoever has the most money at the end of the game goes onto the bonus game. There, Burleson gives a fact about each celebrity, and the contestant has to agree or disagree. If they’re right, the square lights up. If one of the celebrities in a lit-up square holds a card that says “$25,000”, the contestant gets the bonus.
In the first of the two episodes, the celebs playing alongside Barrymore are Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Bowen, Tyra Banks, Tiffany Haddish, Whitney Cummings, Thomas Lennon, Ms. Pat and Jeff Ross. In the second episode, the celebrities joining Barrymore are Drew Carey, Pete Holmes, Debi Mazar (who announces the intro), Chelsea Peretti, Bobby Moynihan, JB Smoove, Tichina Arnold and Nicole Byer.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Like we said, Hollywood Squares has run in various incarnations since 1966, when the late Peter Marshall was the host. In fact, Ross and the show pay tribute to Marshall, who died last August at 98, in the first episode.
Our Take: What we liked about this new version of Hollywood Squares was that it’s trying to be true to that original version that was an NBC daytime staple (and occasional primetime hit) for 15 years. The theme song is a modernized version of the original, and the set is a bit glammed up but isn’t trying to be flashy or have Who Wants To Be A Millionaire-style running lights. Burleson is showier than previous hosts — Marshall, Jon Bauman, John Davidson and Tom Bergeron — but he’s entertaining and keeps things moving along.
The producers of this new version have to figure out the pacing. The first episode is loaded with a lot of funny interplay between the celebrities, with Ross making fun of Lennon’s mustache, Barrymore getting cozy with Triumph and other shenanigans. But there was so much extra stuff that the contestants only got through one game. In the second episode, things went faster, but the funny (mostly-pre-written, if the history of the show is any guide) barbs related to each question were either cut from the episode or the panelists were told not to give them.
Barrymore doesn’t quite give off “center square energy”, as we call it, because, well, she’s Drew Barrymore. The center square tends to get the best funny barbs, and has a bit of a sardonic streak to them — yes, even Martin Mull. Of course, Barrymore is about positivity and all that jazz, which certainly is something different coming from that seat.
The bonus game isn’t much different from ones in older versions of the show, except that now cash is being given away instead of a trip or a car, though we wish more money was being given away, due to it being a primetime CBS series. There’s still the “Secret Square” in each game, where the contestant that picks it can win a trip if they correctly agree or disagree with the celebrity.
Barrymore’s presence attracts top people to be in those squares, though, which at least guarantees a good laugh or three per episode. When Holmes, for instance, says he has “resting Latter Day Saints face”, we laughed heartily (he used the same line in a recent episode of After Midnight, so we know he wrote it).
All of this is to say that this new version of Hollywood Squares isn’t far off from actually being pretty good take on the original. There is room for funny lines and celebrity hijinks in each episode, as long as Barrymore and the rest of the producers find the right formula that takes advantage of their panels without grinding the gameplay to a halt.
Sex and Skin: There is some risque stuff, but nothing that’s going to make you cover your kids’ ears if they’re watching it with you. We loved how Haddish kept hitting on a handsome contestant in the “X” chair, for instance.
Parting Shot: Burleson thanks the celebrities and Barrymore and says, “Join us next time on Hollywood Squares.”
Sleeper Star: Anyone who’s seen Burleson on his other shows knows he’s a clotheshorse. We’re going to give this to the show’s wardrobe department, who put him in an all-yellow ensemble in the second episode, and Burleson himself, who not only pulled it off, but took all of the jibes from the panel about it in stride. It helps that he used to be in the NFL and is used to trash talk.
Most Pilot-y Line: Having one of the 9 celebrities announce the opening of the show is cute, but a gimmick that might wear thin after 20 episodes over 10 weeks.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Fans of any of the other iterations of Hollywood Squares should enjoy this version, even with some bumpy pacing issues. It has the cocktail party feeling of the previous versions, just jazzed up for 2025.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.
The post Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Hollywood Squares’ On CBS, A New Version Of The Classic Game Show, Now With Drew Barrymore In The Center Square appeared first on Decider.
