The next time you hail a cab in New York City, you might be on a game show and not even know it. Call it a game show – on wheels.
Discovery Channel’s New York-based game show Cash Cab has been picked up by WCIU-TV in Chicago for airing this fall as a weekday strip on a straight barter basis.
MGM sold the program to WCIU, and a few other broadcasters, including CBS’ KCAL-TV in Los Angeles and KTVT in Dallas, and Turner’s WPCH-TV in Atlanta.
Ironically, New York – the show’s home base – hasn’t been cleared yet, but the program has been sold in 50 percent of the country. MGM said more clearances will be announced within a fewdays.
How does Cash Cab work? Well, a cab (driven by host Ben Bailey) drives around New York City picking up unsuspecting passengers and when they get in, the game begins. The driver asks the passenger trivia questions, and if he/she gets it correct, they win some money. But if the contestant gets three questions wrong during the time they are in the cab riding into their destination, the game’s over, they lose their winnings, and they have to get out of the cab (heaven forbid the cab isn’t going through a dangerous neighborhood…)
Ben Bailey has been nominated for an Emmy as Outstanding Game Show Host three times during the show’s run. Cash Cab premiered on December 5, 2005.
Meanwhile, WCIU has also picked up weekly science fiction drama Stargate: Universe from MGM, with the clearance rate for the off-cable weekly drama currently at 65 percent, with WPIX-TV in New York and KCAL-TV in Los Angeles also on board for airing this fall.
New episodes of Stargate: Universe are currently running on SyFy. Stargate: Universe is the fourth television series in the Stargate franchise, often rivaling arch nemesis Star Trek for most spin-offs, films, and sequels from a science fiction program. The other three television series are Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Infinity, a short-lived animated version of the series (which ironically, isn’t connected with the live-action series or the films of the Stargate franchise.)
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Wow, a reference to Stargate Infinity… I thought only 3 people had ever heard of that :)
Interesting all the WCIU/MGM associations. You think that comes from their This TV partnership?
I believe there is a link between WCIU and MGM with ThisTV. Hopefully, MGM can stay in business.
As for "Stargate: Infinity", think of it as the "Star Trek: The Animated Series" (NBC, 1973-75) of the franchise.