The Chase US started on GSN yesterday with Brooke Burns and Mark Labbett. We haven’t seen it yet but perhaps you have and if so feel free to discuss it – I’ll update this later when I can give it some proper attention.
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Trying to get more of an episode but here’s a copy of the Final Chase (sorry for quality, not mine). $180,000 on the line…highest potential giveaway in GSN history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIgGXhuDIVU
I think they did a great job Americanizing it as much as they can without going overboard. They’re a bit skimpy on the sound effects and the over-the-board shot we use here, which is basically just the game software displayed straight onto TV which looks like a Flash presentation, is a bit strange. If that’s what I’m down to commenting on, I’m pretty happy.
My opinions on the matter, in the medium of three tweets made to Alex in reply to the video…
“”What streaming music service lets users create shareable playlists?” – seems like a crappy question to me, that particular one”
“Also, Mark underperforming a little? I guess US-based questions, unfamiliar environment, etc may be affecting him.”
“I do like that the US contestants are a little more active/LOUDER when discussing pushback answers. Ours are always quiet.”
On re-listen, thanks to prompting, the “crappy” question begins “What Swedish music service” rather than streaming. Which makes it a bit better I guess.
“Also, Mark underperforming a little? I guess US-based questions, unfamiliar environment, etc may be affecting him.”
There are clearly many, many factors in play. However, I think a key one is that Brooke is asking the questions a bit slower than current Bradley speed (and the questions are possibly a bit longer too?). Perhaps this is a good thing though; too fast and the questions won’t be comprehensible to us Brits (e.g. the Bogota question).
Then again, if you go back to series 1 of the UK chase, you’ll see Bradley asking the questions at a slower speed too, so maybe this is something that will evolve as the US show gets comfortable in its niche.
Thanks Alex. So I am hesitant to comment given the short video, but it looks great and I’m glad they’ve kept the feel of the Final Chase intact, which is the most important thing.
I like the way pushbacks are revealed. I also like the menacing drumming music but I feel like it’s missing the ramping up of tension that the UK version has (maybe this was obscured by the loud noise on the recording?).
See comments above, to Lewis, on the speed. Beast is great as ever, Brooke comes across as authoritative and reads the questions clearly.
In summary, I liked what I saw, but only so much I’m willing to say given the small sample size :).
Thought that clip was OK actually, although did feel rather glacial compared to our version – are contestants/Mark allowed to interrupt?
Also didn’t hate the music, suprisingly, but that is not the same as they should use it over here.
Mark can’t do fake anger over the credits very well can he?!
Nice unexpected set tweak having the audience above the LED backdrop in Studio 1.
And whilst I like small subtle graphics and therefore not a huge fan of the on screen clock – that is a better bolder way of displaying the final chase score.
Still wondering if it really is cost effective to bring everyone over to London to record a series (even though I guess it was taped across a weekend), rather than fly Mark and a couple of the programme execs to LA and film it over there.
Hopefully a better copy of the show will turn up on You Tube soon – although no doubt ITV2 will at some point show it as a cheap 45 min filler.
It is being filmed in LA!
Also the score is on the walls in the background of our version anyway, is it really that different? Wider shots maybe.
I don’t think that is fake anger…! Certainly, Mark has banged the table many times in the UK version.
Yeah I’ve seen him get pretty agitated when he’s missed questions he knows and they cost him the game.
The Chase ratings, and some fun spin that would put Endemol Joe to shame:
http://thechaseusa.tumblr.com/post/57644812698/gsns-new-series-the-chase-delivers-ratings-and-cash
I was expecting it to do about half a mill, that’s basically what it got.
Such hype and production for a show that gets six times that daily over here. I find US telly basically baffling.
GSN’s a cable network though.
I can’t work out how it makes any money, they’ve clearly spent more on it then they spend on it over here.
American TV is a bit baffling like that. I can only guess at how much advert slots must cost…!
Also they’re hilariously using percentages to represent the demos, which is not usually grevious but in this instance could well be “TEN viewers last week, but TWENTY this week!”
Perhaps it’s all like ages in cat years.
Well, remember to take into account PET VIEWERSHIP FIGURES too!
P18-49 means “Pets aged 18-49”, and The Chase US had high growth in that demo.
American ratings are awesome, I love those press releases that state that a show as become the #1 most watched program in the 8pm to 8.10pm timeslot with women in 30-44’s that clean their house once a week and have two kids. Oh, and it is in a cable access show that only airs in 20 states.
Americans, just love them.
You say that, but apparently there’s an actual television channel for dogs. According to the promo blurb,
No news, as yet, about a paw-proof remote control.
An episode here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oR233ka-8Q
Just started watching this. The audience seem very lively, but then I should probably have expected that.
Worst thing I can say about it, other the rubbish question graphic (pleasant symmetry apparently not desireable) is that the Final Chase is a bit slower than it should be. So it’s difficult to slag it off, in honesty.
I’ve always thought our Chase is a bit boring because we have to go through the cashbuilder/chase part 4 times before getting to the good final chase bit. Here with only three to worry about, I actually don’t mind and it doesn’t seem nearly as repetitive. Strange how much of a difference just one contestant makes (admittedly, lively contestants like Jonathan certainly make the process more enjoyable, which is pretty much an American thing).
Agreed on the question graphics. I thought they were going to actually do something with that huge gap on the right, but apparently not. I also miss the sound effects when the answers are locked in. And the sting whenever there’s an incidental moment. And the actual overhead shot of the table instead of an onscreen graphic.
Overall, I’d say a pretty good Americanization of the show. Not a perfect replica, but then I don’t think you could make one of those in the US.
Lively audience? The “ooooh!” they dubbed in after one of Mark’s zingers makes X Factor’s editing look positively subtle.
Why do modern producers feel the need to fake so much? Why can’t they generate genuine reactions at the right time? It seems so much easier to me…
My only real issue with the show is the music. I would have been okay if they’d just changed it, but that fact that the show doesn’t really have any theme to speak of the music is really just bangs and thumps irks me.
Prosieben have made a large-ish mistake. On their homepage ‘Prosieben.de’ the result of tomorrow’s Schlag den Star has been revealed. As you’d expect, the website contains a ***SPOILER***. This is correct at time of writing (12.12am)
397k for episode 3, so its dropped 20% already. It did increase 70k from its Minute to Win It lead-in, though.