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Heads or Tails or overkill?

Eddie McGuire has filmed a 2 Up pilot. But where should a network draw the line between faith in its product and taking a few risks?

2-upSo, as previously rumoured, Nine is now looking at yet another game show for Eddie McGuire.

This time, that television Two-Up idea we’d heard whispers about, entitled Heads or Tails.

According to The West Australian, Ed decided to stay home in Melbourne at the weekend, rather than fly across to Perth to watch Collingwood play, in order to work with an American production company on the pilot for another potential quiz show based on two-up.

The Daily Telegraph reports it was shot this week, along with another pilot with US Biggest Loser host J.D. Roth as a possible international format.

McGuire gave the newspapers a bunch of his trademark metaphors:
“You have to thicken the soup all the time, getting more programming.

“Some things stick and some things don’t. There is no harm in trying and having a show that works and one that doesn’t. They’re not always going to work. The trick is to make them work more often than not.

“To use football vernacular, every now and then someone has to do the tagging role.

“I have no issue doing it (Hot Seat) — it might be the hard yards but it could ultimately lead to where we all want to be and rebuild the night.

“Let’s do the hard yards first, not get any easy runs, it kind of suits my personality. I like getting in and doing that kind of stuff. Once we get some success there, we move through there and move into prime time eventually.

“People say it is a risk, why would you do it, but everything is a risk. It is show business.

“If you want to liken it to a moonshot, we have got off the launch pad pretty well and we are going along.

“Now we’re going to get into the next stage and hopefully get to where we would all love to be.”

That about covers it.

But there is arguably harm in sending out messages of chopping and changing. Adding a two up pilot to his workload totals at least 3 pilots filmed by McGuire, including Hot Seat and Let’s Make a Deal, this year.

McGuire would not speculate on whether Hot Seat would be extended, but said either that show or the mooted Heads or Tails could do the job of challenging Deal or No Deal.

On air Hot Seat has lifted Nine’s 5:30 share. It is still trailing Deal, even factoring in the fact it doesn’t go head to head with Andrew O’Keefe in Brissy (Extra airs). That doesn’t mean the show should go. There’s a lot to be said for letting something bed in and sending out the right signals of faith and commitment. Adding another pilot doesn’t particularly do that.

Nine never promised Hot Seat would run long term, being something of an all or nothing bet, perhaps. McGuire remains strong in the Millionaire hosting seat (heck the full Millionaire would probably outrate homeMADE in its slot).

In television networks should be encouraged to put something on the studio floor and see how things pan out. Thats what pilots are for. But they should also be encouraged for sticking with something and letting it run. Charlie Sheen could probably remind Nine of just that.

Source: The West, Daily Telegraph

13 Responses

  1. It’s quite interesting that they are doing the pilot through an American production company. Is this possibly to work around the fact it is illegal to play Two Up in Australia any other day than Anzac Day?

  2. Agree with you, Chris. Except make a version of Temptation similar to the way Tony Barber and Glenn Ridge used to have Sale Of The Century going in the early years. And call it “Sale Of The Century”. “Temptation” is the wrong word to use.
    After a bit of a poor start Glenn was a damn fine host, so the show would return to its halcyon days on top of the ratings pretty quick if he came back to it. Thing is, with Nine loving Eddie so much, they’ll more than likely get him to mimic Tony’s trademark runs to the hosting dais!

  3. Wow. Isn’t there a reason Two Up is reserved for ANZAC day? As a sign of gratitude and respect to our Aussie Diggers? And now Eddie wan’t to make it into a game show. Right. *frown*

  4. Yeah, I thought it was a joke, too: Peter Serafinowicz impersonated Chris Tarrant hosting ‘Heads Or Tails?’ and ‘Which Hand Is It In?’, in that tedious Millionaire style, on his eponymous sketch show that was on ABC2.

  5. No Bingo! Here’s an idea if you like game shows so much: Don’t axe Temptation. Oh yeah, no Eddie…

    Seriously, heads and tails is so boring in reality, I don’t think I’d want to watch some other people do it for an hour. This is nothing more than Eddie’s self indulgent attempt to make lightning strike twice.

    Then again, this would be the perfect game for that tosser.

  6. hows about twister next and hungry hippos good god nine you really are hitting the skids! Give us a good show on families like rafters or something! I might come back and watch your network then!

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