While ABC wiped its slate clean of classic game show revivals earlier this month, its rival NBC is bringing one back. A new Password revival will air this summer, with Hustlers star Keke Palmer as host. The premiere episode will be dedicated to the greatest Password player of all time, Betty White. Although there hasn’t been a new Password series in over a decade, Jimmy Fallon kept the format alive with Late Night and Tonight Show segments.
The new Password will follow the format of the beloved original series, with contestants paired with celebrities to guess secret one-word passwords. Fallon will appear in all eight episodes and serve as an executive producer. The other celebrity guests have not been announced yet.
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The premiere is dedicated to White, who died on New Year’s Eve at age 99. White regularly guest-starred on dozens of game shows during her career, including the original Password. Her third husband, Allen Ludden, hosted the original incarnation of Password, which debuted in 1961. The original Password aired on CBS from 1961 to 1967, and the first revival aired on ABC from 1971 to 1975. NBC’s Password is the first revival since CBS aired the Regis Philbin-hosted Million Dollar Password in 2008 and 2009. White appeared on Million Dollar Password twice and frequently stopped by for Fallon’s Password segments on Late Night.
Password is produced by Fremantle with Universal Television Alternative Studio and Electric Hot Dog. Fallon, Jim Juvonen, and Jennifer Mullin are executive producers. John Quinn serves as executive producer and showrunner. Fallon will also host the second season of That’s My Jam.
NBC might have faith in primetime game shows, but ABC seems to have lost all interest. Although ABC is still home to reality shows like The Bachelor and American Idol, the alphabet network canceled Card Sharks, Celebrity Dating Game, The Hustler and Match Game earlier this month. ABC also recently renewed Dancing With the Stars for Seasons 31 and 32 but kicked the show to Disney+ to make room for Monday Night Football and other new programming.
Palmer stars in Jordan Peele’s next movie, Nope, which opens on July 22. She voiced Maya on The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder and starred in ABC’s Human Resources. Her other credits include Hustlers, Scream: The TV Series, Star, and Scream Queens. Last year, she won the Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for Turnt Up With the Taylors.
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NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images)
