"The Top '70s TV Game Shows"


1. Jeopardy! (premiered 1964)

Our pick for all-time greatest game show? What else but Jeopardy!? 
The smartest, fastest and most entertaining of TV trivia throwdowns, it's seen 
massive success and staying power thanks to cleverly crafted clues, iconic hosts 
(we miss you, Alex!) and the stars it's created (we love you, Ken!).

2. The Price Is Right (premiered 1972)

Come on down! The Price Is Right regularly transforms an activity as benign as 
price shopping into a colorful, high-energy contest of buzzes, spins, Plinko 
plunks and prizes. Host Bob Barker, and later Drew Carey, called on the most -- 
let's say, enthusiastic -- members of the studio audience, guaranteeing some 
truly memorable moments.

3. Wheel Of Fortune (premiered 1975)

As simple as Jeopardy! is challenging, Wheel has contestants and audiences 
loving to chime in when they recognize the everyday phrases on that iconic 
board. Add in a bit of gambling, the satisfying click-clack of the wheel and the 
chemistry of the cohosts, and it's clear why Wheel has enjoyed such lasting 
popularity.

4. Hollywood Squares (premiered 1966)

Hollywood Squares is as much a scripted comedy as a trivia competition. Nine 
celebrities are dropped onto a giant, ridiculous tic-tac-toe board and asked 
leading questions packed with double standards. They give "zingers" as often 
as real answers. Win or lose, you're bound to laugh, especially at the center 
square.

5. The $10,000 Pyramid (premiered 1973)

It's like a high-speed reverse game of Taboo! Celebrity and contestant pairs have
to guess a category from their partners' hints. It's edge-of-your-seat TV, 
especially in the Winner's Circle final round, when contestants have 60 seconds 
to nail the six categories hidden behind the trademark pyramid.

6. Password (premiered 1961)

Password featured another face-off of fan and star duos. Viewers loved to play 
along as teammates gave each other one-word clues to a mystery password. 
Here's to more than 60 years of shouting through the TV at our favorite stars, 
from Betty White and Carol Burnett to John Hamm and Meghan Trainor.

7. Family Feud (premiered 1976)

Name the top game show that has brought families together across 
generations. Survey says...Family Feud! Since the '70s, two teams of relatives 
have tried to correctly guess survey answers. It's fun for the whole family -- 
especially those old enough to appreciate the obviously leading double 
entendres the game loves to showcase.

8. Match Game (premiered 1962)

You'd be surprised how much naughty innuendo this fill-in-the-blank contest 
got away with, even back in the wild '70s. When trying to match manic 
Mad Libs with six celebrities, being wildly wrong (and just a little suggestive) 
is half the fun. Clearly Match Game endures.

9. Concentration (premiered 1958)

The '60s were surely the golden age of the game show, and there was no 
bigger daytime staple than Concentration. The game tested players' memories 
and creative thinking, making them match prize panels to uncover a rebus 
puzzle, which they'd need to solve before their opponent did.


- Dylan Ford, TV Guide 7/7/25

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