One of the most iconic game shows of the 1950s is coming back, this time hosted by former late night television host Jay Leno. You Bet Your Life started as a radio show before its run on the small screen from 1950-1961. While the plot of the show centered on contestants answering a series of competitive questions to win money, the contest quickly gained fame for the impromptu banter and hilarious conversations spearheaded by host Groucho Marx.
“We need a familiar face to make us laugh, and we are incredibly proud and excited to reinvent this renowned franchise with the enormously talented Jay,” said Jack Abernethy, head of Fox Television Stations.
Leno added: “One of my favorite things to do is talk to regular people and draw humor out of them. This is a comedy show wrapped in a game show that allows me to do just that.” The reboot is set to air on Fox owned and operated stations in fall of 2021.
GREY’S DEDICATION
During the second week of September, the hit ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy returned to production after being one of the first shows to shutter filming in response to the pandemic. Star Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey) announced the upcoming 17th season will be dedicated to all healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID 19 onslaught.
“First time back in my scrubs,” Pompeo wrote in an Instagram post. “Since we shut down filming, 7,000 healthcare workers have died from COVID. I dedicate my season 17 to all who have fallen and to everyone of you who by the grace of God is still standing … this season is for you, with humility and a bit of humor to get us through and endless amounts of gratitude. I hope we do you proud.” Showrunner Krista Verno revealed that the forthcoming season will write the pandemic into the storylines.
“To be the biggest medical show and ignore the biggest medical story of the century felt irresponsible to the medical community,” she noted. “It just felt like we had to tell this story.”
AFI ADAPTS
AFI Fest, the longest running international fi lm festival in Los Angeles and originally scheduled to take place in L.A.’s historic TCL Chinese Theater, is going virtual this year, kicking off on October 15 and wrapping on October 22. “It’s a shift,” acknowledged Michael Lumpkin, director of AFI festivals, to the Los Angeles Times. The nonprofit organization also held the documentary fi lm event online earlier this year.
“Structurally it’s very similar to what we’ve done in the past years,” said Lumpkin. “Presenting great films from around the world to our audiences and having really great discussions and conversations around the films and around the industry.” He continued: “Festivals and the fi lm industry as well, worked for such a long time on a model of … ‘We’re going to show the movie in a theater on the screen and people are going to come.’ That piece of it is very different, and it [means] more conversations and questions back and forth for everyone involved.”
GOOD GENES
Genealogy fanatics, rejoice! Season six of the series Finding Your Roots, which uses traditional genealogical research and genetics to discover the ancestral stories of famous figures, is back. The 16 episode extended broadcast lineup will air this season’s final six episodes beginning on October 13. New episodes will explore the history of fi lm director Kasi Lemmons (Harriet), fashion designer Zac Posen, and actor Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel).
“I am so deeply proud of this series for our country, especially now, to show what we have in common, both as Americans and as human beings, despite our apparent differences,” said host Henry Louis Gates Jr.
“The stories we find in our guests’ family trees demonstrate over and over that we are fundamentally a blended nation, bonded by shared values.” Other celebrities being featured on the series: RuPaul, Rosanne Cash, Jordan Peele, and Gayle King.
