Password (American game show)

Password
Also known asPassword All-Stars (1974–75)
GenreGame show
Created byBob Stewart
Directed by
  • Lou Tedesco (1961–67)
  • Mike Gargiulo (1961–67)
  • Stuart W. Phelps (1971–75)
  • Ira Skutch (1971–75)[1]
  • Tony McCuin (2022–)
Presented by
Announcer
Theme music composer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons
  • 5 (ABC)
  • 2 (NBC)
No. of episodes
  • 1,555 (CBS Daytime)
  • 201 (CBS Primetime)
  • 1,099 (ABC)
  • 17 (NBC)
Production
Executive producers
Producer
Production locations
Running time
  • 22–23 minutes (1961–75)
  • 25–26 minutes (1962–67; primetime)
  • 43 minutes (2022–)
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseOctober 2, 1961 (1961-10-02) –
September 15, 1967 (1967-09-15)
NetworkABC
ReleaseApril 5, 1971 (1971-04-05) –
June 27, 1975 (1975-06-27)
NetworkNBC
ReleaseAugust 9, 2022 (2022-08-09) –
present
Related
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Password is an American television game show. Two teams, each composed of a celebrity and contestant, attempt to convey mystery words to each other using only single-word clues, in order to win cash prizes.

The show was created by Bob Stewart and originally produced by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. It aired on CBS from 1961 to 1967, and ABC from 1971 to 1975. The original host was Allen Ludden, who had previously been well known as the host of the G.E. College Bowl.

Two revivals later aired on NBC: Password Plus from 1979 to 1982, and Super Password from 1984 to 1989, followed by a primetime version, Million Dollar Password, on CBS from 2008 to 2009.[2] All of these versions introduced new variations in gameplay.

In 2022, NBC premiered a primetime revival of Password executive produced by Jimmy Fallon, and hosted by actress Keke Palmer. This version is a modernization of the original CBS version, and features Fallon as a regular panelist.

In 2013, TV Guide ranked it #8 in its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever.[3]

  1. ^ a b c Schwartz, David; Ryan, Steve; Wostbrock, Fred (1999). The Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows (3 ed.). Facts on File, Inc. pp. 163–165. ISBN 0-8160-3846-5.
  2. ^ "Breaking News - CBS Unveils Its 2008 Summer Schedule - TheFutonCritic.com". The Futon Critic.
  3. ^ Fretts, Bruce (June 17, 2013). "Eyes on the Prize", TV Guide, pp. 14 and 15.