CBS game for stars

Net to import hit Brit 'Marathon' format

By JOSEF ADALIAN

It's not a new car, a lifetime supply of Rice-a-Roni or a kitchen dinette set, but CBS has won the prize of bringing hit U.K. format "Game Show Marathon" to the States.

FremantleMedia North America and Granada America are behind the project, which has been given a seven-episode series order by the Eye. Event -- which producers envision as a once-a-year tourney -- will feature six celebs as they compete in a different classic gameshow each week.

Utilizing Fremantle's library of classic Mark Goodson/Bill Todman gamers, the contestants might face off in a "Card Sharks" competish one week, then "Match Game" or "What's My Line?" the next. Celebs will be eliminated one by one, until a final showdown to proclaim a gameshow champ. In the U.K., finalists teamed with their families for a championship game of "Family Feud."

Audiences at home will be awarded the prizes the celebs win in each seg, with a charitable prize also handed out on behalf of the two finalists.

Fremantle North America CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz and Granada America CEO Paul Jackson will exec produce "Gameshow Marathon," along with other producers to be named later.

"It's an incredibly fun idea -- pure, unadulterated entertainment," CBS Entertainment prexy Nina Tassler told Daily Variety. "It's simultaneously a celebration and homage to the classic gameshows of which I was a huge fan."

Tassler said the celeb element "gives a little bit of the glitz factor" needed for primetime and noted, "To a small degree there's a variety element to the show as well."

"Marathon" is based on the hit skein "Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon," which Granada originally conceived in the U.K. as part of ITV1's 50th-anniversary celebration.

"We needed to strike a deal with the owner of the world's largest (gameshow) formats," Jackson said. "So we approached Fremantle and said, 'Why don't we all do this together. We can all benefit and make a better show.' "

Skein was a monster hit in the U.K. in September, surpassing the ratings for Brit hit "Dancing With the Stars." As a result, producers aren't planning to tinker much with the format.

"We need to figure out which gameshows we will use for the U.S. market," Frot-Coutaz said. "In the U.K., a couple of shows were specific for the market. We've got to replace them with U.S. classics.

That said, "You can't just pluck any old show -- there is a format to this marathon," she added. "You've got to find shows that work in that context."

Search is already on for a host or hosts.

"We've got to find the equivalent of Ant and Dec, someone who can be funny and engaging and has a genuine love for these shows," Jackson said.

Frot-Coutaz said "a lot of networks were interested" in "Gameshow Marathon," but CBS in particular "was very keen."

"The show has that nostalgia level that 'Dancing With the Stars' did so well with last summer, that kitschiness," she said. "This plays with humor, looks at the past with a little bit of a wink."