Endemol Shine North America Shopping Reboot Of Original ‘Deal Or No Deal’ Following Island Exit
EXCLUSIVE: A reboot of the original Deal or No Deal is in the works in the U.S.
Deadline understands that Endemol Shine North America is quietly shopping a new version of the Dutch classic after the cancelation of Deal or No Deal Island.
Deal or No Deal Island, which ran for two seasons on NBC, was a mix of the original game but with a Survivor-like twist with physical challenges thrown in.
But we hear that the Banijay-owned producers are hoping that reverting back to the studio format might entice cost conscious networks and streamers looking for a known commodity in the game show space.
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Deal or No Deal originally launched on NBC in December 2005 with Howie Mandel as host. The series ran for four seasons between 2005 and 2010 before it was revived for a fifth season in 2018. The format also moved into syndication between those two dates with over 300 half-hour episodes produced starting in 2008.
In 2018, CNBC ordered a version of the show with Mandel as host that ran through August 2019.
The original version saw a contestant choose from 26 briefcases that each held cash from a penny to $1M. The contestants chose six cases to eliminate with the amounts removed from the board before The Banker turns up with an offer to buy the case, leading to a “deal” or “no deal”. It ultimately leads to a final offer with two cases left and if the contestant rejects this offer, they can keep the last case or trade it for another and receive the cash inside.
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The move back to the original format makes sense given that the budget for an in-studio game show is far cheaper than the island version and classic game shows continue to rate. ABC continues to air shows such as Celebrity Family Feud and regularly returns to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, while CBS is bringing Hollywood Squares back for a second season in January, Fox is airing Celebrity Weakest Link and Name That Tune and even NBC renewed Jimmy Fallon’s Password for a third season.
Endemol Shine North America, which is run by CEO Sharon Levy, is also behind series including MasterChef, Lego Masters and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which is returning to ABC for its second season in January.
