''Pictionary'' is an American television

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

which aired in syndication during the 1997–1998 season. The game was based on the

board game A board game is a type of tabletop game that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the ...

of the same name where contestants guessed words and phrases based on drawings.

Alan Thicke Alan Willis Thicke (né Jeffrey; 1 March 1947 13 December 2016) was a Canadian-American actor, songwriter, and game/talk show host. He was the father of singer Robin Thicke. Thicke was best known for playing Dr. Jason Seaver on the 1980s sitco ...

hosted the show with Joe Cipriano announcing. The series was a production of

Kline and Friends Kline may refer to: * Kline (surname) Places * Klinë, a.k.a. Klina, in Kosovo United States: * Kline, Colorado * Kline, Iowa, in Des Moines County, Iowa * Kline, Louisiana, in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana * Kline, Pennsylvania, in Clario ...

and was distributed by

Worldvision Enterprises Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. was an American television program and home video distributor established in 1954 as ABC Film Syndication, the domestic and overseas program distribution arm of the ABC Television Network. They primarily licensed ...

. ''Pictionary'' had a similar format to the earlier ''

Win, Lose or Draw ''Win, Lose or Draw'' is an American television game show that aired from 1987 to 1990 in syndication and on NBC. It was taped at CBS Television City (one of the few non- CBS game shows to tape there), often in Studios 31, 33, and 43 at vari ...

'', which Kline's company also produced. The game mechanic was virtually identical, with two teams consisting of two celebrities and a civilian contestant competing. The series was recorded at

CBS Television City Television City, alternatively CBS Television City, is a television studio complex located in the Fairfax District, Los Angeles, Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California, United States. The facilities are located at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at ...

in Hollywood.

Round 1

Initially, both celebrities were each given two phrases to relay to their partners by drawing. There was a connecting word in both phrases (e.g., "Red Necks, White Socks, and Blue Ribbon Beer" and "Little Red Riding Hood," "red" being the connector). If they were both successfully guessed, the civilian contestant won $200. After both teams had taken a turn, a second set of phrases was played. Later in the series' run, the round was modified slightly. This time, the celebrities drew as many phrases as they could in the time limit of 45 seconds and each correct guess paid off at $100.

Round 2

Players took turns drawing a series of puzzles for three minutes. This time, each puzzle had a different connecting word. Correct answers were worth $100, and if the team was stumped the player at the drawing board could pass the marker off to one of his/her teammates. The team in the lead played first, followed by the opposing team. The team with the most money at the end of the round won the game and advanced to the bonus round. If both teams were tied, Thicke would draw a tie-breaking puzzle, with the first team to answer correctly becoming the winner. Regardless, both teams kept their money.

Bonus round

In the bonus round, one team member was selected by his teammates to draw single-word puzzles instead of phrases for this 90-second round. Each word was connected to the word before it in chain fashion, such as Peanut-Butter-Bread-Basket-etc. The first four (originally three) words were worth $100 each. The next three that followed would be worth $300. Every word after that was worth an additional $1,000. Play stopped when the timer ran out and the civilian player won whatever money the team had accumulated. Originally, there were returning champions, who remained on the show until they were defeated or reached the Friday show of any given week (due to weeks airing out of sequence from when they were taped). Within two months, however, they were dropped altogether, and two new contestants competed on each show.

External links

*
Official promo siteRules for PictionaryErik Estrada versus Bill Maher
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pictionary (1997 Game Show) 1997 American television series debuts 1998 American television series endings 1990s American game shows First-run syndicated game shows Television series by Kline and Friends Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Mattel Television Television shows based on board games Television shows based on Mattel toys

Round 1

Round 2

Bonus round

See also

External links