"Hollywood Squares" (1998) TV series 1998-2004

Director:

Chris Darley

Writers:

Dave Boone (head writer) (2002-2004)
Ryan Hopak (writer)
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | unknown

Release Date:

14 September 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Game-Show

Plot:

Contestants guess the correctness of celebrities' answers in order to win spaces in a tic-tac-toe game.

Plot Keywords:

Celebrity | Tic Tac Toe | Guest | Joke | Non Fiction

Awards:

3 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Tom Bergeron	...	Himself - Host (1,045 episodes, 1998-2004)
Shadoe Stevens	...	Himself - Announcer (695 episodes, 1998-2004)
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Herself - Center Square (675 episodes, 1998-2002)
Martin Mull	...	Himself / ... (425 episodes, 1998-2004)

Series Directed by
Chris Darley		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Matt Neuman		(161 episodes, 1998-1999)
Monty Aidem		(14 episodes, 2001)
Karen Anderson		(11 episodes, 2002-2003)
Jon Ross		(unknown episodes, 2001-2003)
Dave Boone		(unknown episodes, 2002-2004)
Stefanie Wilder		(unknown episodes, 2002)
Andrea Hartt		(unknown episodes)
Ryan Hopak		(unknown episodes)
Michelle Johnson		(unknown episodes)
Bill Kessler		(unknown episodes)
Kelly Kursten		(unknown episodes)
Jon Macks		(unknown episodes)
Rylee Newton		(unknown episodes)
Scott Saltzburg		(unknown episodes)
Bob Stone		(unknown episodes)
Bruce Vilanch		(unknown episodes)
Kim Wells		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Michael Levitt	....	executive producer (112 episodes, 2002-2004)
Whoopi Goldberg	....	producer (1 episode, 1998-2002)
John Moffitt	....	producer (1 episode, 1998-2002)
Pat Tourk Lee	....	producer (1 episode, 1998-2002)
Henry Winkler	....	executive producer (unknown episodes, 2002)
Steve Radosh	....	supervising producer (unknown episodes, 2003)
Claudia Cagan	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Tim Gaydos	....	associate producer (unknown episodes)
Naomi Grossman	....	line producer (unknown episodes)
Jay Redack	....	senior producer (unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
Ron Diamond		(136 episodes, 2002-2004)

Series Casting by
Steve Nave		(15 episodes, 1998-1999)

Series Art Direction by
James Yarnell		(175 episodes, 2000-2004)
Kristan Andrews		(unknown episodes)

Series Makeup Department
Trista Jordan	....	makeup artist (5 episodes, 2004)
Trent Cotner	....	makeup artist (3 episodes, 1998-2002)
Jody Lawrence	....	key hair stylist / makeup department head (2 episodes, 1998-1999)
Thea Samuels	....	personal makeup artist (2 episodes, 2003)
Tracey L. Miller-Smith	....	makeup artist (unknown episodes)
Donna Moss	....	makeup artist (unknown episodes)
Julia L. Walker	....	hair stylist: Ms. Goldberg (unknown episodes)

Series Production Management
Karen Wolpin	....	post-production supervisor (14 episodes, 1998)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Spencer Thornton	....	segment director (355 episodes, 2002-2003)

Series Sound Department
Patrick Grandclaudon	....	sound editor (58 episodes, 1998-2001)
Dicken Berglund	....	voiceover mixer (unknown episodes)
Judi Frenkel	....	sound: A2 (unknown episodes)
Andrew I. King	....	sound editor (unknown episodes)
J. Mark King	....	sound mixer (unknown episodes)
Roy Pahlman	....	sound re-recording mixer (unknown episodes)

Series Visual Effects by
Dianna Oliva-Day	....	Visual Effects Producer: Stargate Digital (1 episode, 1998)
Sean Mullen	....	digital compositor: Commercial and Title Sequence at Stargate Films (unknown episodes)
Jaison Stritch	....	3D visual effects supervisor (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Cohen	....	company grip (unknown episodes)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
David S. Heifetz	....	costumer (1 episode, 2000)

Series Editorial Department
Kevin Deselms	....	assistant editor (unknown episodes, 2002)

Series Music Department
Teena Marie	....	composer: theme "Square Biz" (unknown episodes, 2002-2004)

Series Other crew
Gregory A. Huster II	....	production assistant (460 episodes, 2001-2004)
Michael Collins	....	production accountant (240 episodes, 1998-2000)
Peter Margolis	....	dga stage manager (128 episodes, 1999-2003)
Marissa Passer	....	assistant to producers / talent coordinator (123 episodes, 1999-2004)
Dan Campbell	....	assistant contestant coordinator (111 episodes, 2004)
Glenn Catabas	....	production coordinator (2 episodes, 1999-2000)
Bob Perlow	....	audience warm-up (unknown episodes, 1998-2003)
Ric Enriquez	....	talent coordinator / talent executive (unknown episodes, 1999-2002)
Paul-Michel Pierre-Benoist	....	production assistant: New York (unknown episodes, 2000)
Audrey Clark	....	script coordinator (unknown episodes, 2001-2002)
Kerry Moynahan	....	assistant to executive in charge of production / production assistant (unknown episodes, 2002-2003)
Paul Gendreau	....	publicist (unknown episodes, 2003)
Lee Avant	....	talent assistant (unknown episodes)
Darren Bunkley	....	college contestant search coordinator (unknown episodes)
David Coscia	....	prize segment producer (unknown episodes)
Louis Goldberg	....	talent assistant (unknown episodes)
Xaque Gruber	....	executive assistant (unknown episodes)
Gary Light	....	talent assistant (unknown episodes)
Justin Lillge	....	talent coordinator (unknown episodes)
Sandy Pine	....	script supervisor (unknown episodes)
Kate Post Spitser	....	talent coordinator (unknown episodes)
Joe Scott	....	talent assistant (unknown episodes)
Thomas Shull	....	contestant assistant (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Sony Pictures Television (2003-2004)
• Fair Dinkum Productions (uncredited)
• Michael Levitt Productions
• King World Productions
• Columbia TriStar Television (1998-2003)
• Moffitt-Lee Productions (1998-2002)
• Henry Winkler/Michael Levitt Productions (2002-2004)
• King World Studios West Inc. (1998-2004)
• Whoop/One Ho Productions/Lil' Whoop Productions (1998-2002)

Distributors

• Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (2001-2003) (USA) (TV)
• King World Productions (1998-2004) (USA) (TV) (1998-)
• CBS Broadcast International (non-USA)
• Sony Pictures Television (2002-2004) (USA) (TV)

Also Known As:

"H²" - USA (promotional abbreviation)
"H2: Hollywood Squares" - USA (fifth season title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

CBS Television City - 7800 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Sony Pictures Television

Trivia:

One week of shows would tape in one day which is why they could ensure the same guest for 5 "days" in a row. After each episode Tom Bergeron and the panelists would change outfits and then go tape another one.

Quotes:

Tom Bergeron:A $50,000 Gulfstream jet is the most expensive thing purchased using what?
Guest Appearance:Dollars?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Christopher Walken/Weezer (#26.20)" (2001)

Shadow of Original For Lots of Reasons

Tom Bergeron is just not a host when you compare him with Peter Marshall. This is one of the major handicaps this revival of Sqaures has. There are some others too.

The game is basically UN-changed from the old one. The center square does not have a real talent. They tried several, most notably Whoopie Goldberg whose problem is she is a better "straight" comedy person to feed someone else the punch lines as she is poor a delivering punch lines. Goldberg is an Abbott trying to be a Costello but she needs a Costello badly. Bergeron could not fill that bill.

This show almost certainly had too much entrenched competition when it was originally syndicated at night. it could not break the grip of other shows in the time slot. It did not get an easy middle of the day time slot & a lot of practice to get established like Peter Marshall's series did.

Sadly, times had changed when this went on too. Viewers were too sophisticated & the panelists themselves are just not as talented as the ones on the original series.