Craig Ferguson may have left The Late Late Show but he certainly isn’t leaving television. He hosts Celebrity Name Game and that syndicated game show has just been renewed for a second season.
Here are the details:
FREMANTLEMEDIA NORTH AMERICA & DEBMAR-MERCURY ANNOUNCE ‘CELEBRITY NAME GAME’ FOR SECOND SEASON FOLLOWING RENEWALS BY TRIBUNE, SINCLAIR, COX AND MANY OTHERS
Los Angeles and New York, Jan. 8, 2015 – Debmar-Mercury and FremantleMedia North America today announced the nationally syndicated Celebrity Name Game has been renewed for a second season following pickups by Tribune Broadcasting, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Cox Broadcasting and many others. The first season, which premiered this past fall in homes across America, ranks No. 2 among all new strips.
The broadcast renewals provide the game show with initial 2015-16 clearances in well over 80 percent of the U.S. Hosted by the Emmy-nominated Craig Ferguson and executive produced by Courteney Cox and David Arquette, the second season is in pre-production and the first season, currently on air, returns with new episodes on Jan. 12.
Commented Thom Beers, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, and an executive producer of the game show, “Celebrity Name Game came out of the gate with an impressive start, building its audience each week, and showing itself to be a strong contender in syndication. We’re looking forward to producing another season with the comedic genius that is Craig Ferguson, and inviting many more of our celebrity friends to join in on the fun.”
“Celebrity Name Game has proven itself to be worthy of renewal and we are very gratified by the broadcasters’ strong show of support,” commented Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus. “This is the second-highest rated new daily series this season in the key demo of women 25-54 and continues to show steady growth in households. Creatively, it is a really good game show with a brilliant and very funny host, which has made it ideally suited for both sitcom and game blocks.”
The game show puts contestants and their celebrity teammates on the spot as they compete in four rounds of fast-paced gameplay to identify famous names – actors, singers, athletes, pop culture figures, politicians, even cartoon characters – based on improvised clues. The winning team has a chance to walk away with up to $20,000.
The show, currently in the midst of its first season, has seen a variety of celebrities including Tom Bergeron (Dancing with the Stars), Wayne Brady (Let’s Make A Deal), Margaret Cho (Drop Dead Diva), Michael Ealy (Almost Human), Seth Gabel (Salem), Jennie Garth (Mystery Girls), Ian Gomez (Cougar Town), Rachael Harris (Suits), Marilu Henner (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Bianca Kajlich (Undateable), Angela Kinsey (The Office), Ian Ziering (Sharknado), Carson Kressley (Queer Eye), Lisa Lampanelli (comedian), Joey Lawrence (Melissa & Joey), Melanie Lynskey (Togetherness), Jonathan Mangum (Let’s Make A Deal), Constance Marie (Switched At Birth), Ross Matthews (Hello Ross!), Kevin Nealon (Blended), Teri Polo (The Fosters), Megyn Price (Rules of Engagement), DJ Qualls (Legit), Molly Sims (Las Vegas), Aisha Tyler (The Talk), and Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy).
Celebrity Name Game is co-produced by FremantleMedia North America and Debmar-Mercury and is distributed domestically by Debmar-Mercury and internationally by FremantleMedia. The show was developed by Coquette Productions based on the popular board game Identity Crisis, created by Laura Robinson and Richard Gerrits of North 44 Productions. In addition to Coquette’s Cox and Arquette, executive producers include FMNA’s Thom Beers and Jennifer Mullin, and veteran show runner Scott St. John. The syndicated, half-hour weekday strip airs in more than 93% of the country, including the top-50 U.S. markets.
About FremantleMedia North America
FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. arm of global media giant FremantleMedia, which includes a distribution arm, FremantleMedia International, a digital and branded entertainment division and a kids & family entertainment business. As one of the world’s largest and most successful creators, producers and distributors of TV brands in the world, FremantleMedia’s comprehensive global network has operations in 28 countries, creating over 8500 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 60 formats and managing over 400 individual titles. The company also distributes more than 20,000 hours of content in over 200 territories. FMNA and its portfolio of companies, including Original Productions and 495 Productions, produce entertaining and innovative scripted and alternative programs for network, cable, syndicated and online platforms. Their slate includes a diverse range of both critically-acclaimed and award-winning successes including American Idol (FOX), America’s Got Talent (NBC), Family Feud (SYN), Let’s Make A Deal (CBS), The Price Is Right (CBS), The Great Christmas Light Fight (ABC), Deadliest Catch (Discovery), Married to Medicine (Bravo), Party Down South (CMT), Ice Road Truckers (HISTORY), Storage Wars (A&E),The Returned (A&E) and Celebrity Name Game (SYN) among others.About Debmar-Mercury
Debmar-Mercury, a leading media company specializing in syndication, network, cable and ancillary markets, produces and distributes The Wendy Williams Show and the new Craig Ferguson-hosted Celebrity Name Game with co-producer FremantleMedia North America; has U.S. distribution rights to FremantleMedia North America’s Steve Harvey-hosted Family Feud; distributes Tyler Perry sitcoms House of Payne and spin-off Meet the Browns, as well as Revolution/CubeVision’s Are We There Yet? (starring Ice Cube); and, for FX, sitcoms including Lionsgate Television’s Anger Management (starring Charlie Sheen and now also airing in national off-network syndication); and has U.S. TV distribution rights to South Park, Hell’s Kitchen and a movie library featuring titles from Revolution Studios. Debmar-Mercury is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company.About Coquette Productions
Coquette Productions, founded by Courteney Cox and David Arquette, with development executive Thea Mann, is a television and film production company focusing on creating dynamic, original and entertaining content. Under a first-look deal with ABC Studios, Coquette is currently producing Cougar Town with ABC for TBS. Other Coquette Productions include: Daisy Does America for TBS; Dirt for F/X, Tripaholics for The Travel Channel and Celebrity Name Game for syndication. Additionally, Coquette has sold projects/filmed pilots for UPN, FOX, CBS, HBO, Lifetime, MTV and Comedy Central. Coquette has also produced the feature film Just Before I Go, directed by Courteney Cox.
What do you think? Do you like this game show? Do you think that it should have been renewed?
Please bring back the celebrity name game show I really really miss it they was showing the reruns every night at 12:30 on 32.3 n Chicago now it stop coming on the last week
That was one of the best game shows on TV!!!!!!!!! Put it back on. I am a 71 year old “with it” widow and know what I’m talking abput!!!
I’m a huge Craig Ferguson fan. I’ve spent the last while writing an episode of Celebrity Name Game. I rhink you’ll like it. I’m a singer/song-writer/university grad in philosophy and I tend to produce good quality stuff. Please let me know where I can forward my “clues and descriptions”. thanks
Hi. If the show is on another station and time, could you please let me know. I am wondering, how much input the producers have over what Craig says and does. I like his energy, although, sometimes it is over the top. So, be funny but not stupid and the innuendoes, you don’t need to do that.
We really enjoy him, and miss his craziness on the Late, late show.
My wife and I really like this game show. Hope it stays on a while, but I DO get tired of seeing so many ***** celebrities and contestants.
Love the show….love Craig Ferguson’s humour….good way to start my morning …
I really enjoy the concept of the game. It took a while to get use to Craig Ferguson however I finally did. Now it seems he is changing and not for the better. He is trying to hard to be funny and it should not be a place to advertise his gay lifestyle.
Not that it should matter but, Ferguson is straight. He’s been married three times and has two children.
the first season was better than the second. i love ferguson but he acts like he’s crocked half the time and really tries to oversell lame jokes. and it seems like they have the same few celebrities on all the time. i’m wondering if 1) it’ll be renewed for a 3rd season and 2) once his talk show on the history channel starts, will he keep his hosting duties here?
I enjoy this show. Craig is funny. Hope it continues. Don’t care for the gay advertising their life. But the show is fun to watch .
Love this show, but should have been left on in the evening. Can’t watch it in the a.m., as I am sure many people would agree.
It used to be a nice, clean show, but like just tonight we just turned it off when they started taking about penises. When such word come up, we just turn the thing off.
Do you have to be a gay or interracial couple to get on this show? It’s ridiculous! Makes it easy to know who to root for!
Why dosen’t celebrity name game not show new episodes of the show. Nothing but reruns!
I was wondering. Do the contestants that don’t make it to the final round get the money that they won, or do they go home
With nothing? Poor if they do.
I thought the late late show stunk. Always turned it off.Especially with that skeleton. Name game-good.