You Won't Believe Which Iconic U.S. Game Shows Are Going Global—Find Out What This Means for Fans!

Earlier this year, a buzz-filled studio audience gathered in Manchester, England, for the taping of a pilot episode of “Wordle,” a game show inspired by the immensely popular puzzle from the New York Times. The warm-up comic opened the show by introducing host Savannah Guthrie, who is well-known in the U.S. as a co-host of the “Today” show. Despite her fame, the audience was reminded of her impressive background, which includes interviewing presidents. The comic also prepared the crowd for some potential challenges, hinting that the game might feature unfamiliar spellings of words.

While Guthrie's recognition is widespread in the U.S., the production of “Wordle” required context for the local audience at Manchester's dock10, a state-of-the-art TV production facility. The pilot was managed by Universal Television Alternative Studio and NBC, who brought a team of executives, producers, and question writers from the U.S. Additionally, the technical crew and the audience were comprised of Manchester locals, while contestants were flown in from across the Atlantic.

If “Wordle” is added to the NBC schedule next year, it will mark a significant shift in the landscape of American game shows, as it will be produced in the U.K. or Ireland. This is not without precedent; a growing number of U.S. game shows, traditionally recorded in studios in Los Angeles and New York, are moving overseas. This trend is largely driven by lucrative tax incentives that significantly cut production costs, an increasingly important factor as TV networks grapple with dwindling audiences and profitability.

Currently, Fox has four prime-time game shows produced internationally, including “The Floor,” “99 to Beat,” “Celebrity Name That Tune,” and “Beat Shazam.” Notably, shows like “The Masked Singer” and “Celebrity Weakest Link” are still produced on the Fox lot in California, benefiting from local tax credits. Similarly, Fremantle North America produced its latest season of “The Match Game” in Montreal, utilizing local talent to maximize Canada’s production tax credits.

In a candid moment, Rob Lowe, the host of “The Floor,” highlighted the financial benefits of producing the show in Ireland. He remarked in a recent podcast, “It’s cheaper to bring 100 Americans to Ireland than to walk across the lot at Fox.” The cost of producing an hour-long game show can range from $1.5 million to nearly $2 million per episode, heavily influenced by the choice of celebrity host. Tax incentives in the U.K. can lower that number to below $1 million—an appealing option in an era where media companies are under pressure to cut costs.

The shift to game shows is particularly timely as viewing habits have evolved dramatically, with the latest data from Nielsen indicating that 45.7% of viewers now consume content via streaming platforms, compared to 45.1% tuning into traditional broadcast and cable networks. Interestingly, the game show genre has flourished despite this decline. Typically set in a single studio, game shows are less expensive to produce than scripted programs, making them an attractive option for networks seeking to reclaim prime-time slots. Their live, unpredictable nature makes them appealing in a world where on-demand viewing is increasingly the norm.

As the industry seeks to navigate economic challenges, there is a concerted effort to produce high-quality content at lower costs. Kim Kleid, executive vice president of current programming for Fremantle North America, noted, “There is a pressure in this time that everyone—studios, production companies, and networks—is feeling to produce hours of television for lower price points. The word on the street is do more with less. We all have to look for different efficiencies.”

Entertainment industry professionals in Los Angeles have felt the consequences of this trend, with many losing jobs or struggling to secure new positions as productions shift overseas to capitalize on cost-effective options.

Scripted series have historically been produced abroad and in Canada, with studios like Ardmore Studios in Ireland facilitating this trend since 1958. While reality competition shows often utilize international locations (for instance, Netflix brought 456 contestants to London for “Squid Games: The Challenge”), American game shows have largely remained stateside. Popular phrases like “This program has been recorded at CBS Television City, Hollywood” evoke nostalgic memories for viewers who grew up watching shows like “The Price Is Right.”

However, the COVID-19 pandemic marked a turning point. Game shows resumed production faster than scripted series, able to capitalize on looser health restrictions in other countries. Producers quickly adapted to local crews, leading to a realization that quality programming could be achieved with more streamlined operations. Kleid explained, “Everyone was in different locations, even in the studio because you couldn’t be together. It created a certain realization that not only can we do a show with a different set of circumstances, but we could do more with less.”

As U.K. studios aggressively pursue U.S. projects, the competition among countries for production deals is heating up. Toby Gorman, president of Universal Television Alternative Studio, was drawn to dock10 while scouting for another game show format, leading to advantageous negotiations for producing the “Wordle” pilot. Gorman stated that dock10 offered a compelling deal to entice U.S. productions to test its facilities.

While the shift to overseas production poses challenges for California's entertainment economy, Kleid expressed a desire to continue producing iconic shows like “The Price Is Right” and “Let’s Make A Deal” in their original locations. She lamented, “We pray on a daily basis that California will include game shows in their tax incentive programs.” However, recent tax credits released by the California Film Commission did not include any game shows, raising concerns about their future.

The evolving landscape of game show production reflects broader industry trends influenced by economic pressures and shifting audience preferences. As networks adapt, the question remains: will traditional American game shows continue to thrive, or will they increasingly become a product of overseas studios?