Tuesday, October 24, 2017

A Classic Reborn: The Joker's Wild (2017)

A few years ago, MTV commissioned an urban reboot of Hollywood Squares, but Hip Hop Squares is currently in drydock after relaunching earlier this year on VH1 with DeRay Davis (ex-Mind of a Man).

Sony, which owns the rights to Squares, also owns the rights to some of the late Jack Barry's properties, including The Joker's Wild, and decided this, too, needed a hip hop backdrop. With former Hip Hop Squares host Peter Rosenberg unavailable (currently working part-time with WWE), Sony could've gotten just about anyone.

Well, wait just one minizzle.

Snoop Dogg gets the call for the 21st century reboot of Joker, serving as host and co-executive producer. Snoop (Calvin Broadus) has copped to being a fan of the original Joker growing up, may be indulging in a little vanity action, since some of the categories, mini-games included, are built around him (i.e. "Six Degrees of Snoop"). Fellow rapper Wiz Khalifa and actor-producer Seth Rogen (Preacher) are among the celebrity contributors to the new series, and because of some of the content in the questions, now you know why this Joker airs as late as it does, at 10 pm (ET), coupled with James Corden's new series, Drop The Mic, and leading into Conan.

Sure, this game is being played for laughs, but there's nothing funny about Snoop's sexy sidekick, Jeanne Mai, billed as Lady Luck. Barry probably would've gotten more mileage out of the original series if he had someone like her.

Consider, too, that one of television's busiest personalities, Michael Strahan (The $100,000 Pyramid, Fox NFL Sunday, Good Morning America) is another co-executive producer, and likely will also be a guest contributor.

Let's take a look at a promo.



In the opener, Snoop managed to slip in a line from one of his earliest hits, "Gin & Juice" in briefing viewers on the rules of the game. I think now my Tuesdays are complete.

Rating: A.

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