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The Price Isn't Right At Night

Some things just aren't meant for prime time: Saturday morning cartoons, playoff baseball games and daytime game shows— especially The Price Is Right.

I've loved The Price Is Right since I was a kid, including the cheesy t-shirts, "Come on down", one dollar bids, botox spokesmodels, the yodeler... the list goes on and on.

I feel for Drew Carey. Replacing Bob Barker on The Price Is Right is like replacing Howard Stern on terrestrial radio. It's an impossible task.

Drew is a funny guy who I like a lot, but he can't host the show like Bob Barker did. No one could. But his lack of expertise with TPIR staples like Plinko, The Range Game, Three Strikes and other classics frustrates long-time geeky viewers like me.

Drew shines when contestants spin the wheel to determine who gets in to the Showcase Showdown (and never over $1.00), and that's been the worst part of the show since that big wheel was first introduced.

But Drew does the best that he can, and I admire him for making the most of a great gig. My issue is the 8pm time slot that CBS has penciled the show in on Friday nights. It doesn't work.

Now I'm the type of guy who can't eat breakfast foods after noon, and I freely admit that I prefer things in their "proper" place. I'm not against all game shows in primetime; Deal or No Deal succeeds, but I don't think it could make it as a daytime game show. Every show has its place.

The Price Is Right should air when the sun is up.

My suspicions were raised the first time I saw the legendary game show in primetime this year. Drew was in a tux and things seemed out of whack all throughout the program, but the million-dollar showcase at the end is what really opened my eyes.

Long time TPIR fans know that if you come within less than $1,000 of your showcase's actual price, you win both showcases (assuming your opponent doesn't do a better job). As an added prime time bonus, Drew and crew are giving away one million dollars for those who accomplish this feat in addition to the two showcases. Winning both showcases used to be as likely as the Red Sox, uh, the Cubs winning the World Series.

This impossible million has been won not once, not twice, but three times in prime time. Either contestants have become geniuses when it comes to pricing RVs and trips to Acapulco, or some kind of luck is smiling on Television City.

Bob isn't coming back, and Drew has to make due with what he's got. Those wonderful older women should keep "Coming on down" and wearing those cheesy t-shirts. Just air the show when they're awake to see it.