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Exclusive: The Force Is with Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal by Adam Taylor/NBC
Two contestants will need the Force with them in a special, Star Wars-themed, winner-take-all edition of Deal or No Deal airing April 28. Deal will be transformed into a Mecca of Star Wars characters and themes, complete with models dressed as Imperial storm troopers and Princess Leia.
Contestant Elyse McCrillis will also get some help from none other than Carrie Fisher — the original Princess Leia — who will make a special cameo. Other faves from the franchise — Chewbacca and R2D2 — will also be on hand for some surprise arrivals. Of course, no Star Wars scene would be complete without Darth Vader: The bad guy steps in as the show's villainous banker.
Ready to tune in to your inner, space-savvy dealmaker? The two-hour event airs Monday, April 28 (NBC, 8 pm/ET). — Anna Dimond
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Apr 4, 2008 5:01 PM
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My response to this is an adaptation of a joke from The Soup a few weeks ago (pertaining to something else entirely).....
Congratulations Phantom Menace, Ewoks TV-movie, Lego Video Games and CGI tinkering -- you now are not the worst things to happen to the Star Wars universe.
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Apr 4, 2008 6:00 PM
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I could not have imagined such a horrific nightmare. Star Wars has been used in terrible ways before, but this the biggest low, in my opinion.
Using it to make a special episode of any game show is bad enough, but Deal or No Deal, the show that highlights the exceptional skill of picking random briefcases? Come on.
Deal or No Deal is usually a joke, but now it's a tragedy.
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Apr 4, 2008 8:59 PM
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Oh, LIGHTEN UP! 
I read this to my family and everyone said they thought it sounded great. "Star Wars" is part of pop culture, and it's FUN! People who think that the LEGO games and the Ewoks and Phantom Menace "ruined" Star Wars just don't get what everyone else understands ... that it's all about having fun and enjoying a great story and how much impact it's had on our lives.
"Deal or No Deal" may be mindless, but it's addictive and fun and totally harmless ... plus you get to cheer on people who are having something good happen to them.
I think this is GREAT! Can't wait to watch with my family!
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Apr 4, 2008 11:37 PM
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That reminds me of actors who appear on talk shows to promote their latest movie, and, when asked how the movie turned out, say something like, "Well, we had a lot of fun making it!"
RED ALERT! We ALL know what that means -- the movie sucks.
Generally speaking, when something sucks, it's NOT fun (though there are some good-bad exceptions, like Plan 9 from Outer Space and Seasons in the Sun).
It also isn't fun when the owners of a lucrative (and beloved) commodity allow it to become cheapened (I never said "ruined") by associating it with mediocre, crass or downright stupid projects, all in the interest of making a few more bucks.
Obviously, the big winner in this arrangement is Deal or No Deal. Basing an entire episode around the world's most successful movie franchise of the last 30 years will give a false patina of respectability to a show about opening suitcases.
But will it have any lasting effect? Will people who previously thought Deal or No Deal was a waste of airtime suddenly say, "Hey, ever since Carrie Fisher appeared on that show, I've realized that it's about so much more than just luggage!"?
Sorry. No deal.
People who are that easily swayed already watch the show.
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Apr 5, 2008 2:17 AM
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I'd watch this if I didn't have four other shows during that time period that I also wath!
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Apr 5, 2008 6:16 AM
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Oh, Carrie, Carrie, Carrie. Is there truly nothing better for you to do in Hollywierd than to appear on the most mindless "game" show ever conceived?
DOND makes "Wheel of Fortune" look like "College Bowl".
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Apr 5, 2008 2:27 PM
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Chappy Quiddick, EDR37, everyone else,
Have you all forgotten about the Stars Wars Christmas Special? I don't think there will ever be a bigger Star Wars cr@pfest then that "special." It's so bad it actually has a cult following and you can find it online in various corners of the net every year around Christmas. It's so bad George Lucas has vowed that as long as he has anything to say about it it will never be legally available to buy in any format. I've personally never seen the entire thing but what I did see makes Jar Jar look like the best thing to every happen to Star Wars in comparison. Yes, it's that bad.
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Apr 5, 2008 4:21 PM
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Yes, wildbill, I remember that Star Wars Christmas Special!
I remember Bea Arthur singing a melancholy song that was basically newly-written, but with elements of the Cantina Band Song inserted between the verses!
Wild, weird stuff!
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Apr 5, 2008 8:37 PM
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I actually have seen the Christmas Special and my opinion still stands. Deal or No Deal is a mindless show that attracts people who like games but don't like ones that make you think at all. Seriously, did questions on shows like Who Wants to be a Millionaire make viewers feel too stupid?
Every time I've watched the show(you should know that it's never my choice in programming), I've cheered against the contestants because of how they act. I can't explain how happy certain failures and bad deals make me.
I won't even start on Howie Mandel's new genie look, because I'm sure I've offended someone by now with my opinion.
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Apr 5, 2008 9:07 PM
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Vader at the banker? What is he going to do? Same as always: lure the contestant with MORE MONEY. Joke is on the banker, though. The contestant will prove the banker wrong by playing for MORE MONEY. Take THAT, Vader!
It's a great idea from a programming perspective. I'm sure it will bring in the ratings. And if it works out well, I'm sure we can look forward to future theme episodes, like Harry Potter, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Wizard of Oz, and so forth. Do I think it's cool? No. I think it's cheesy gravy poured all over an already crappy show. But it's a terrific idea and if I were anybody at NBC, I'd be kind of psyched for this kind of show.
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Apr 5, 2008 9:56 PM
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I was actually at that show - the first one, with Carrie Fisher. I'd barely heard of DorND and was suprised to see Howie Mandel. I remember him as curly haired and funny. Now he's bald and neurotic. Anyway, for anyone who's interested, here's my take.
- Carrie Fisher is really, really short. Maybe 5 foot. She's gotten a little tubby around the middle but still looks pretty good considering how much drugs she's done.
- The set is ghetto. Tiny, with duct tape on the floor and really uncomfortable seats. It's amazing how they spiff it up for TV.
- There's tons of audience manipulation. They told us how to clap and yell, and when to look serious and concerned. They gave out gift cards to the best clappers but our real motivation was repeating a scene til we got it right. The whole thing took about 4.5 hours. After that amount of time, you don't care if Obi Wan rises from the dead, you just want to get the heck out and go home.
- The show is sooo fake. The contestants are wanna-be actors. Bad ones, although I don't think even Alec Guiness at his finest could make a convincing contestant.
After saying all that, I will have to admit it was pretty exciting to watch Princess Leia walk in. I used to have a notebook with her face on it! Of course, I was ten at the time.
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Apr 7, 2008 1:13 AM
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I stand by my original comment ... sounds like a lot of people here could use a good sense of humor! 
The "Star Wars" movies are still going to be wonderful regardless of this. And I can't wait to watch. Yeah, DOND is mindless fun. My family also routinely watches Discovery and History, as well. Fun has its place, and DOND is fun! Folks, enjoy life ... don't take it or "Star Wars" too seriously ... lighten up, relax and "let go your conscious self." It's ALL good.
(And, hey, what OTHER 30-year-old TV show that only aired once do you still remember, for better or worse?!)
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Apr 7, 2008 2:01 AM
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How can you be hatin' on the Star Wars Legos!!!!!!
I am one of the biggest Star Wars fans ever. I lost count how many times I saw the original three movies in the theatre. I even sent George Lucas a high school graduation invitation. Star Wars started out as a fun, swashbuckling spectacle in space that took on a life of it's own. While it went on to examine much more serious themes and impact a generation, I don't see any wrong in revisiting it's lighter, more playful side from time to time.....
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Apr 7, 2008 9:16 AM
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