CBS is taking advantage of a temporarily vacant afternoon timeslot to give its new primetime gamer “Hollywood Squares” some daytime exposure. The rebooted game show, featuring Drew Barrymore in center square, will get a week-long daytime showcase from Monday, Jan. 27, to Friday, Jan. 31, at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT/PT — the timeslot formerly held by “The Talk,” which ended its run in December.
For now, CBS has been airing “The Price Is Right” repeats in that slot as a temporary placeholder until new soap opera “Beyond the Gates” premieres on Feb. 24. In the meantime, this gives CBS a chance to find more eyeballs to sample “Hollywood Squares.” CBS will air repeats of the show’s first four episodes throughout the week (Friday’s episodes will be the same as Monday’s).
The week-long programming stunt also comes as CBS recently shifted its Wednesday game night schedule — moving “Hollywood Squares” to 8 p.m. ET (instead of the originally planned 10 p.m.) starting Jan. 29. (Also on the evening: “The Price Is Right at Night” at 9 p.m. ET and “Raid the Cage” at 10 p.m. ET.)
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NFL analyst and “CBS Mornings” co-host Nate Burleson hosts “Hollywood Squares,” the format that features celebrities answering trivia questions — usually with a joke attached. Jesse Collins (for Jesse Collins Entertainment) and Barrymore (via her Flower Films) are the producers on this new “Hollywood Squares.” The show last appeared in daytime with a syndicated version hosted by Tom Bergeron from 1998 to 2004.
Here are the guests on the week-long showcase:
Monday, Jan. 27: First half-hour features Tyra Banks, Julie Bowen, Whitney Cummings, Tiffany Haddish, Thomas Lennon, Ms. Pat, Jeff Ross and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog; second half hour features Tichina Arnold, Nicole Byer, Drew Carey, Pete Holmes, Debi Mazar, Bobby Moynihan, Chelsea Peretti and JB Smoove.
Tuesday, Jan. 28: First half hour features Tyra Banks, Whitney Cummings, Tiffany Haddish, Sam Jay, Thomas Lennon, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Andrew Rannells and Sheryl Underwood. Second half hour features Julie Bowen, Margaret Cho, Leslie Jones, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, Kevin Nealon, RuPaul and Paul Scheer.
Wednesday, Jan. 29: First half hour features Tanner Adell, Whitney Cummings, Pete Holmes, Chaka Khan, Jay Leno, Thomas Lennon, Nelly and Patton Oswalt. Second half hour features Nicole Byer, Drew Carey, Jeff Dunham, Max Greenfield, Pete Holmes, Lil Rel Howery, Rita Moreno and Bobby Moynihan.
Thursday, Jan. 30: First half hour features Nicole Byer, Drew Carey, Luenell, Debi Mazar, Bobby Moynihan, Chelsea Peretti, Phil Rosenthal and JB Smoove. Second half hour features Julie Bowen, Margaret Cho, Leslie Jones, Carson Kressley, Jeannie Mai, Kevin Nealon, RuPaul and Paul Scheer.
Friday, Jan. 31: Same as Monday