Another day, another television game show reboot.
Fox has greenlit a revival of “Love Connection,” which will be hosted by Andy Cohen. The show will air in summer 2017 with a 15-episode season
The announcement was made on Wednesday at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, Calif. by Fox Television Group Chairman and CEO Gary Newman.
“The Bachelor” creator Mike Fleiss is executive producer, and Cohen will serve as co-executive producer.
The new one-hour series, based on the original game show that ran from 1983 to 1994, will feature single men and women in search of romance. After the singles are sent on three blind dates, they will dish the dirt in front of a live studio audience, alongside Cohen.
“I was a huge fan of the original ‘Love Connection,’ and hosting the new version allows me to do one of the things I love most: meddling in people’s personal lives,” said Cohen.
Fleiss added: “‘Love Connection’ was always one of my favorite programs. Show creator Eric Lieber was a close friend of mine. He taught me a lot about the relationship show format. The first rule — if the cast is good, just stay out of the way.”
The reboot of “Love Connection” has been kicking around for quite some time with Warner Bros. Television. The series hails from Fleiss’ Next Entertainment, Warner Horizon Television and Telepictures Productions. Other exec producers are Martin Hilton (“The Bachelor”), James Breen (“So You Think You Can Dance” and Jason Ehrlich (“The Bachelor”).
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this incredibly beloved and iconic show to primetime network television. The combination of the insanely talented Andy Cohen and the undisputed king of relationship shows Mike Fleiss is absolute magic…add in the perfect home of FOX…and I think we have a match made in heaven,” said Mike Darnell, president of unscripted and alternative television at Warner Bros.
“Love Connection” is the latest game show reboot to head to TV, following ABC’s “Match Game” with Alec Baldwin, “Celebrity Family Feud” with Steve Harvey and “$100,000 Pyramid” with Michael Strahan. ABC also recently greenlit a reboot of “The Gong Show.”
Also at the TCA press tour, Fox announced that Jamie Foxx will serve as host of the previously-announced new musical game show “Beat Shazam,” which will also air this upcoming summer. Foxx will also serve as executive producer on the series, alongside Mark Burnett, who said: “Jamie is a quadruple-threat and creative genius. He is an incredible actor, comedian, singer and dancer. Also, his musical knowledge is so great that he could probably… beat Shazam.”
