Could Deal Or No Deal Return To Our Screens?
Running in the UK from 2005 to 2016, Deal or No Deal was one of the more popular game shows of recent years. Despite it being out of the running for approaching three years now, our constant demand for game shows brings the question of whether or not it could – or should – return.
The original Deal or No Deal game show began in Germany under the name of ‘Die Chance Deines Lebens‘. While it only ran for only one season in this format, this version created strong enough impressions that it would go on to spawn three other German versions.
Its first followup, Der Millionen-Deal, ran for a single season in 2004. The second sequel, Deal or No Deal – Die Show der Glücksspirale, was much closer to the what the series would eventually become, running over three seasons. The final incarnation, simply entitled Deal or No Deal, covered two seasons starting in 2014.
Following the origin and evolution of the show in Germany, more than 80 other countries followed suit with their own licensed adaptations. Some of these would last over a decade, with a few still playing to this day.
So why did the UK version of the show end and what makes us think it still has legs?
As so often happens in the world of TV broadcasting, the most likely culprit of the show’s downfall was that of ratings. While it still managed to draw in around 300,000 viewers an episode, this was a far cry from the million-plus which it enjoyed at its peak. Combine this with the host Noel Edmonds’s desire to branch out into other projects, and the end of the UK show seemed natural.
Not all is doom and gloom, however, as the show has since still existed on a small level. Acting as a travelling show, Deal or No Deal on Tour held a couple of major shows before being given the axe – though Edmond’s remains cautiously enthusiastic about a reboot.
Rumours of a revival of the TV powerhouse have persisted since it went off the air, aided by comments from Edmonds himself about a possible return to Channel 4. He notes that while they will probably need a new host, as he has done his stint, he believes that the love for the show is as strong as ever.
Given how often we hear talk about Deal as a favourite game show, we can’t help but agree. It’s not just personal anecdotes either which paint the show in a positive light, as there is a range of related properties that have seen immense success due to the Deal legacy. The Deal or no Deal online slot game is one of the more recent examples of this, having translated the experience to the world of digital gambling. There is even a Banker’s Riches version of this game, giving players even more choice to gamble as if they were in the show itself. Combine this with the popularity of gaming on mobile and PC, and we can see the audience still wants more.
As for when we might realistically see the show return to our screens and homes, this depends on the current crop of game shows. We would never outright hope for the failure of the newer programs, but should they fail, the return of Deal or No Deal seems all the more likely.
Greg Stevens