"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Cancelled, Ending 20-Year TV Run
by Dave Nemetz
May 17, 2019


"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" is out of lifelines, it seems. The syndicated quiz show has been cancelled after a 20-year run that began on ABC, our sister site Variety is reporting.

The show debuted in August 1999 in ABC’s primetime lineup, hosted by Regis Philbin, and quickly became a pop-culture phenomenon, rocketing to the top of the ratings (it averaged more than 28 million total viewers in its first full season) and eventually expanding to air five nights a week (!) on the network.



But the phenomenon quickly fizzled out, and the series moved from ABC to syndication in 2002, hosted by Meredith Vieira. She was later succeeded by Cedric the Entertainer, Terry Crews and Chris Harrison, who has emceed "Millionaire" since 2015.

“After a successful 17-year run, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? will not return in national syndication for the 2019-20 season,” a show spokesperson tells Variety.

https://tvline.com/2019/05/17/who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-cancelled-syndication-chris-harrison/

I think it had had its day..

I didn't even know it was still on.

!!! Oh My Gosh !!! I can't believe that Who Wants To Be A Millionaire is now cancelled and I am just teary eyed to hear this news. When I lived at my old house I always looked forward to my morning routine of watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and seeing Chris Harrison really made my mornings extra good. Now since I moved out of my house I found it impossible to watch Millionaire because I have to share a TV where I'm at now which I dislike. I don't know what i'm gonna do without a morning show once I move into my house and I don't know what other Chris Harrison show I can watch besides The Bachelor because he is my crush and hearing this news makes me very sad i'm about to break down and sob in tears at this shocking news. Now I won't be able to watch Chris Harrison again. I bet you the producers of Millionaire wanted to give Chris Harrison a bigger extended contract with an even higher salary and Caesar's Palace wanted to evict the Millionaire crew and when Chris Harrison heard about this he freaked out and I think when Caesar's Palace gave the Millionaire crew a warning of moving out of Caesar's Palace they gave ABC two options either to move to a bigger stage in Las Vegas or cancel Who Wants To Be A Millionaire completely. But if you look at "to use a popular favorite phrase of mine" the general picture Who Wants To Be A Millionaire has moved filming studios three times and each time it caused the ratings to collapse but when Meredith Veira began hosting Millionaire in 2002 in syndication it started as a big affair with a mega bus tour around the U.S. trying to find people to audition to play Millionaire as contestants and it was a success but as soon as Cedric The Entertainer replaced Meredith Veira the ratings went downhill and the same thing happened to Millionaire when Terry Crews began hosting it but if it wasn't for Chris Harrison he was the one who saved Who Wants To Be A Millionaire from being cancelled because he was talented at Millionaire and like Regis Philbin Chris Harrison was known as the Show Saver. I can guarantee you that due to this shocking news Chris Harrison's career will go downhill and he will be forgotten and Chris Harrison will be hurt and end up having his game show career go belly up and he will disappear from TV
Thanks for telling me this upsetting news James. I feel like crying right now because it makes me so upset at this shocking news
Bestie

Hi, Bestie! Don't worry, they will have WTBAM back on TV in no time. Remember, a good game show is hard to kill. How many times have they cancelled it already? Hopefully GSN will snap it up for a song. Here is my favorite host of WTBAM.
DTK

Who Wants To Be Millionaire was very successful during its ABC era but very underrated in Syndication since 2002.

I have figured out why Disney Domestic Television had to end the syndicated version of Millionaire. Apparently Disney Domestic Television has planned to replace Millionaire with MSNBC host Tamron Hall's new talk show and I cannot see why Disney chose Tamron Hall's talk show over a renewal of a new season of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire because Millionaire was a huge hit and there are few morning game shows besides The Price Is Right that people watch during the morning while they get ready for work and the most popular times that work for game shows in weekday mornings are between 10AM to 12PM. I really hope Chris Harrison really sues Disney for what they did to his show because I think Chris Harrison is really upset at this and I can predict that ABC will cancel The Bachelor next and The Bachelorette as well because this not has hurt Millionaire fans but also Chris Harrison's career. And I can predict that GSN or Buzzr will gain the rights to show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire reruns but I think Chris Harrison will launch a talk show or like Wayne Brady and Doctor Who/The Chase star Bradley Walsh Chris Harrison will try his hand at a singing career as many game show hosts have tried but I do hope Chris Harrison gets another game show soon or maybe become the new host of the Supermarket Sweep revival if it gets aired. But whatever happens in Chris Harrison's future he can be a Comeback Kid if given the right type of game show that fits him well because he's really the cutest game show host ever
Bestie

!!! Oh My Gosh !!! I can't believe that Who Wants To Be A Millionaire is now cancelled and I am just teary eyed to hear this news. When I lived at my old house I always looked forward to my morning routine of watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and seeing Chris Harrison really made my mornings extra good. Now since I moved out of my house I found it impossible to watch Millionaire because I have to share a TV where I'm at now which I dislike. I don't know what i'm gonna do without a morning show once I move into my house and I don't know what other Chris Harrison show I can watch besides The Bachelor because he is my crush and hearing this news makes me very sad i'm about to break down and sob in tears at this shocking news. Now I won't be able to watch Chris Harrison again. I bet you the producers of Millionaire wanted to give Chris Harrison a bigger extended contract with an even higher salary and Caesar's Palace wanted to evict the Millionaire crew and when Chris Harrison heard about this he freaked out and I think when Caesar's Palace gave the Millionaire crew a warning of moving out of Caesar's Palace they gave ABC two options either to move to a bigger stage in Las Vegas or cancel Who Wants To Be A Millionaire completely. But if you look at "to use a popular favorite phrase of mine" the general picture Who Wants To Be A Millionaire has moved filming studios three times and each time it caused the ratings to collapse but when Meredith Veira began hosting Millionaire in 2002 in syndication it started as a big affair with a mega bus tour around the U.S. trying to find people to audition to play Millionaire as contestants and it was a success but as soon as Cedric The Entertainer replaced Meredith Veira the ratings went downhill and the same thing happened to Millionaire when Terry Crews began hosting it but if it wasn't for Chris Harrison he was the one who saved Who Wants To Be A Millionaire from being cancelled because he was talented at Millionaire and like Regis Philbin Chris Harrison was known as the Show Saver. I can guarantee you that due to this shocking news Chris Harrison's career will go downhill and he will be forgotten and Chris Harrison will be hurt and end up having his game show career go belly up and he will disappear from TV
Thanks for telling me this upsetting news James. I feel like crying right now because it makes me so upset at this shocking news
Bestie
I didn't realize you felt so strongly about a television show. Could you not get the repeats on a DVD collection?

This is complete shock. I felt the show had a lot of pep left. Could it be the place where it is taped didn't want the show there.?? This summer I am planning to go to Salt Lake City and take a side trip to Las Vegas. When there in LV thought of sitting in the Millionaire audience. From reading the show is cancelled, I sadly I won't be able to see the show. I wonder what will take it place on the air. In my area it is on at 12:30pm

This is complete shock. I felt the show had a lot of pep left. Could it be the place where it is taped didn't want the show there.?? This summer I am planning to go to Salt Lake City and take a side trip to Las Vegas. When there in LV thought of sitting in the Millionaire audience. From reading the show is cancelled, I sadly I won't be able to see the show. I wonder what will take it place on the air. In my area it is on at 12:30pm

In my area, the shows airs twice. 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm. We also get the 12:30 pm airing here as well.

The reason why it got cancelled was because of low ratings in recent years and and a lot of ABC stations that were carrying Millionaire committing to a new talk show hosted by Tamron Hall.

I truly think Chris Harrison really owes people an apology for cancelling Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and people who got tickets to the next season's tapings will most likely be refunded money. I also think what hurt Millionaire was moving to Las Vegas and as you know when a game show is filmed in Las Vegas you know that Las Vegas is expensive for filming game shows and then the show has to move filming episodes to a better studio for more money. Take for instance when CBS launched Let's Make A Deal with Wayne Brady in 2009 it was originally filmed at the Tropicana Resort Hotel but when the show got too expensive to film CBS moved LMAD to Hollywood where it is still filmed today. I think Who Wants To Be A Millionaire should've been filmed in Los Angeles it would've been less expensive and gained an even bigger fanbase of audience members to fill the seats during tapings of the show. One thing I never understood and this might've also caused Millionaire's death is that they would advertise Las Vegas hotels from Planet Hollywood Hotel and Paris Las Vegas Hotel and this I felt was wrong because it seemed like the show was also used to promote Las Vegas vacations during commercial breaks. But I think had they not promoted so much Las Vegas hotels as their sponsors the show still would be successful. But if you at much of their audience Millionaire's target audience was basically teens and young girls who were also The Bachelor fans who thought of Chris Harrison as not just the host but also as a guy who had a crush factor much like the teen idols of the 50's 60's 70's and 80's. But I also think GSN most likely offer Chris Harrison a chance to host an upcoming game show for them in the future because Chris is a great host and got his start hosting his first game show and his debut called Mall Masters and Chris Harrison would be known as GSN's Comeback Kid. But I do hope Who Wants To Be A Millionaire gets released on DVD soon like Sony did with their awesome Jeopardy DVD set and I also hope BET will air the reruns of Cedric The Entertainer and Terry Crews versions of Millionaire in the future. But I do wish Chris Harrison luck in the future with upcoming projects because he's so cool and handsome
Bestie

LaBestia, you're not making any sense at all. You say that Chris Harrison should "sue Disney for what they did to his show" and then that he "owes people an apology for cancelling" Millionaire?

What are you talking about? You say a lot, but it's a whole lot of nothing.

What I meant is think about all those people who purchased tickets for next season's tapings of Millionaire to get a notice telling them that the next season of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire will not exist anymore. I actually found Who Wants To Be A Millionaire by accident when GSN no longer aired Catch 21 and then I was hooked on it and would watch it every morning at my old house but then I moved and then I lost track of it but it was a fun morning routine of mine. My mother always used to laugh at me for getting up early just so I could see Millionaire and Chris Harrison at 11AM PT and 11:30AM PT every day. But I think Millionaire's legacy will live on in the hearts of devoted fans that started watching it in syndication in 2002. But I believe Millionaire will someday return for it's anniversary in a few years with a new look and Chris Harrison or someone like Tucker Carlson could host it because it was a fun game show in pop culture history that will be missed
Thank you very much for your reply James you are a great friend to me
Bestie

The tickets were free, so nobody had to purchase them. :confused:

People who were able to request tickets were offered discounted hotel rooms where Millionaire? filmed.

Bestie is obviously distraught about the cancellation and needs our help and sympathy. So please roll with the flow till Bestie sorts this out. As her friends here, we should allow her to grieve in her own way and find her way through this. Just think back to when a favorite of your was cancelled.
DTK

Hi, Bestie! I agree with you that WWTBAM will be bcak someday. It is too good a game show not to. How many times was DOND cancelled? All the good ones come back. I also agree with you that people who planed vacations, etc. around seeing WWTBAM in person must be very upset. I think it was very crappy the way they cancelled it. But we all know hollywood people are heartless monsters who love the dollar more than anything. But keep the faith Bestie!
DTK

Bestie is obviously distraught about the cancellation and needs our help and sympathy. So please roll with the flow till Bestie sorts this out. As her friends here, we should allow her to grieve in her own way and find her way through this. Just think back to when a favorite of your was cancelled.
DTK

Now what are you on about... "roll with the flow"?

LaBestia's posting things that are flat out wrong, and "as a fan" should know what she's talking about.

I didn't even know it was still on.

Same here. I thought it was cancelled years ago...

Now what are you on about... "roll with the flow"?

LaBestia's posting things that are flat out wrong, and "as a fan" should know what she's talking about.
Well, if you don't get it, I feel sorry for you. I will also remember how you think and lambaste you for every spelling error, every fact you get wrong, even belittle any favorites you might have. As you enjoy adversarial discourse.
DTK

Well, if you don't get it, I feel sorry for you. I will also remember how you think and lambaste you for every spelling error, every fact you get wrong, even belittle any favorites you might have. As you enjoy adversarial discourse.
DTK

I don't get what? Please tell me.

I don't "enjoy adversarial discourse", but I will say something when someone's posting nonsense. Do whatever you like, but it's wise not to start any crap with me.

I still recorded and watched everyday. (You could get thru an ep in about 15-20 minutes, depending on how much contestant talk you sat through).

One thing LeBestia has right is eventually the show will resurface. Most long running game shows tend to.

Oh well, at least I still have Jeopardy to prove my stupidity....

Good grief.

Game Show Garbage Induction #249 - Millionaire's Clock Format (http://www.gameshowgarbage.com/ind249_millclock.html)

Syndication (September 2008 - September 2010)

I don't think we've ever seen a show that has had a more agonizing and lackluster limp to the finish line as the current version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire has. Once a massive force for game shows, leading into the game show renaissance of the early 2000s, is now just a hollow corpse of its former self. I could talk about how after Meredith left the show that they decided to chase trends instead of reforming its own identity. Steve's buddy Cedric The Entertainer and Terry Crews were not the answers that the show was looking for. Chris Harrison brought some stability but the damage would have already been done, especially with the move to Caesar's Entertainment Center aka a tent in Caesar's Parking Lot aka the home of WrestleMania 9. Man isn't there anything that piece of asphalt and concrete can't kill any enjoyment out of.

But all of those are symptoms of the original course of action the show took in order to pop the ratings. The original cause for the show's slow, painful demise was in the invention of a certain format that was made to stop long production times because of people wanting to think out an answer and add more drama to the game. Instead all it did was drop the winnings and chase away more viewers. After years of teasing it and not being able to come up with enough coherent thoughts to write out the script for it, here it is in 2009 Vintage...The Clock Format.

nOM6eThIBTY

Possibly the reason why the format was finally axed was the week hosted by Steve Harvey. While he proved to be a great host on Family Feud, Millionaire proved that he wasn't cut out for this style of show, especially with the clock format. While he was personable to the contestants and was a great salesman...notably for his book, his ability to pronounce the questions or the answers led to stuff of legends. It ate up the contestants time to answer the questions and it made the show even more of a slog than it was. So much so that the show got the most publicity it had since it was on Primetime on ABC...being parodied by SNL and Kenan Thompson. Check out the video of his time hosting above for more.

The mea culpa for this would reverberate throughout the show at the end of the season. An overhaul of the production staff happened, the set would change, the classic music would be dumped and a new score would be put into place, and a new format would be put into place. That would become the Shuffle Format. It would last until Chris Harrison took over in 2015. The Clock Format would turn out to be the canary in the coal mine as the show was on its last legs. So many gimmicks started with the clock format that it made Millionaire lose the identity that it once had. It took the show 5 years to try to get the format back to it once was, even surviving cancellation because of stations not wanting to pay the licensing fee the show was charging. But by then it was too little, too late. The last couple seasons of the show felt lifeless as hardly anybody even reached six figures. Hopefully the cancellation will allow the show to get rebooted in primetime and become the special event it once was. If shows like The $100,000 Pyramid, Match Game and The Joker's Wild can do this, then Millionaire can.

Bestie is obviously distraught about the cancellation and needs our help and sympathy. So please roll with the flow till Bestie sorts this out. As her friends here, we should allow her to grieve in her own way and find her way through this. Just think back to when a favorite of your was cancelled.
DTK

I am at work when 90% of game shows are on unless I catch one on vacation, so I am not very attached to any of them. I watch Wheel of Fortune a couple nights a week and Jeopardy recently for the winning streak. But everything eventually ends and gets canceled. The Big Bang Theory just ended after 12 years, Deadwood is finally getting a wrap-up TV movie but that show got canceled out of nowhere. It just happens. I see where people are mad at GOT for investing years into it and the ending was not to their liking. At the end of the day these actors and hosts see it as a job and time to find a new one.

When I was a kid, game shows were on a lot more in the mornings. Now they all want talk shows because they are cheap political propaganda and can get celebrity guests in return for promotion. Howard Stern was on The View last week, I watched the Youtube clip and Howard lied his butt off and everyone (especially Whoopi) knew it but nobody dared say anything. Stern is in the most protected class in the business.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire, "the most consequential game show in television history," paved the way for the reality TV boom and Jeopardy!'s James Holzhauer (https://slate.com/culture/2019/05/who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-canceled-one-of-its-biggest-losers-will-miss-it.html)

The syndicated version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire was canceled last Friday just three months shy of the ABC primetime version's 20th anniversary breaking ground with massive ratings in the summer of 1999. "There’s a decent case that Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is the most consequential game show in television history," says Justin Peters. "Though Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! have longevity on their side, and though O.G. quiz programs like Twenty-One conceived the language that 1,000 game shows speak, Millionaire changed the landscape unlike any other televised trivia contest before or since. The show’s glossy aesthetic and superhigh stakes attracted unprecedented audiences—at its peak Millionaire was more popular than Monday Night Football—and ignited a game show arms race. No Millionaire? No Greed, no Weakest Link, no Deal or No Deal. Jeopardy! likely wouldn’t have ditched the pre–Ken Jennings rule that limited contestants to five consecutive victories. There would have been nothing to inspire Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?—a harbinger of the reality TV boom."

Well none of the stations in my area carried Millionaire after Meredith left the show and so, I didn't even know the show was still on ever since KLFY-TV 10 in my area pulled the show after Cedric left the show

Yes, it was very underrated on syndication, but also, you gotta remember, Millionaire was a BIG Hit on abc and it helped put the network BACK on top of Prime Time Television and it had a longer run on syndication and Meredith did a great job with the show

The difference between the Prime Time Version and the syndicated version was the abc version was an hour show and it had the Fastest Finger Questions while the syndicated version was a ½ hour show and they only sent players out one at a time to sit in the hot seat

I think the reason abc cancelled the show in the 1st place was real simple:

Too much Celebrity Millionaire Shows

I mean hey, it works when you have sweep weeks only and it also worked with Celebrity Family Feud, but not in this case for Millionaire and I guess the only reason why the syndicated version was cancelled is real simple:

They were losing too many stations

also, Regis may have given away more Millions than any other host of the show, but Meredith did something that no one has done not even Regis and that's crown the 1st woman Millionaire on a Quiz Game Show and NOT Reality Shows

So long Millionaire, Thank You for 20 years, God Bless You and hey,

You'll be back

Who Wants to be a Millionaire, "the most consequential game show in television history," paved the way for the reality TV boom and Jeopardy!'s James Holzhauer (https://slate.com/culture/2019/05/who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-canceled-one-of-its-biggest-losers-will-miss-it.html)

The syndicated version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire was canceled last Friday just three months shy of the ABC primetime version's 20th anniversary breaking ground with massive ratings in the summer of 1999. "There’s a decent case that Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is the most consequential game show in television history," says Justin Peters. "Though Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! have longevity on their side, and though O.G. quiz programs like Twenty-One conceived the language that 1,000 game shows speak, Millionaire changed the landscape unlike any other televised trivia contest before or since. The show’s glossy aesthetic and superhigh stakes attracted unprecedented audiences—at its peak Millionaire was more popular than Monday Night Football—and ignited a game show arms race. No Millionaire? No Greed, no Weakest Link, no Deal or No Deal. Jeopardy! likely wouldn’t have ditched the pre–Ken Jennings rule that limited contestants to five consecutive victories. There would have been nothing to inspire Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?—a harbinger of the reality TV boom."

Speaking of Greed, I would LOVE to see the show back, but I guess that would either be up to either Dick Clark Productions or 20th Century Fox Television or better yet, Disney since they finally own 20th Century Fox Television

Personally, I like Greed better than Millionaire

What an amazing finale to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and I just saw the finale on Youtube a few minutes ago and it was so great and it just was also the finale of Second Chance Week and it was so cool to see Chris Harrison let someone be a thousandaire for the final time. All it was such a great farewell show for Millionaire and I cannot to see what game show Chris Harrison will host next in his future
Bestie

Same here. I thought it was cancelled years ago...

The real reason Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was canceled (https://www.looper.com/155680/the-real-reason-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-was-canceled/)

Originally a hit British game show with the same name, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was imported to American audiences in 1999 — and at first, they couldn't get enough. The built-in tension as host Regis Philbin uttered the now-iconic phrase "Is that your final answer?" kept audiences coming back for more, several times a week.

Each hourlong episode was unique, featuring anywhere from one to half a dozen contestants selected from the studio audience vying to win the ultimate prize. This element of surprise kept the show fun and edgy, while the production, complete with music that mimicked a human heartbeat, put the contestant in an almost literal hot seat.

But when Millionaire went into syndication in 2002 and Philbin was replaced by Meredith Vieira — and the runtime cut to fit a 30-minute timeslot — viewers slowly started tuning out. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire aired its last episode on May 31, 2019, ending its run with a surprising lack of fanfare for a show that had been an American pop culture staple for 20 years. Why was Millionaire canceled, though? Let's explore.

Read More: https://www.looper.com/155680/the-real-reason-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-was-canceled/?utm_campaign=clip

Can we not argue, please? I have been known to get very upset over a favorite show being canceled. I was never a fan of Millionaire b/c I always thought that it was ridiculous how the contestants are given so many ways to find the answer when on Jeopardy, they either know it or they don't. Still I did watch it a lot on occasion and it is a surprise to hear that it's been canceled. I honestly thought that it had been revived several times over the course of the years and I can't believe it started in 1999.

That being said, someone's opinion and the fact that they are upset is no reason for this silly arguing back and forth.

The real reason Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was canceled (https://www.looper.com/155680/the-real-reason-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-was-canceled/)


Once WWTBAM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgLDU_o56yo) got enormously popular in the 1999-2000 TV season (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999%E2%80%932000_United_States_network_television_schedule), other networks tried copycatting (https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcberman1/2019/11/04/20-years-later-i-still-feel-the-need-for-greed/) its simple (http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2015/02/who_wants_to_be_a_millionaire_i_lost_on_the_show_and_it_almost_destroyed.html), knowledge-trivia game show (https://www.salon.com/1999/11/16/greed/) premise (e.g. FOX’s (https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-10-ca-31814-story.html) Greed (https://lostmediawiki.com/Greed_(partially_lost_Fox_game_show;_1999-2000))).

The 2000-2001 TV season (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000%E2%80%9301_United_States_network_television_schedule) began (https://www.tvobscurities.com/2015/10/a-look-back-at-fall-2000/), the major network’s embrace of reality television (https://www.sbs.com.au/whats-on/article/how-the-noughties-gave-birth-to-the-reality-tv-epidemic/t0y6km5rx) programs, like CBS’s Survivor (https://commonwealthtimes.org/2012/02/27/the-rise-and-fall-of-reality-television/) and Amazing Race. Before, reality television was saved for MTV (http://howsaffworks.com/?p=373) and syndicated programming.

ABC cannibalized (https://www.quora.com/What-went-wrong-with-the-U-S-version-of-Who-Wants-to-Be-a-Millionaire) WWTBAM themselves by airing it as much as 3-4 nights/week (https://nypost.com/2000/11/14/greedy-millionaire-loses-flashy-numbers-by-adding-extra-hour/), losing the luster (https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/problem-with-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-on-abc.3414/) of what made the show a weekly viewing event (https://www.deseret.com/2000/2/17/19491338/the-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-phenomenon/). And it went further after that, adjusting the rules and lifelines of the game itself.