https://www.itwasathingontv.com/e/episode-529-the-reel-to-reel-picture-show/

In our previous episode, episode 528, we covered one of the first shows on a new network, The WB. This time, we're covering one of the first shows (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reel_to_Reel_Picture_Show) on PAX (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Horrible/GameShow) in 1998, an adaptation (http://www.gameshowgarbage.com/ind147_reeltoreel.html) of a Canadian board game about movies. The whole production had one major issue, one which led to the show's demise just over a month after its premiere.

If you were to ask anybody about game shows on PAX TV when it comes to successes and failures I would have to say that The Reel To Reel Picture Show would rank as PAX TV's epic failure. First of all I don't know how on earth The Reel To Reel Picture Show even existed in the first place? I guess PAX TV wanted to expand their lineup by choosing to add game shows and they decided to choose The Reel To Reel Picture Show as their very first game show to see how it would be successfully. And the result turned out to be weak because just like a chef when he makes a tasty meal sometimes the meal can turn out not what the chef imagined which this same formula applied to The Reel To Reel Picture Show. Because if you can base a whole entire game show all about movies and testing contestants movie knowledge you can easily score an audience but with The Reel To Reel Picture Show it was simply unappealing. It's no secret why this show got cancelled after a month and once PAX TV saw that The Reel To Reel Picture Show failed PAX TV knew that after the fine mess of The Reel To Reel Picture Show they would soon improve their game show image by developing new original game shows and give cancelled game shows new life starting with Supermarket Sweep and when Supermarket Sweep returned after leaving Lifetime to PAX TV it was like a soldier recieving a hero's welcome and once Supermarket Sweep was revived they did the same thing to Shop Til You Drop. Once they saw those two game shows were hits PAX went back to creating original game shows by developing game shows like On The Cover with Mark L. Walberg and another entertainment oriented game show called Hollywood Showdown with Todd Newton and later developing the game show version of the classic board game Balderdash and soon PAX TV became game show king in TV. But I think had The Reel To Reel Picture Show had not even existed in the first place on PAX TV an original game show or even a game show block of classic game shows would've been better for PAX TV to do rather than have The Reel To Reel Picture Show

I was able to watch some clips of The Reel To Reel Picture Show on Youtube and I learned that this show was Peter Marshall's return as a Comeback Kid to game shows but even he couldn't save this show from being a fine mess and the other thing about The Reel To Reel Picture Show was it was essentially a commercial for Universal Studios Florida where the show was filmed and the gameplay was similar to Password with a celebrity and a contestant playing together minus the Password and the prize of a Hollywood vacation as the winning prize seemed quite unappealing. I think PAX TV wanted to make Peter Marshall be the host of The Reel To Reel Picture Show as a way to jumpstart his game show career which they thought with Peter as the host he could give the show big ratings for PAX TV and it failed. How much money did Peter Marshall get paid to do an episode of The Reel To Reel Picture Show? I imagine PAX TV paid him little money to host this show. And I wonder what Peter Marshall would say about The Reel To Reel Picture Show today if he was still alive?