5 Classic TV Game Shows That Represent The Genre's Golden Age

The game shows of today have nothing on the incredible crop from the '60s, '70s, and '80s. If you grew up on the Game Show Network in the late 1990s and early 2000s, you might remember many of the greatest shows from this era thanks to their resurgence in syndication. Naturally, we thought it would be fun to round up the most fun, most unique, and the best of what those three decades had to offer. 

It's important to note that the golden age of game shows gave us tons of incredible competition series to choose from for this list. Considering we only have room for five, a few fan favorites — like "The Newlywed Game," "Let's Make a Deal," and "The Price Is Right" (which recently set a record for the biggest single-game prize of all time) — failed to make the cut. Read on to discover which five classic TV game shows best represent the genre's golden age.

His reputation precedes him, but for good reason: The Whammy is pretty scary. The hit CBS game show "Press Your Luck" featured the tiny red devil on its rotating rectangular game board, where he would ominously hide out, waiting to drain contestants' winnings dry on an unsuspecting turn. An ingenious premise for a game show, the '80s series became a classic across over 700 episodes.

During the original run hosted by the charismatic Peter Tomarken, it gained even more widespread attention due to contestant Michael Larson's elaborate cheating scheme that saw him win over $100,000 in cash and prizes. The show went on to air reruns on GSN in the 2000s, where it was able to build a new audience and capitalized on the nostalgia of the original series for those who had watched during the initial run.

A couple of revivals have popped up since the early 2000s — including an Elizabeth Banks-hosted series that has been airing since 2019 — but the unique identity of the original 1983 to 1986 run will always be unbeatable. The aesthetic and design of the game board, the specificity and character design of Whammy, and the fast-paced gameplay made the series feel fresh and genuinely unique.

"Password" revolves around pairs of a celebrity and a contestant helping each other guess a word through a series of clues. The original version of the series aired on CBS from 1961 to 1967 before being revived on ABC by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions — who were responsible for many of the best game shows of the 1960s and 1970s.

After that revival ended in 1975, the spin-off "Password Plus" remixed the original game's rules and ran from 1979 to 1982. Another spin-off, "Super Password," went on to air from 1984 to 1989. "Password" is one of two shows on this list that actively used celebrities as part of its gimmick. 

"Password" features many iconic celebs joining forces with regular folks to help them win cash, including Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett. The show gained such a massive following over the years that it has spawned a few international versions and board games, as well as even more spin-offs. In 2022, NBC premiered a new revival with Keke Palmer as the host — and dedicated the first episode to Betty White, a frequent original "Password" guest — proving that the initial run's legacy is strong to this day.

Before Steve Harvey, there was Richard Dawson — and yes, we're talking about one of the most recognizable game shows ever made: "Family Feud." Another Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Production, the series kicked off on ABC in 1976 with Dawson as the host. Each episode had two rival families go head-to-head trying to guess a surveyed group's answers to various questions. Naturally, it became a massive hit.

The premise and gameplay alone were enough to keep audiences hooked on a series like "Feud." But the warmth and hilarious charm Dawson brought to each episode felt like a blanket over the whole project, granting it a feel-good sense of familiarity that has helped it endure to this day. The show has been revived a few times since the original run ended in 1985, and several hosts have taken the helm since (including Dawson returning for a one-year replacement stint from 1994 to 1995). The series benefitted from being part of the GSN lineup in the 1990s and 2000s, which allowed it to cultivate its legacy with new generations.

These days, "Family Feud" is still going strong with Steve Harvey, who took over as the host in 2010 and revitalized the series after a period of low ratings. Harvey brought the show into yet another golden age with his unique brand of humor — much in the same way Dawson made the show a cultural mainstay.

Possibly the most underrated entry on this list, "Card Sharks" premiered on NBC in 1978. With Jim Perry at the helm as the host, gameplay consisted of answering studio-poll questions in order to gain control of playing cards on the main board. From there, the contestant guesses if the value of the next card in the draw is higher or lower than the last, which allows them to secure the card if they succeed and add it to their row.

While it wasn't the first game show to use playing cards in its layout, it's the most memorable and, arguably, most fun to do so. The series' original run ended in 1981, but five years later, CBS brought it back through 1989 with Bob Eubanks hosting. These two eras of "Card Sharks" could be considered the best thanks to some notable gameplay additions and the excellent skills of both hosts, who helmed stylish versions of the series that felt homey and lived-in with stunning, intentional set design.

The game show has had a few different reboots since its initial 11-year stint, with the latest being the 2019 revival starring Joel McHale. It aired on ABC for two seasons before its 2022 cancellation, with a COVID production delay in between. As for its international roster, there have been versions of the show in over ten countries.

We saved the best for last. There is simply nothing like "Match Game," the panel show where contestants try to match celebrity answers to often silly fill-in-the-blank questions. The series, most famously hosted by iconic presenter Gene Rayburn, lived many different lives. It started with an NBC run from 1962 to 1969, which originally established the show as two teams going head-to-head to match answers. But the best version of the show came four years later.

In 1973, "Match Game" returned with a revamped format on CBS, one that arguably made it the enduring series it is today. The six-celebrity panel became the defining trait of the series and its biggest highlight, even on a show with a fun premise, witty and raunchy writing, and a solid amount of money on the line.

Between Rayburn's playful spirit and the incredibly charming cast of rotating and permanent celebrity panelists — including crucial mainstays like Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Richard Dawson — the 1970s revival of "Match Game" shone brightly through 1979 before moving into daily syndication into 1982 (with a separate evening edition of the series, "Match Game PM," airing from 1975 to 1981). Revivals followed over the years (even as recently as 2025), but nothing will ever quite compare to the lightning-in-a-bottle of the original "Match Game," especially considering its 1990s and 2000s resurgence on GSN.