'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' Has Been Cancelled And We Don't Know How to Feel
Popular TV game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, will be permanently pulled from the air after its current season.
The longstanding series debuted on ABC prime time in 1999 before its current 17-year-long syndication airing, which started in 2002.
In the unexpected end of a game show era, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire will sadly end its 20-year TV streak-and that's the final answer.
According to Variety, we'll no longer be able to test our trivia skills and watch eager contestants answer tricky multiple choice questions on-screen, all leading up to that coveted million dollar prize. "After a successful 17-year run, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire will not return in national syndication for the 2019-20 season," a spokesperson confirmed to the publication.
No other explanation came with the vague statement, but the show's been around for nothing short of a TV eternity. Millionaire kicked off in 1999, blowing its ABC prime time slot out of the water with skyrocketing ratings from the get-go. While the fascination faded and the series was bumped to syndication just three years later, it's still managed to churn out almost 3,000 episodes to date...and a handful of nostalgic DVD and video game spinoffs.
Chris Harrison has been commandeering the program since 2015, but it's cycled through a handful of hosts over the course of its two-decades long total run. Regis Philbin originally popularized the backlit stage, followed by Meredith Vieira in 2002. Cedric the Entertainer and Terry Crews also followed suit before the current emcee.
As for fans, reactions to the out-of-left-field cancellation news have been mixed: Some feel sad, some expressed surprise, and an overwhelming majority had no idea the show still ran in the first place (sorry, Chris). A rare few also lamented on the missed chance to become millionaires themselves.
Kind of surprised at how sad I am to see Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ending.
My dad (@fetchguy) won $500,000 back in December 2000. It paid for my college and let him and my mom start a small business.
Here's an embarrassing video of me from the show https://t.co/3CtVzmKj55- Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt) May 22, 2019
Surprised to see that Who Wants To Be A Millionaire is finally being cancelled, after 17 years of syndication.
- W. Ryne Hall (@WRyneHall) May 18, 2019
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire got cancelled..?
Tbh I thought it ended aaaaaages ago- Lance (@Gamer4Life_) May 18, 2019
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire has been cancelled after 20 seasons.
I thought it got cancelled around the time Regis left. pic.twitter.com/VAcPRFQR3N- Matt Vettese (@mattvettese) May 18, 2019
It was announced that “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” was cancelled after 20 years. The world reacts in shock after not knowing the show has still been airing the past 19 years.
- Josh Brine (@THEJoshBrine) May 18, 2019
They cancelled Who Wants to Be a Millionaire??? Great, and RIGHT when I decided I do want to be a millionaire!!!
- Jordan “the chunks” Wold (@JordanWold1) May 22, 2019
We have a million dollar question of our own-can we somehow call in an audience lifeline to salvage the show? R.I.P. to one of TV's most entertaining money-making programs.
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