Legacy of the final answer

This entry's title reminds me of Legends of the Hidden Temple, but I'm not writing about my favorite kid show. Instead, with Regis taking back a prime time slot on GSN, I'd like to review Who Wants to Be a Millionaire's influence on later efforts in our little genre.

The most obvious legacy is Millionaire's own syndie version, now at ten seasons and still doing pretty good business. Other clear influences are the money tree, which has shown up everywhere from Greed to Minute To Win It, and dark sets with allegedly "dramatic" lighting.

The most problematic feature that Millionaire left behind is its less than frantic pace. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind a little build in the tension as we get to more critical parts of the game. Even Alex slows down for Final Jeopardy. But Millionaire's sometimes dawdling pace has been taken to extremes on some shows, like the glacial Million Dollar Money Drop.

Oh, I'm getting too persnickety. Millionaire revived game shows in broadcast prime time after decades in exile. For that achievement alone the show deserves many thanks.