Jerry O’Connell to Host ‘Pictionary’ Game Show for Fox Television Stations
Fox is drawing up plans for a new game show based on the popular Mattel game Pictionary, which is set to receive a four-week tryout on select Fox stations starting in July.
Actor Jerry O’Connell will host the show, which will see two teams of three put pen to paper in a draw-off. Each team will consist of two players led by a celebrity captain. Then, in turns, one player from each team will draw images to describe the word or phrase printed on a card chosen at random. Their fellow teammates must then try and guess what the image is intended to represent. A trip to an exotic destination is on offer to the grand prize winner.
The show will be broadcast in half-hour installments on weekdays starting Monday, July 12, on various Fox outlets, including KTTV Los Angles and WNYW New York. The Fox network has used this trial run method several times in the past for the likes of The Mediator with Ice-T and GSN’s Common Knowledge. It will be distributed by CBS Media Ventures.
“Ever since my failed drawing of a koala bear lost my mom and me our household Pictionary crown, I’ve wanted to prove myself on the Pictionary stage,” O’Connell said. “I’m so happy to be working with this team from Fox and CBS. Sharpen your pencils; it’s going to be a fun summer.”
O’Connell, who has starred in movies such as Jerry Maguire and Stand by Me, previously hosted the daytime talk show Jerry O’ that aired on the Fox Television Stations in 2019. Currently, he voices Commander Jack Ransom on the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks.
“We’re sure a lot of families got much better at Pictionary over the last 15 months, so we think the timing is perfect for a fun, innovative TV version, and to have Jerry O’Connell as host is a real bonus,” said Frank Cicha, EVP Programming at Fox Television Stations. “We’ve loved working with him in the past and are fortunate he chose to do this with us.”
While Fox has yet to officially announce any of the celebrity guests lined up for the revival, Alias actor Greg Grunberg tweeted on Tuesday that he’d just finished recording the show and had a “great time.”
Great time today with @MrJerryOC on his new show #Pictionary – SO MUCH FUN!
— Greg Grunberg 🚀🥁🎬 (@greggrunberg) June 22, 2021
This isn’t the first time a TV adaptation of Pictionary has been attempted. There was a children’s game show in 1989 that ran for 65 episodes and then an adult version hosted by Alan Thicke that aired in syndication during the 1997–1998 season. There was also the almost identical Win, Lose or Draw, produced by the same company, that aired in syndication and on NBC between 1987 and 1990.
