Line #7 Trivia/MervGriffinsCrosswords


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2	* DiedDuringProduction: Merv Griffin, who was in the middle of tweaking the format from the pilot and first two tapings, died five weeks before the premiere.
3	* NoBudget: The stakes were usually low; many contestants walked away with less than $1,000 (then the minimum guaranteed by Merv's other two games). One champion finished the main game with a negative score and lost the BonusRound, leaving the studio with the ConsolationPrize watch.
4	* OutOfOrder: Why a lot of this page and its other tabs are a bit vague, and the most likely reason for the show's ratings (hovering around a 1.0). ''Crosswords'' eschewed returning champions, and the airings basically played "format hopscotch" beginning in mid-December 2007. Repeats were seen in both single- and double-run markets, to the point where [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment a particular episode was shown twice in a double-run slot]]. The kicker? A staggering '''225''' episodes had been recorded, which ''should'' have prevented something like this from coming anywhere near close to happening. The double kicker? It was ''the entire point'' of doing so many in the first place.
5	** The show debuted on September 10, 2007 with the ''27th'' episode recorded; the first taped episodes, using a format that somehow managed to be ''even cheaper'', aired later on. The out-of-order airings were so bad, nobody is sure which episode was the ''last'' one taped.
6	* [[ScrewedByTheNetwork Screwed by the Syndicator]]: Following a renewal for Season 2 and getting a firm "go" in 75% of the country, production was halted by the syndicator, Program Partners, due to "high production costs". Given the payouts (about $3,500 in earlier episodes, about $7,000-$13,000 later -- the biggest winner being just over $17,000) and overall NoBudget feel, everyone was confused at how they were even able to come up with such an excuse! A few people at [[http://web.archive.org/web/20110930133715/http://buzzerblog.flashgameshows.com/crosswords-on-hiatus-2/ BuzzerBlog]] tried to make sense of it:
7	-->'''Devares:''' [Y]ou have two powerhouse production companies (Sony and NBC Universal), and they have budget problems? Come on! There's more to this than they tell you...\
8	'''B-W:''' High production costs? ''This'' show? Who are they kidding?\
9	'''[=HomerJay=]:''' Hiatus in this case means cancelled. No-one is going to run repeats of ''Crosswords'' in the Fall. It's done, over, finished.
10	** The syndicator offered a repeat package and two Canadian shows[[note]](''Series/InsideTheBox'', a ''20 Questions''-esque quiz centered around television, and ''Style By Jury'', a fashion-based reality series)[[/note]] as options until Season 2 began, but ''Crosswords'' never got back up off the ground.
11	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
12	** The NBC O&Os chose this show over a revival of ''Series/TheJokersWild'' and a new series called ''Combination Lock'' from King World and Sony. (Ironically, Ty Treadway hosted the second pilot for the latter -- the first was hosted by [[Series/DoubleDare1986 Marc Summers]].)
13	** [[https://www.nexttv.com/amp/news/natpe-program-partners-merv-griffin-play-crosswords-30004 This January 2007 article]] from ''Broadcasting & Cable'' states that the show was, at that stage of development, going to use returning champs; even [[https://web.archive.org/web/20070324011951/http://www.programpartners.com/program_sub.php?thisType=Overview&thisProgramID=19 the show's synopsis on Program Partners' official website]] claims to use returning champs.
14	* WorkingTitle: The show was piloted under the title ''Let's Play Crosswords'', then ''Let's Do Crosswords''. Both ended up being used as Treadway's CatchPhrase to start the game.

Context Trivia / MervGriffinsCrosswords