History YMMV / MatchGame

** In an oft-recycled blooper, Gene attacks a cue card guy for being late on a commercial cue. At the time, this was an amusing form of retribution. Today, Gene could be facing assault charges.

** In general, there was an expectation that minority panelists would "play along" with the abundant racist jokes to prove they were "good sports" -- Asian contestants may have had it even worse than Black ones did in that regard. Several of them would gently attempt to steer the discussion towards something a bit less inflammatory, but usually with little success.

* ThatOneLevel: "Match-Up" in the ABC daytime version (but not Bert Convy's pilots), a ham-fisted attempt to add an actual sort of "game".

** The 1998-99 version, especially with the later set — the questions went from suggestive to offensive and tasteless under a HotterAndSexier guise, the panel was reduced from six celebrities to five, the returning-champion aspect was eradicated, the payouts were cheap (reduced from $10,000--plus front-game score--during the '90-'91 run back to $5,000), there was no chemistry whatsoever, and some of the guests were very bored.

** [[Series/{{Cheers}} Kirstie Alley]] was a contestant at one point.

** In one episode, Gene jokingly threatened to send black panelist Greg Morris "to the back of the bus"; in another episode, he made the same comment to a black contestant. Such comments were off-color back then (considering that the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement had ended less than a decade prior), but they would absolutely get Gene branded as a racist today.

** In one episode, Gene jokingly threatened to send Black panelist Greg Morris "to the back of the bus"; in another episodes, he made the same comment to a Black contestant. Such comments were off-color back then (considering that the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement had ended less than a decade prior), but they would absolutely get Gene branded as a racist today.

** In one episode, Gene jokingly threatened to send Black panelist Greg Morris "to the back of the bus"; in two other episodes, he made the same comments to Nipsey Russell and to a Black contestant. Such comments were off-color back then (considering that the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement had ended less than a decade prior), but they would absolutely get Gene branded as a racist today.

** In one episode, Gene jokingly threatened to send Black panelist Greg Morris "to the back of the bus"; in another episode, he made the same comment to a Black contestant. Such comments were off-color back then (considering that the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement had ended less than a decade prior), but they would absolutely get Gene branded as a racist today.

** When Greg Morris appeared as a panelist, one of the Audience Match games was [Blank] Morris. "Greg" was chosen (by a different audience) but an understandably more popular answer was "Phillip". Greg remarked that he actually had a son named Phillip. About 20 years later, that Phillip memorably portayed the Johnnie Cochran inspired character of Jackie Chiles on Series/{{Seinfeld}}.

* FanNickname: The 90's revivals are usually referred to as ''Match Game '90'' and ''Match Game '98'' after the 1970s version's habit of adding whatever year it was to the show title. Even [[Creator/{{GSN}} Game Show Network]] did this back when it was still running the former.

* WTHCastingAgency: Kukla and Ollie from ''Kukla, Fran and Ollie'' appeared on MG '79 and ''PM'' that same year (a few months before the "Cuckoo ____" fiasco), both staying in character (puppeteer Burr Tillstrom was a good friend of Gene Rayburn).
** In the 2016 revival, ''UsefulNotes/SarahPalin''.

* AcceptablePoliticalTargets:
** Depending on the era, you were fair game if you were the President of the United States at the time the show aired.
*** The '70s versions took shots at Nixon, Ford and Carter.
*** The ''Match'' portion of ''Series/TheMatchGameHollywoodSquaresHour'' took aim at Reagan.
*** The '90 version also set its sights on Reagan, even after he had left office by that time. George H. W. Bush was also a popular target.
*** The '98 version worked overtime at potshotting Clinton.
*** The 2016 version went after Trump.
** Saddam Hussein was another popular target on the 1990 version with UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar being a hot topic at the time.

** In an oft-recycled blooper, Gene attacks a cue card guy for being late on a commercial cue. At the time, this was a hilarious form of retribution. Today, Gene could be facing assault charges.

** In a well-recycled blooper, Gene attacks a cue card guy for being late on a commercial cue. At the time, this was a hilarious form of retribution. Today, Gene could be facing assault charges.

** One episode from '76 had a prompt featuring [[OldManMarryingAChild a 102-year-old talking about demands from a 17-year-old fiancée]]. Such a prompt [[PaedoHunt would not fly today]].

** The 1990-91 version had each episode be self-contained, but unlike ''Match Game PM'', it had returning champions. The scores were cash-based, however, and the game hinged on the second Match-Up rather than the second pair of A-B questions. Only the winning player on each show kept the money; departing contestants received standard consolation prizes (and any money accumulated if it was a returning champion).

* VindicatedByHistory: Cheapness aside, the 1998 version has received some minor appreciation in recent years, if only for being more faithful to the '70s format than the 1990 version.

* LGBTFanbase: The show has always had a large gay following, due to the show's inherently campy nature, the larger-than-life presence of Charles Nelson Reilly, and the constant bashing of anti-gay country singer Anita Bryant.

** Later in the 1990 run(after the value of Audience Match questions was raised to $500-$300-$200), if a contestant struck out, s/he could still play the Head-To-Head Match for $1000 (or $2000 if doubled).

** A '''77'' episode featured a question that joked about "Old Man Rayburn" hosting ''Match Game '99''. Not only did Old Man Rayburn end up ''not'' hosting ''Match Game '99'' (that [[SarcasmMode prestigious honor]] went to Michael Burger instead), but Gene Rayburn passed away in 1999.

** In one episode, Gene jokingly threatened to send Black panelist Greg Morris to "the back of the bus"; in another episode, he made the same comment to a Black contestant. Such comments were off-color back then (considering that the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement had ended less than a decade prior), but they would absolutely get Gene branded as a racist today.

** In one episode, Gene jokingly threatened to send Black panelist Greg Morris to [[UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement the back of the bus]]; in another episode, he made the same comment to a Black contestant. Such comments would obviously get him branded as a racist today.