With broadcast journalist Tamron Hall set to enter the daytime syndication market in the fall, it was only a matter of time before it was learned how the scheduling of her Disney-owned talk show would fit on the bulk of the mouse house’s ABC Owned Television stations. Sadly, it comes at the expense of the long-running game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” hosted by “The Bachelor’s” Chris Harrison.
According to Variety, a representative for the show says, “After a successful 17-year run, ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ will not return in national syndication for the 2019-20 season.”
Meanwhile, “Millionaire’s” scheduling partner on several stations, “RightThisMinute,” will be back next season, according to Disney. However, the show which currently airs after “Millionaire” on the ABC Owned stations, among others, might not have the same time slot in the fall considering Hall’s show is an hour-long format and would need the full hour that currently leads into “General Hospital” in several markets, including New York’s WABC and in Los Angeles via KABC.
Debuting in August 1999 for a brief summer run on ABC that was hosted by Regis Philbin, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” became a primetime mega-hit and was spread across the network’s schedule over multiple nights at its peak before moving to a syndication format in 2002, wherein Meredith Vieira took over as host until 2013. She was replaced by Cedric the Entertainer and later Terry Crews, who both hosted for just one season. In 2015, Harrison took over hosting duties and will close out the show when it completes its total 20-year run after nearly 3,000 episodes (including ABC broadcasts).
“Millionaire” is produced by Valleycrest Productions Ltd. with Disney ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution setup to distribute. James Rowley is the current executive producer of the show, which tapes at Caesars Entertainment Studios in Las Vegas, Nevada. It spawned several international incarnations, including in the United Kingdom and Nigeria, among others.
In recent weeks, “Millionaire” had been netting a 1.6 household rating, reflecting 1.6 million households. The show was the fourth highest rated game show in national syndication behind perennial leaders “Jeopardy!” “Wheel of Fortune” and “Family Feud,” respectively.
“The Tamron Hall Show” debuts on September 9, 2019.