Two Game Shows I Like Are Going Through Some Changes

UPDATE for 6/27/23: Ryan Seacrest has been announced as the new host for, "Wheel of Fortune," so that settles that!

I enjoy a wide variety of programming and always have fun viewing, "The Price is Right," and, "Wheel of Fortune." Here in the Saint Louis region, you can enjoy, "The Price is Right," at 10 AM, and then, "Wheel of Fortune," comes on at 6:30 PM. There has been some news about both as of late.

The 40th season of, "Wheel of Fortune," is currently running and longtime host, Pat Sajak, declared that the 41st season (which kicks off in September) will be his last. It's been a good long run and even if some of his other entertainment endeavors failed (few recall his talk show), his tenure on, "Wheel of Fortune," has been a successful one. I've seen all kinds of names floated to replace him ranging from Ryan Seacrest to folks such as Whoopi Goldberg and Andy Cohen saying they'd take a stab at it. Perhaps the 42nd season will have multiple people trying out--and hopefully, that will have less controversy than, "Jeopardy," did when they tried such a thing.

Meanwhile, "The Price is Right," had less earth-shattering but still interesting news. After filming for 51 years at one location with Bob Barker and then Drew Carey (who took over back in 2007 if you can believe it has been that long), the show will be moving its studio. Instead of being in Los Angeles, the show will now film in Glendale. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the set was changed multiple times and currently is a lot less full overall, so I'm curious if the new location will have a big audience again or not. We shall see sooner than later and in the meantime, I'll enjoy watching, "The Price is Right," as well as, "Wheel of Fortune," while Sajak is there and afterward (as long as the new host is good).

We Can't Ignore a Painful Past/HBO Max Pulls, "Gone With the Wind," Temporarily

The past can at times be a painful thing. Movies and television shows with content were made that contain depictions of women or other races that were offensive then and continue to be offensive now. This leads to a big argument between those who want those past portrayals put away as they sting so badly and others who think past media needs to be available so we can see how far we have come and put the old movies and shows in context. I bring this up because, "HBO Max," has temporarily pulled, "Gone From the Wind," from its streaming platform due to how it romanticizes slavery, the Civil War, and is quite racist in its portrayal of Black people.

I disagree with pulling, "Gone With the Wind." but agree with HBO Max saying they do plan to bring it back with disclaimers or additional material to put things in context/explain them. I think the best way to reckon with our painful past is to shine a bright light on all the things that embarrass us, not to lock them away. "The Birth of a Nation," is one of the first major films in American history and it is one big piece of racism that glorifies the Klu Klux Klan. Trying to pretend it didn't exist is silly, however. We need to acknowledge things from our Nation that hurt in order to heal. If you have a big gaping wound on your body you can't simply say, "I'd rather ignore this ." You need to acknowledge the pain and hurt, then dress your wounds so they can heal.

One good example of how to reckon with the past lies with Looney Tunes. Some of their past cartoons are horrifically offensive, but they added a disclaimer and even had Whoppi Goldberg (herself a historian and collector of racist artifacts) deliver a message at the start explaining the racist caricatures within the cartoons and how they were products of their time--but how that doesn't excuse them, just puts them in context. After all, denying history would be foolish. It is a bit like how I think we should take Confederate monuments down from places where they are glorified, but not just throw them away. We should put them in a museum where they can be studied with explanation and context.

America is currently experiencing a reckoning for its treatment of Black citizens from the police to political systems full of institutionalized racism. All of this comes from our country's painful and racist past--a past which some would rather ignore like that injury they'd prefer just go away without attention. We are seeing in real-time what happens when you don't acknowledge a problem, however, it just grows in severity and eventually explodes in a manner that can't be ignored; the fact is never should've been ignored in the first place is a given.

I hope when HBO Max adds, "Gone with the Wind," back to its library the movie is unedited and still contains everything that is offensive. I also hope there are plenty of resources that explain and address these unfair and unjust elements. For example, the fact that Hattie McDaniel was the first person Black person to ever win an Oscar for her portrayal of, "Mammy," but she had to sit separately from the rest of the cast at the Hotel where the ceremony was held (the hotel didn't even let Black people in, generally) is one prime example of a great achievement that was tempered by the segregation and prejudices of the time. Let's not erase the past or glorify it. Instead, we must examine it critically and honestly, or else we as a Country never will heal.