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Let the games begin: Game show trio premieres on ABC

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Author: 
Kyla Brewer / TV Media
Alfonso Ribeiro, Vivica A. Fox, Anthony Anderson and Tom Lennon in "To Tell the Truth"

Alfonso Ribeiro, Vivica A. Fox, Anthony Anderson and Tom Lennon in "To Tell the Truth"

With sunny summer days before us, it's time to have some fun. Enjoy a little lighthearted television as one network brings back three popular game shows featuring celebrities, nail-biting competition and plenty of laughs.

First, Steve Harvey ("The Steve Harvey Show") hosts as two teams of celebs compete to win money for charity in the season premiere of "Celebrity Family Feud," airing Sunday, June 6, on ABC. The network follows that up with the premiere of the sophomore season of "The Chase," a quiz show in which three contestants face off against an expert quiz master. Finally, host Anthony Anderson ("Black-ish") introduces a panel of celebrities who have to guess which participants are lying in "To Tell the Truth."

Game shows have been around since the dawn of television, easily capturing the attention of viewers as they watch contestants compete for cash and prizes. In "Celebrity Family Feud," as with its predecessor, "Family Feud," two teams consisting of five players try to guess the most popular answers to survey questions asked of the audience prior to the show. In the celebrity version, the famous contestants compete to win money for a charity near and dear to their hearts.

As traditional game shows go, "Celebrity Family Feud" ranks among the most popular with a loyal weekly audience. In the summer of 2020, the show was the No. 1 program in its time-slot in total viewers, and ABC is surely hoping for a repeat performance this summer.

The revival's ratings are, at least in part, thanks to the show's charismatic host. Given the state of the world and the stress of the past several months, we could all use a laugh right now, and Harvey is known for bringing the funny to prime time. Now an award-winning performer, comedian, TV host and author, Harvey started out on the standup comedy circuit before finding success as the host of "Showtime at the Apollo" and landing his very own sitcom, "The Steve Harvey Show," which aired in the late '90s and early 2000s on The WB.

Of course, Harvey isn't the only star of "Celebrity Family Feud." Each week throughout the summer, the show features new teams comprised of big-name stars from the worlds of television, movies and sports. The Season 8 premiere features iconic actors Rob Lowe ("The West Wing") and Terrence Howard ("Hustle & Flow," 2005) and their teams.

While Harvey kicks off the evening with some laughs, the evening takes a more serious turn in the high-stakes game show "The Chase."

Based on the British TV program of the same name, "The Chase" features ordinary people competing for extraordinary prizes. American audiences were first introduced to the series thanks to Game Show Network's 2013 version, which featured Brooke Burns ("Baywatch") as host.

Christina Anthony, Gary Cole, Arica Himmel and Tika Sumpter from "Mixed-ish" with host Steve Harvey in "Celebrity Family Feud"

Christina Anthony, Gary Cole, Arica Himmel and Tika Sumpter from "Mixed-ish" with host Steve Harvey in "Celebrity Family Feud"

"The View's" Sara Haines hosts the ABC revival of the trivia competition, which premiered in January and was quickly renewed for a second season this summer.

Three contestants go head to head with a so-called "Chaser," who is described as "a ruthless quiz genius" in the show's official description. Game show fans may recognize the show's Chasers from another famous trivia series — "Jeopardy!" ABC has recruited "Jeopardy!" champions Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter to serve as the title quiz masters to beat. The three men faced off in the Greatest of All Time "Jeopardy!" tournament in January for a $1-million prize, but now they're on the same team. In "The Chase," only one of them will play against the contestants at a time while the other two offer running commentary from backstage as the game plays out.

On stage, the contestants must stay one step ahead of the chosen Chaser as they answer up to 166 questions to build their prize fund in the hopes of walking away with thousands of dollars. To keep the cash, they'll have to face off against the Chaser in another round of questions. In the final round, known as the Final Chase, they will have to answer even more questions before the Chaser can answer the same number of questions to catch the contestants.

Besting Jennings, Holzhauer or Rutter is easier said than done, making for an exciting competition.

Next up, Anthony Anderson introduces larger-than-life celebrities to people who try to fool them in "To Tell the Truth."

With all three contestants claiming to be the same person or to have the same talent, job or achievement, it is up to the stars to question the players to figure out who's telling the truth. While one player is sworn to tell the truth, the other two attempt to trick the panellists. It's a tried-and-true format that's been around since the 1950s when the show first premiered on CBS.

"To Tell the Truth" has been revived several times over the years in syndication and was also briefly on NBC in the 1990s before moving to ABC in 2016. Anderson has been at the helm of the ABC version from the very beginning, and his mom, Doris Day Bowman, a.k.a. Mama Doris, also appears on the show, often weighing in with entertaining commentary.

Unlike earlier versions of "To Tell the Truth," ABC's version runs for 60 minutes instead of 30 and features some bonus gameplay, including a Before You Go round featuring two imposters. While the first season of the ABC incarnation featured a fixed panel, subsequent seasons have featured a rotating roster of celebrities. Fans will have to tune in this summer to see which stars make the panel.

Whether you are looking for some silly fun, want to watch an intense quiz show or just want to see celebrities goofing around, ABC's new trio of game shows has something for everyone.

Don't miss the season premieres of "Celebrity Family Feud," "The Chase" and "To Tell the Truth," all airing Sunday, June 6, on ABC.