Get ready, the iconic game show Password is coming back to TV this summer! The new iteration, from executive producer Jimmy Fallon, will see Emmy winner Keke Palmer step into the hosting position as the show comes to NBC. Password is an American game show created by Bob Stewart, an incredibly influential television producer who also created such game shows as The Price is Right and The $10,000 Pyramid.
The game sees two teams, made up of a contestant and a celebrity guest, “attempt to convey mystery words to each other using only single-word clues, in order to win cash prizes.” The series originally ran on CBS from 1961 to 1967 and on ABC from 1971 to 1975, all hosted by Allen Ludden. Ludden continued to host the show as it was rebooted on NBC as Password Plus in 1979. Ludden then stepped down from the hosting position when he fell ill in 1980; he was replaced by veteran game show hosts Bill Cullen and Tom Kennedy. The show was then reworked again as Super Password which ran from 1984 to 1989 with host Bert Convy. The series was then rebooted again as Million Dollar Password with host Regis Philbin and ran from 2008 to 2009. The game has become popular again in recent years as Fallon would often play it with his celebrity guests on The Tonight Show, spawning this new version.
This new iteration of the game will keep the classic format. Palmer will be behind the host podium as each week new contestants team up with celebrities to try to guess the secret passwords. Fallon will be serving as one of the celebrity guests on each of the eight hour-long episodes. Additionally, it has been announced that the last episode of the season will feature an all-celebrity lineup that will be playing for charity.
Palmer has worn many hats in her career, and game show host is just one of them. She is most known for her acting roles like starring in the Nickelodeon show True Jackson VP, the horror-comedy series Scream Queens, and the recent comedy-drama Hustlers. This summer, she will be seen starring in the next Jordan Peele movie Nope. Palmer’s career has also seen her star as Cinderella on Broadway, release an album, and co-host the ABC daytime talk show Strahan, Sara, and Keke. In 2021, Palmer won an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for her performance in the comedy series Turnt Up with the Taylors.
The first episode of the new series is set to be dedicated to the late Betty White. White was a frequent celebrity guest on the original version of the show and appeared on each of the subsequent versions. She was also married to Ludden, the original host, for almost twenty years.
Password will see Fallon, Jim Juvonen, and Jennifer Mullin all serving as executive producers with John Quinn serving as showrunner.
Password will be coming to NBC this summer.