RuPaul Charles To Host Word Quiz ‘Lingo’ Reboot For CBS

deadline.com:

CBS is getting into wordplay.The network has ordered a primetime gameshow reboot of long-running format Lingo with RuPaul Charles to host.The series, which will premiere later this year, is a cross between bingo and a word guessing game.It comes as word games are all the jazz with The New York Times recently acquiring online word smash Wordle – although CBS is thought to have been developing a primetime reboot of Lingo since last summer.Teams of two contestants must face off in fast-paced puzzle rounds to guess letters that reveal seemingly simple words.

At the end of each one-hour episode, the winning two teams will make it through to a final showdown where one team will walk away with an additional big cash prize.The series, which was created by Ralph Andrews, has previously aired three versions in the U.S.

The first version premiered in syndication in 1987 and was hosted by Ronald Reagan’s son Michael Reagan. It was later rebooted by the Game Show Network (GSN) between 2002 and 2007 and again in 2011.The reboot comes as the format has been gaining popularity internationally in recent years.

ITV launched a version, hosted by comedian Adil Ray, last year and has run for 90 episodes in a daytime slot.RuPaul’s Drag Race star RuPaul Charles will serve as host and exec producer.