Should You Watch? GSN's Grand Slam

You can't assume Game Show Network--excuse me, GSN--is going to deliver a decent new program. You can't even assume they'll keep delivering decent old new programs anymore, as there's always the threat that something cool like "Match Game" will be yanked for "Dog Eat Dog."

What a pleasant surprise, then, to find a quality original GAME SHOW game show on there. Grand Slam is a multi-episode single-elimination tournament featuring 16 of the biggest money winners in game show history in a series of head-to-head contests. The game play is fast and exciting, combining trivia, logic, wordplay, and math in a dramatic setting in which players try to avoid letting their personal clocks run out. It's mostly answering questions, but there is just enough strategy, like a "switch" option that lets players pass a question to their opponent, to vary it up a bit.

It's a solid game, and the entertainment value goes way up if you recognize the competitors. Yes, Ken Jennings is here, along with Brad Rutter (who cleaned Ken's clock in the Ultimate Jeopardy Tournament of Champions) and that obnoxious guy who was the first big winner on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Game show junkies should love seeing familiar faces like Thom McKee of 'Tic Tac Dough" one more time.

Even non-addicts can take pleasure in it, though. It's quite easy to play along at home, though these sharp customers might beat most people to the draw. It's still fun watching them get it done, though. Plus there is that great equalizer known as "math," which humbles quite a few trivia geniuses.

The production values are decent, the show is well paced, and--oh, yes, there are hosts. An unseen voice reads the questions without frills, but throughout the game, we are treated to the banter between co-hosts Dennis Miller and Amanda Byram. Miller has some things going on now, but he spews out the obscure references as if he's been out of a steady gig for a lot longer than he actually has. Hey, I stuck up for the guy when he did Monday Night Football, but here he's trying a bit too hard. Byram reacts with good humor, although even she just said, "Huh?" at one point in the first episode.

As for Amanda Byram, she is a real find here. She's classy (maybe it's just the Irish accent), attractive, and full of insight about the matches. Amazingly, Byram treats this contest as a legitimate competition--an attitude seldom seen in game shows anymore. She breaks down the match-ups with intelligence but never goes overboard. You mean to tell me SHE was the one who hosted The Swan?

Miller contributes with a few good lines and with his candor in describing the action, letting Byram sum up the stats while he points out if a player is bombing out there. Thankfully, they stay out of the way during the actual game play.

Grand Slam is just that for GSN. It's an exciting game show that has fun while still taking itself seriously. I'll be watching this when I can, though since it's that rare GSN original that isn't on 80 times a week, I think I already missed a few episodes.

You should watch “Grand Slam” if:

*You just transferred your deteriorating VHS copies of the 1988 Jeopardy Tournament of Champions to DVD.
*You still boycott CNBC because they gave Dennis Miller “a raw deal” on his last talk show.
*You like watching contestants actually think in order to earn their winnings.
*You enjoy seeing Jeopardy braniacs sweat a little at the prospect of solving equations on national TV.
*You knew Thom McKee was on Tic Tac Dough before I mentioned it.