Game Time: Click (1997)

 You can thank the late Merv Griffin for introducing America to Ryan Seacrest.

Today, Seacrest is one of the busiest people in show business, between a daily talk show with Kelly Ripa, Anerican Idol, & American Idol, making him a radio & television fixture. Of course, you have to start somewhere, and in 1997, Seacrest made his debut hosting a game show for teens that was one of Merv Griffin's last creations, Click, which ran for 2 seasons in syndication.

How Nickelodeon missed out on this show, I don't know. The pacing of the game is much faster than the average Nick game, such that you'd be forgiven if you're dizzy by the first commercial break. You'd also be forgiven if you mistook Seacrest for J. D. Roth, who was not only a game show host, but a producer, as well, by this point. Ryan was in his early 20's when Click premiered in the fall of '97.

Here's a sample episode.

You can say musical director Steve Lindsey was a legacy hire. His father, big band conductor Mort Lindsey, was Merv's musical director for a number of years, and also had the same gig for Judy Garland's 1963 variety show.

Rating: A-.