"'Bingo" goes interactive

By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - GSN is launching "Bingo America," a new 40-episode half-hour interactive game show series to be hosted by Patrick Duffy.

"Bingo America" combines elements of a quiz show with the game of bingo. Contestants are asked to answer trivia questions to "earn" letters.

The show will award cash prizes to the on-air players as well as to viewers.

Viewers will be able to download up to 10 bingo cards a day on GSN.com and then play along with the broadcast. Additionally, viewers will have another chance to cash in during the show's final round, the Bonus Game, when anyone whose "bonus numbers" on their downloaded cards match the numbers selected on-air becomes an instant winner. Fans also will be able to receive bonus numbers via text messaging.

""Bingo America," which hails from Andrew Glassman, the creator/executive producer of ABC's "National Bingo Night," will debut March 31 and air weeknights at 7 p.m., with repeats on weekends at 4:30 p.m.

Glassman said "Bingo America" will be very different from "National Bingo Night," which also allowed viewers to download cards and play along.

"It is based around the same premise of interactivity," he said, "but it is completely different and custom designed for a nightly half-hour strip."

"National Bingo Night" aired in the summer as a weekly one-hour series.

The future of "National Bingo Night" at ABC is up in the air. In July, the network picked up the show for a second season, despite low ratings, because of the popularity of its interactive component. There had been a plan for "Bingo" to return as a five-night strip during the week of December 17, but ABC opted instead to air the new game show "Duel" that week.

There are no immediate plans to bring back the show, but ABC has the option to do so.

Duffy, best known for his roles on "Dallas" and "Step by Step," admits that he is a fan of game shows, "especially the classics."

Because "bingo is such a family pastime," Glassman said he was looking for a TV star who is associated with playing good-guy characters.

"Patrick embodies everything we wished for -- not only is he television's marquee good-guy leading man, he is also playful and has a great sense of humor," Glassman said.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter