There’s just something about an old game show. If you’re “of a certain age” then you probably associate game shows from the 1960s and 1970s with snow days or sick days. They were the shows you watched when you would normally have been in school. That makes them instantly comforting in a way that few other TV shows are.
There are game shows on today, of course. Some, like The Price is Right and Jeopardy are barely changed from their late-20th century incarnations. But they aren’t quite right. They don’t give you the same warm feeling you get when you see Monty Hall trying to get a contestant to guess the price of a can of beans.
So, when you’re looking for something to help you zone out, an old game show is just the thing. But, they aren’t easy to find. Even if you have an active pay-TV subscription, you’ll find it a challenge. There’s GSN, which is supposed to be all game shows, but it’s hard to find what you’re looking for. Best you’re going to find is a bunch of Steve Harvey Family Feuds. No disrespect to Mr. Harvey, but bring me some Richard Dawson. If no one is getting kissed inappropriately, it’s not my Family Feud.
Option 1: Pluto TV
Pluto TV is a really awesome free streaming service. It’s all advertiser supported and they have literally hundreds of channels of free content. That includes not one, not two, but three game show channels. One of them is just old episodes of The Price is Right.
Pluto will help you with your old TV obsession in a lot of ways. It’s full of 1960s and 1970s shows presented with commercials, just the way you remember it. But it’s not perfect. There’s something not quite right about streaming this old stuff. It feels kind of inauthentic.
Option 2: BUZZR
BUZZR is an all-game-show channel that’s just going to satisfy what you’re looking for. It’s available on Pluto TV, and some cable systems carry it as well. But if you really want the authentic old TV show experience, you have to do it the old way.
In most cities, BUZZR is available on a subchannel. Subchannels are a pretty new invention. They’ve only been on the scene about 15 years. They’re separate channels that “hitchhike” on the regular TV signal. If you get the main channel (which is usually the network affiliate like ABC or NBC) you probably get the subchannels associated with it. All you need to do is put up an antenna and scan for channels.
Finding BUZZR
BUZZR is on a different channel in every different city. It’s not hard to find, though, because you can go to this page and find the channel in your area. You can also go to the home page on that site and discover how to stream or use pay-TV to get this channel when possible.
But is that really what you want? I love watching BUZZR from an antenna because it’s such an authentic experience. You even get “per-inquiry” advertising in a lot of cases. If you’re looking for nostalgia, this is the one to choose.
But you’ll need an antenna
In order to get all that game show goodness as it was intended, you’ll need just one thing: a TV antenna. And, there’s no better place to get one than Solid Signal. Shop at Solid Signal for the best selection and the best prices. If you’re not sure which antenna is right for you, fill out this form! An antennna technician will get back to you with the perfect recommendation!
