The new iteration of the classic TV game show Hollywood Squares that is being hosted by Nate Burleson and featuring Drew Barrymore as the center square is not going to be premiering tonight, Thursday, January 9, on CBS as previously planned. Instead, the show is delaying its premiere one week until January 16.
The reason for the move is the ongoing wildfires occurring across Los Angeles. The devastating fires that began earlier this week have burned thousands of acres of land, have destroyed many people’s homes and tragically have caused a few deaths. A company spokesperson shared that the light and comedic tone of the game show did not feel appropriate at this time, also noting that CBS-owned Los Angeles stations have been on 24/7 coverage of the fires these last few days.
In place of the Hollywood Squares premiere, CBS is going to air reruns of Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage and Ghosts starting at 8 pm ET/PT. Reruns of those sitcoms were already planned and will still air at 9 pm ET/PT on the network.
This new version of Hollywood Squares brings back the classic tic-tac-toe-like game where a group of nine celebrities are asked trivia questions and contestants have to decide whether they agree with their answers or not. If they are correct, they earn the square. The goal is to get three squares in a row like you do in tic-tac-toe.
When Hollywood Squares premieres on its new date of Thursday, January 16, it will still be an hour long. In addition to Barrymore, celebrity guests for the show are going to include Tyra Banks, Julie Bowen, Whitney Cummings, Tiffany Haddish, Thomas Lennon, Ms. Pat, Jeff Ross and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog in game one. Game two will feature Tichina Arnold, Nicole Byer, Drew Carey, Pete Holmes, Debi Mazar, Bobby Moynihan, JB Smoov and Chelsea Peretti.
Other TV shows have been impacted from airing new episodes this week because of the wildfires, including Jimmy Kimmel Live! and After Midnight.
If you are interested in helping those affected by the wildfires in southern California, you can visit the website for the Red Cross for more information.
