The television landscape of 1966 was marked by several memorable moments, and among them was the debut of The Newlywed Game on the ABC television network on July 11, 1966. This American game show pitted recently married couples against one another through a series of provocative question rounds, all designed to reveal which pair truly knew each other best.
Here's how it worked: husbands and wives took turns answering questions while their partners waited backstage, unable to hear. Once a contestant gave their answers, the spouse would return and face the same questions. Points were earned whenever the couple's responses matched up, and whichever pair racked up the highest score walked away with a prize.
When The Newlywed Game launched on the ABC television network, it held a unique distinction — it was the last U.S. commercial network series to make its debut in black and white. That didn't last long, though. By the end of 1966, shortly before the primetime version began, the show had made the transition to color.
A fortunate twist of scheduling worked in the show's favor on its premiere day. CBS pulled its popular program Password from the airwaves to broadcast a news conference held by then-Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. When that press conference was delayed by half an hour, ABC made a strategic call — rather than waiting for the conference to begin, the network went ahead and aired the first episode of The Newlywed Game. The gamble paid off handsomely, as the majority of Americans tuned in to watch the new show.
This lucky break gave The Newlywed Game a modest edge over the established favorite Password in their head-to-head rating battle.
Over the following months, The Newlywed Game steadily built its audience and blossomed into a genuine hit. Meanwhile, Password saw its viewership slide downward, a decline that ultimately led to the show's cancellation fourteen months later.
For ABC, which had been grappling with poor ratings and profitability struggles, the success of The Newlywed Game represented a significant turning point and brought a great improvement to the network.
Originally conceived by Nick Nicholson and Roger E. Muir and brought to life by producer Chuck Barris, the show has been revived numerous times since its 1966 premiere, cementing its place in game show history.