or


[10/28/13 - 10:11 AM]
Craig Ferguson to Host New Game Show from Fremantle, Debmar-Mercury, Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Scott St. John
In "Celebrity Name Game," celebrities team with contestants to identify famous names, including actors, singers, athletes, pop culture figures, politicians and even cartoon characters.

[via press release from FremantleMedia North America]

FREMANTLEMEDIA NORTH AMERICA AND DEBMAR-MERCURY JOIN FORCES ON NATIONALLY SYNDICATED GAME SHOW, "CELEBRITY NAME GAME" HOSTED BY CRAIG FERGUSON

HALF-HOUR STRIP DEVELOPED BY COURTENEY COX, DAVID ARQUETTE AND VETERAN SHOWRUNNER SCOTT ST. JOHN

Los Angeles and New York, Oct. 28, 2013 - FremantleMedia North America and Debmar-Mercury, Lionsgate's television distribution and syndication company, have joined forces to offer "Celebrity Name Game." The fast-paced game show, in which celebrities team with contestants to identify famous names, including actors, singers, athletes, pop culture figures, politicians and even cartoon characters, is scheduled for a fall 2014 nationally syndicated launch with "The Late, Late Show's" Craig Ferguson hosting.

Courteney Cox and David Arquette's Coquette Productions ("Cougar Town") developed the half-hour strip based on the board game Identity Crisis with Scott St. John ("Deal or No Deal"), who will also serve as showrunner.

Thom Beers, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, commented, "'Celebrity Name Game' is a hilarious and innovative rapid-fire game show that combines the best of pop culture with the best of comedy. We've had incredible success bringing world-class comedians to the world's most successful game shows with talents such as Drew Carey, Steve Harvey and Wayne Brady. We are delighted to add the ultra-talented and witty Craig Ferguson to our family as he drives the competition and brings nonstop laughter to viewers at home. All of that combined with the fantastic partnership we've had with Debmar-Mercury and the incredibly funny and dynamic duo that is Courteney Cox and David Arquette - this show just spells laugh-out-loud magic!"

Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein commented, "'Celebrity Name Game' will make the perfect companion to 'Family Feud' in early fringe and access time slots next fall. It has every element needed for success: a great concept; a hugely popular and very funny host in Craig who, like Steve Harvey, is very natural and comfortable in the role; a who's who list of celebrity guests that only Courteney and David can attract; outstanding production auspices with our 'Feud' production partners at Fremantle; and the vast experience of a highly in demand showrunner like Scott. There are no other boxes left to check."

As host of "Celebrity Name Game," Ferguson will bring his talent as a standup comedian, actor, writer and host to the game show arena. Ferguson found his true voice on his talk show, giving viewers reason to stay up late. The popular Scottish native's honest, self-effacing style of humor has attracted a loyal audience and allowed him to display his slashing wit, unscripted monologues and disarming personal candor. He has also found time for voiceovers on animated films, including DreamWorks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and Disney-Pixar's Brave (2012).

Said Ferguson, "I have to do a show which is of interest to me and 'Celebrity Name Game' is certainly that. What a wonderful concept with such great potential, from two of my favorite people, Courteney and David."

Cox commented, "We are such huge fans of game shows and believe Celebrity Name Game has the potential to truly stand out. We want viewers to have as much fun watching this series as we have had playing it with friends, many of whom are also big fans and want to be a part of this. Add in Craig, who is hilarious, and we have something really special here that will resonate with viewers."

Added Arquette, "It's so much fun bringing a game we love to play, a game that everyone we know plays, and spicing it up for everyone across America to play together."

St. John noted, "This project is a funny, fun, engaging show. Everything a great game show should be. To have the opportunity to work with Craig, Courteney, David and the folks at Fremantle and Debmar-Mercury, I couldn't be more excited."

The project marks the second collaboration between FremantleMedia North America ("Family Feud," "The Price is Right," "Let's Make a Deal," "American Idol," "The X Factor," "America's Got Talent") and Debmar-Mercury. "Family Feud", their first venture, has resulted in spectacular ratings success.

"Celebrity Name Game" is co-produced and co-financed by FremantleMedia North America and Debmar-Mercury, and is distributed domestically by Debmar-Mercury and internationally by FremantleMedia North America. The show was developed by Coquette Productions and is based on the board game, Identity Crisis, created by Laura Robinson and Richard Gerrits of North 44 Productions. Executive Producers are Scott St. John, Thom Beers, Jennifer Mullin, Courteney Cox and David Arquette.

About FremantleMedia North America:

FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. arm of global media giant FremantleMedia, which includes a distribution arm, FremantleMedia International, a digital and branded entertainment division and a kids & family entertainment business. As the world's largest independent studio, FremantleMedia's comprehensive global network has operations in 25 countries, creating over 9100 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 60 formats and managing over 400 individual titles. FMNA and its portfolio of companies produce entertaining and innovative scripted and alternative programs for network, cable, syndicated and online platforms. Their slate includes a diverse range of both critically-acclaimed and award-winning successes including "American Idol" (FOX), "The X Factor" (FOX), "America's Got Talent" (NBC), "Family Feud" (SYN), "Let's Make A Deal" (CBS), "The Price Is Right" (CBS), "Lights, Camera, Christmas!" (ABC), "The Tomorrow People" (The CW), "Deadliest Catch" (Discovery), "Married to Medicine" (Bravo), "Ice Road Truckers" (HISTORY), "Storage Wars" (A&E) and "The Pet Collective" (blip.tv), among others.

About Debmar-Mercury

Debmar-Mercury, a leading media company specializing in syndication, network, cable and ancillary markets, produces and distributes for daytime television The Wendy Williams Show and has U.S. distribution rights to Fremantle Media North America's Family Feud; distributes Tyler Perry sitcoms House of Payne and spinoff Meet the Browns; Lionsgate Television's Anger Management (starring Charlie Sheen and entering off-network syndication in September 2014), Saint George (starring and co-created by George Lopez, debuting in 2014 and in off-network syndication in September 2016) and a new untitled sitcom (starring comedy legends Martin Lawrence and Kelsey Grammer, set to premiere in 2014 and entering broadcast syndication in fall 2017), all for FX; Revolution/CubeVision's Are We There Yet? (starring Ice Cube); and has U.S. TV distribution rights to South Park, Hell's Kitchen and a movie library featuring titles from Revolution Studios. Debmar-Mercury is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company.

About Coquette Productions

Coquette Productions, founded by Courteney Cox and David Arquette, with development executive Thea Mann, is a television and film production company focusing on creating dynamic, original and entertaining content. Under a first-look deal with ABC Studios, Coquette has produced Cougar Town for ABC and TBS; Daisy Does America for TBS; Dirt for F/X and Mix it Up for WE. Additionally, Coquette has sold projects/filmed pilots for UPN, FOX, CBS, HBO, The Travel Channel, NBC, Lifetime, MTV and Comedy Central. Coquette has also produced the feature film Just Before I Go, directed by Courteney Cox.





  [october 2013]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· CELEBRITY NAME GAME (SYNDICATION)
· COUGAR TOWN (TBS)
· DEAL OR NO DEAL (CNBC)





[09/14/26 - 10:11 AM]
Legendary Country Music Duo Brooks & Dunn to Receive the 2026 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at "The 60th Annual CMA Awards"
Brooks & Dunn will accept the honor as part of a special tribute during "The 60th Annual CMA Awards."

[09/14/26 - 10:01 AM]
Malin Akerman, Megan Follows, Nadine Bhabha, and Matias Lucas Join Netflix's "This Summer Will Be Different"
The show has wrapped filming on Prince Edward Island and is now filming in Toronto.

[09/14/26 - 10:00 AM]
Tubi Drops 10 First Look Photos and Premiere Date for New Original Horror-Anothology Series "Bite Size Terror"
Just in time for spooky season, "Bite Size Terror" premieres exclusively on Tubi Friday, October 2.

[09/14/26 - 09:50 AM]
NFL Kickoff Game on NBC and Peacock Featuring Patriots-Seahawks Tops 25 Million Viewers for Fourth Consecutive Year
In addition, NBC Sports delivered the largest NFL Kickoff Game audience among Adults 18-49 since 2021, averaging 10.0 million viewers in the key demographic across NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports Digital and NFL Digital properties.

[09/14/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: AMC+ Releases Spellbinding Sneak Peek Clip for the Highly Anticipated Contemporary Mystery Thriller, "Yaga," Premiering Friday, October 23
New episodes will debut on Fridays, with an epic two-episode finale on Friday, November 27.

[09/14/26 - 08:46 AM]
Netflix and SEGA Announce Film Adaptation of the Video Game Crazy Taxi as Part of New Multi-Title Collaboration
Sonic and STRANGER THAN HEAVEN adaptations are also in development.

[09/14/26 - 08:19 AM]
Food Network and TikTok Live Continue Flavors Come Alive Live Cooking Series with Fall Flavors Bake-Off Event
Filmed from Food Network Kitchen, each hour-long livestream pairs Food Network chefs with popular food creators to give viewers a front-row seat to trending recipes, helpful kitchen tips, and real-time conversation.

[09/14/26 - 08:01 AM]
Critically-Acclaimed Film "Tuner" Starring Leo Woodall and Dustin Hoffman Makes Streaming Debut on Paramount+ September 21
The film follows a gifted young piano tuner whose heightened sense of hearing leads him to discover an unexpected aptitude for cracking safes - turning his carefully ordered life upside down.

[09/14/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Lupin" Part 4 - Official Trailer - Netflix
After four years in prison, Assane is ready to start a new life with his family. But the emergence of a mysterious copycat forces Lupin to return to his most brilliant schemes.

[09/14/26 - 04:00 AM]
The Next Chapter Begins on TLC's "Sister Wives"
The series returns Sunday, October 4 at 10PM ET/PT on TLC.

[09/14/26 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Money Trap: The Karun Treasure" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a mythical map falls into the hands of a legendary scam artist, he decides to pull one last con before leaving it all behind for good.

[09/13/26 - 11:01 AM]
More Stars Join Presenter Lineup for the 78th Emmy Awards, Sept. 14 on NBC and Peacock
The newly announced presenters will join host Emmy Award-winning actor, director, producer and television icon Mariska Hargitay.

[09/13/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: Peacock Debuts Official Trailer, Key Art & New Images for "Friday the 13th" Prequel Series "Crystal Lake"
A prequel to the franchise, the series follows single mother Pam Voorhees who has been unable to shake her grief after her young, sickly son Jason tragically drowned in the town lake almost a year before.

[09/13/26 - 07:01 AM]
Zoinks! "Scooby-Doo: Origins" Has Wrapped Production
A modern reimagining of the iconic mystery-solving group of teens and their very special dog.

[09/12/26 - 10:44 AM]
Diablo Is Coming to Netflix
Blizzard and Netflix are developing a new animated series set in the world of Diablo, bringing the franchise to a new screen.