Game Show To Debut January 7
Craig Ferguson‘s newest game show The Hustler, debuts Thursday, Jan. 7 at 10:00pm ET on ABC. It’ll be part of a full night of game shows, with a new prime-time version of Wheel of Fortune at 8:00pm and a U.S. remake of a U.K. favorite, The Chase at 9:00pm.

The format is based on a similar game show in the UK called The Mole. Five contestants answer questions to build a prize pot. But one of the five contestants secretly already knows the answers and must remain undetected to have a shot at the money. Two contestants are eliminated during play, leaving three. The remaining three have to decide who the Hustler is. If they guess right, the two remaining contestants win the prize. If they guess wrong, the Hustler wins.

A total of eight episodes were recorded before the coronavirus pandemic set in, so it’s unclear if the show will continue beyond the spring. If it does well in the ratings, the network could decide to order more episodes, and it could return if restrictions on studios are relaxed. We’ll keep an eye on it.

Craig Enjoys Downtime
As for Craig himself, he has been enjoying a quiet, low-profile life at his home in Scotland. We had a chance to speak with him recently about his recent work and what lies ahead.

In August 2019, Craig went on stage for a one-time standup gig at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 25 years after his last appearance there. He said it was a fun way to wrap up the Hobo Fabulous tour. Craig remarked he isn’t necessarily eager to get back to doing standup, even when the coronavirus restrictions are lifted. He reiterated what he’s been saying in interviews for a while now, that he’s been there and done that. “Doing the same thing isn’t my thing,” he quipped. He added it’s time for others to pick up that particular torch. However, he did qualify his statement with a knowing, “never say never.”

The Kathie Lee Gifford film Then Came You, featuring Craig, appeared in a one-day theatrical release on Sep. 30, and was the number one film in the U.S. that day, before moving to streaming platforms, where it can still be seen today. Craig said he thought it turned out well and enjoyed simply being an actor in the film, without having to worry about all the concerns of being a writer, producer or director at the same time.

Craig said he is excited about seeing The Hustler finally make it to ABC after recording the show nearly a year ago. He said it is particularly interesting to him as a host, because he doesn’t know the answers and essentially gets to play the game along with the contestants. The hour-long format will offer plenty of drama, twists and turns.

He has appeared as a podcast guest a handful of times in the past couple of years, and popped up to promote Then Came You, but otherwise has been turning down offers to appear as a guest on TV and radio shows.

Craig told us he’s enjoying the downtime, causally working on a potential future film script, and he still has his long-awaited follow-up novel on the back burner, but made it very clear he’s been enjoying not working too much for the past year. It’s a well-earned break, sir.

Hustler Trailer
Here’s a quick look at the only trailer for The Hustler released so far.

Video courtesy: ABC

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