Small details

There are some new graphics wrinkles in our little genre this season. They've gotten a bit of notice, so I'll join in.

Millionaire has done the biggest makeover. The long-standing question graphics have given way to, let's say, a blue parallelogram look. See the screenshot for a sample. There are other graphics tweaks, which give the show a little less traditional look. It's really not a big deal, but that's why this entry has "small" in the title.

Meanwhile, Wheel of Fortune has started displaying letters onscreen as they are called. The screenshot shows a contestant calling a "T". If a hapless player calls an unused letter, a slash appears across the graphic. The slash rather oddly reminds me of no-smoking signs.

Graphics packages have never been a big deal for me in game shows. Jeopardy was just fine with cardboard clues on a manually operated board. But time moves on and the small details change.

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