Joey goes prime time

A faux tweet noted that GSN will give a prime time slot to Common Knowledge reruns starting March 11. The show has put up outstanding numbers in late afternoon, so the news is not unexpected.

Joey Fatone's goofy quizzer has grown on me over the weeks. I gave it a so-so review, though I did note the oddball charm of some of the questions. That charm has apparently worked with GSN's audience, as Common Knowledge has regularly drawn more than a half-million viewers.

The success of the show also demonstrates that going super traditional has its advantages for GSN. Sure, Joey's demos skew old, but the whole country is skewing old nowadays. Instead of frantically chasing younger demos, the current GSN team of Mark Feldman and Fran Shea has clearly decided to target the network's core viewers. Common Knowledge is as traditional a quizzer as the network has ever offered, right down to the genial older host and the super shiny floor. Even if some of the questions are a little off the wall.

If the show produces reasonable ratings in prime time, I assume GSN will do the same with Common Knowledge in its second season as they did with America Says. Give the show a full hour in prime time with a new ep followed by a rerun. That will finally break Family Feud's stranglehold on GSN's peak viewing hours. Not that the network will get any credit from the game show Interwebs for the feat.

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