# Press Your Luck (1983)

> Contestants answer trivia to earn spins and gamble them on an 18-space board for cash and prizes.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/3600

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 207
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: reality
- Created by: Bill Carruthers
- Network: CBS
- Cast: Rod Roddy, Charlie O'Donnell, Peter Tomarken, Savage Steve Holland
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136655/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: breezy, joyful, playful, suspenseful

## What critics say

Remembered as a fun, suspenseful game show with an iconic spin-and-gamble format, though it drew little serious critical attention.

## Synopsis

Press Your Luck (1983-2003) is an American game show created by Bill Carruthers for CBS. Contestants answer trivia questions to collect spins, then use those spins to move across an 18-space game board, chasing cash and prizes while risking everything on each turn. Host Peter Tomarken, along with announcers Rod Roddy and Charlie O'Donnell and the performer Savage Steve Holland, keeps the studio bright and brisk across its run. The engine is simple: each spin is a gamble, and the player with the most cash and prizes at the end wins. The show is a family-friendly, daytime-style competition with a lighthearted, upbeat tone and a fast-moving pace. It has two seasons, and its episodes are self-contained rounds that can be watched in any order. Fans of The Price Is Right, Jeopardy! and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire will find a familiar kinship in its blend of trivia, prizes, and suspense.

## Shows like Press Your Luck

- [Jeopardy! (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/2770)
- [Let's Make a Deal (1963)](https://ember.film/tv/977)
- [The Crystal Maze (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/2677)
- [To Tell the Truth (1956)](https://ember.film/tv/4911)
- [Nickelodeon GUTS (1992)](https://ember.film/tv/959)
- [The Mole (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/132420)
- [Beast Games (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/155504)
- [Squid Game: The Challenge (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/126968)
- [Family Feud (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/1688)
- [The Match Game (1962)](https://ember.film/tv/83807)

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