On August 16, 1999, America was introduced to the latest game-show (see entry under 1950s—TV and Radio in volume 3) sensation when Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? made its debut on the ABC network. The show was already a hit in Great Britain. Now, with a new American host, Regis Philbin (1933–), it became a blockbuster on the American side of the Atlantic as well. The light-hearted multiple-choice quiz program is widely credited with reviving the game-show genre (category).

Regis Philbin (right) asks a contestant a question during the promotion of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? CD-ROM. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.

Millionaire's creator was Michael P. Davies, a veteran British TV producer. The basis of the show was simple: contestants, who were selected by a telephone screening process, had to answer a series of...