’25 Words or Less’ Game Show Hosted By Meredith Vieira Set For Fall 2019 Launch On Fox TV Stations

Another syndicated daily program has landed a permanent slot on the Fox TV Stations after a summer test run.

25 Words or Less, a celebrity/civilian game show hosted and produced by Meredith Vieira, former longtime host of the syndicated Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, will return to the Fox TV Stations in fall 2019 after a three-week run on several Fox stations this past summer. The series has a strong celebrity backing: it is a collaboration of Lisa Kudrow, Dan Bucatinsky, Mary McCormack, Michael Morris, Bruce Sterten — creator of the board games 25 Words or Less and Taboo — and John Quinn, who serves as showrunner.

25 Words or Less pits two teams comprised of celebrities and civilians against each other in a fast-paced word game with a top prize of 10,000 dollars. In the beginning rounds of the game, after a frenzied bidding session, one team member provides clues to two partners to help them guess a list of five words, using fewer than 25 clue words. In the final round, the contestant who has earned the most points has 60 seconds to get his partners to guess 10 words using only 25 words or less.

“I don’t need 25 words to say how excited I am to host this fabulous game. Everyone will love playing along!,” Vieira said.

Added Frank Cicha, SVP of Programming, Fox TV Stations , “We’re pulling for a hit here, because it feels like 25 shows or more since there’s been one in syndication.

25 Words or Less will be produced by Dino Bones Productions and distributed by Twentieth Television.

Fall 2019 is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in years for new syndicated show launches with a slew of high-profile newcomers, including several talk shows such as a Kelly Clarkson-hosted one from NBCU, as well as talkers hosted by Tamron Hall and Mel Robbins, and a Jerry Springer court show. Additionally, the Fox stations are testing a Dr. Steve Perry talk show in January.

Previous programs on Fox TV Stations that started with summer test runs include The Wendy Williams Show and The Real.

Vieira. a 14-time Emmy-winning host, most recently served as co-host of PBS and BBC’s Royal Wedding Watch and currently host the PBS series The Great American Read. She hosted and served as executive producer on her own nationally syndicated daytime talk show, The Meredith Vieira Show, which ran for two seasons, and previously hosted/co-hosted Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Today and The View.