NBC keeps taking tries at bat to make unscripted programs work. The network has done well with The Voice, but other successful programs, like Biggest Loser have become a dinosaur and plenty of new fodder at the network just hasn't worked out. NBC desperately needs another unscripted ratings bringer and the network is giving unscripted TV a go with a 24/7 game show called The Million Second Quiz. The network first greenlighted the series back in April and on Tuesday, the channel officially announced that the new game show will hit the schedule on September 9 at 8 p.m. ET.
Amping up the competition to a 24/7 format certainly makes The Million Second Quiz a unique premise, but audiences will certainly get a lot of the series during NBC’s fall schedule. From Monday the 9th to Saturday the 14, NBC will air The Million Second Quiz at 8 p.m. ET. According to a network press release, there will be a short break on Sunday before the NBC resumes airing the series at the 8 p.m. ET hour from the 16 through the 19 of September. The competition only lasts from September 9 through 19 and at the end of the short series, a contestant could claim a cash prize of a million dollars or more, depending on how his or her luck and skills fare.
The competition will air from a large, hourglass-shaped container located in the heart of Manhattan. We already know contestants will be asked to test their endurance limits, as well as answer plenty of trivia, but the hourglass-shaped device is too weird to even fathom completely and we don’t really know exactly how the rules will work out at this point, although I suppose that is half of the fun of watching a new competition series. Additionally, NBC is promising that The Million Second Quiz will be fully interactive, and with the 24/7 component, I’m guessing there will be plenty of online content for the series, sort of how Big Brother keeps cameras on the contestants at all times. Hopefully, the network will release a little more information about the plot as we move closer, but if not, you’ll have to tune in on September 9 to find out if The Million Second Quiz is worth your time.
