Martin Short Revives ‘Match Game' on ABC — and Sling TV Is the Best Way to Watch Live
Martin Short is returning to primetime as the host of ABC's newly revived 'Match Game,' premiering Wednesday, July 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The reboot of the classic game show, which has been a staple of television since the 1960s, now features Martin Short as host in a version that blends the original format's campy fun with his own quick wit and signature energy.
More from Variety
Major League Cricket on Sling TV: How to Watch the 2025 MLC Championship Match Live Online
Sling TV in 2025: A Flexible, Budget-Friendly Streaming Option for Cord-Cutters
Martin Short to Host 'Match Game' Revival on ABC
Each episode will feature four contestants trying to match fill-in-the-blank answers with a rotating panel of six celebrity guests. Two full games are played per hour, culminating in a Super Match round where contestants can win up to $25,000. Like its previous iteration, 'Match Game' leans heavily on celebrity banter and innuendo-laced punchlines, a format tailor-made for Short, who also serves as an executive producer. The series will air weekly on ABC, but the best way for cable-cutters to tune in live is on Sling TV.
$25.50 $50.99 50% off
STREAM 'MATCH GAME' ON SLING TV
Sling's Blue package, which includes local ABC affiliates in select major markets, allows subscribers to watch 'Match Game' as it airs live on the network. Starting at $40 per month, or $55 for the combined Orange + Blue plan, Sling remains one of the most competitively priced live-TV streaming platforms on the market. Plus, their plans are currently half off for the first month, bringing down their Blue plan to only $25.50.
In addition to live access, Sling TV includes up to 50 hours of cloud DVR storage, giving subscribers the ability to record and rewatch episodes at their convenience. The service is compatible with nearly every major device — including Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, mobile apps, and web browsers — offering maximum flexibility. For fans who like to watch with friends, Sling's Watch Party feature adds another layer of interactivity, letting users co-view in real time with built-in video chat and messaging.
ABC also ran the previous version of 'Match Game,' which was hosted by Alec Baldwin. That edition debuted in 2016, and ran for five seasons (and approximately 69 episodes) before being canceled in 2022. The most recent season was shot before the pandemic began, with nine episodes spread out between May 31, 2020, and Oct. 29, 2020, and then the final two on July 21 and July 28, 2021.
Stream the reboot of 'Match Game' on Sling TV here. Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Jason Momoa shaves off beard for the first time in 6 years ahead of ‘Dune' return: ‘I hate it'
King clean-cut. 'Aquaman' star Jason Momoa, 45, flaunted a clean-shaven look for the first time in six years as he prepares for his next role. 'God damn it, I hate it,' Momoa quipped in an Instagram reel posted on Wednesday. 4 Jason Momoa shaved off his signature beard. Jason Momoa/Instagram The 'Game of Thrones' actor transformed his entire look as a 'kick-off' to reprise his role as Duncan Idaho in 'Dune Messiah,' which was announced as the third and final film in the eight-time Oscar-winning sci-fi series. 'Only for you, Denis,' the actor said, referring to Denis Villeneuve, the director of 'Dune: Part One' and 'Dune: Part Two.' The Hawaii native played Duncan Idaho in the 2021 film, but he did not appear in the 2024 sequel because his character died in the first film. However, he confirmed that he's 'making a comeback' in the third film when his character is resurrected as a clone, according to an interview on the 'Today' show in March 2025. The Hollywood hunk filmed himself shaving off his iconic facial hair in the clip, which also served as a promotion for his reusable bottled water company, Mananalu. 4 'God damn it, I hate it,' Momoa quipped in an Instagram reel. Jason Momoa/Instagram 'I think it's been about six years, maybe a little bit more, since I did 'Dune,'' Momoa said. 'What was really special about that is that's when I started launching Mananalu. At the time, we were one of the first ones to release the aluminum bottle.' The 'Justice League' actor prompted his company's partnership with Boomerang Water, which aimed to reuse water bottles to get 'rid of single-use plastic. For our children and for our planet.' Momoa's son, Nakoa-Wolf Momoa, will be part of the highly anticipated third installment of the 'Dune' trilogy, according to Deadline. 4 Momoa attended the world premiere of the Apple TV+ series 'Chief of War' on July 18. Apple TV+ via Getty Images Nakoa-Wolf was cast to play Leto II, the twin son of Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya's characters Paul Atreides and Chani. The A-lister's son will star alongside 'Silo' actress Ida Brooke, who will portray the other twin, Ghanima. The 'Minecraft Movie' actor shares two teenage kids, Nakoa-Wolf and daughter Lola Iolani, with his ex-wife, 'The Cosby Show' actress Lisa Bonet. The couple's divorce was finalized in June 2024, seven years after they got married. 4 Momoa starred as Arthur in 'Aquaman' and 'Aquaman 2.' Getty Images Momoa isn't the only person getting a new look for the movie. Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Chalamet closely shaved the nape of his neck before an outing with girlfriend Kylie Jenner in St. Tropez on July 7. The 'Call Me by Your Name' actor wore a green bandana over a navy Nike hat, so fans couldn't get a full look at how much hair had been buzzed away. 'Dune Messiah' is scheduled to be released in December 2026.
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Famous birthdays for July 31: Lil Uzi Vert, Rico Rodriguez
Movies // 11 hours ago Charlie Brown tries to save camp in 'A Summer Musical' July 30 (UPI) -- Charlie Brown is on a quest to save his summer camp in "Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical," which will stream on Apple TV+ on August 15. Watch the trailer.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jimmy Kimmel and Ken Jennings on Tonight's Big ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' Win — and How Matt Damon ‘Crashed' the Show
Ken Jennings and Matt Damon have now been added to the list of all-time greatest 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' winners. On Wednesday night's episode of the ABC gamer, the duo made it all the way to the end — winning $1 million for a charity championed by Damon to promote global access to safe water. More from Variety Donald Trump Claims He Was Not 'Solely Responsible' for Canceling Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show,' Adds 'Less Talented' Jimmy Kimmel and 'Very Insecure' Jimmy Fallon Are Next Jimmy Kimmel Trolls Trump for Saying He'll Be the Next Canceled Late-Night Host, Cites Trump's Alleged 'Wonderful Secret' Letter to Epstein Trump Says 'I Absolutely Love' That Stephen Colbert Got 'Fired' and 'I Hear Jimmy Kimmel Is Next' Here was the final question: 'Which of these words is used to describe one of the most beautiful auditory effects on Earth, the sound made by the leaves of trees when wind blows through them?' The correct answer was 'susurrus.' Jennings had a pretty good idea that was the answer — and was further emboldened when he and Damon used the show's '50/50' lifeline. 'It's not my first time on 'Millionaire' and my first time I did not win,' Jennings told Variety. 'I think I left around 100k, so this was very exciting. I've never actually seen the confetti drop.' What made the difference this time? 'I think what we've learned is that Matt Damon is worth 900,000 extra dollars when I play 'Millionaire,'' he said. Of course, making the win extra sweet was how it played into the ongoing faux feud between Damon and host Jimmy Kimmel. 'Listen, Matt Damon has an I.Q. of, I think it's been measured in the 70s,' Kimmel quipped. In all truthfulness, it was Kimmel who came up with the idea of pairing Jennings with Damon. According to Jennings, he ran into Kimmel at a cancer research fundraiser at UCLA. Kimmel, who was emceeing, 'pigeon holed me,' Jennings recalled. 'He said, 'Wouldn't it be funny if we could get a real A-lister on Millionaire, if you were the kind of the ringer.' And Jimmy Kimmel is a lovely guy. What I thought was, 'no, that would not be funny. That would be a ton of pressure on me, the ringer.' But because I love Jimmy, what I said was, 'yes, that would be funny, like we should do that.' I hoped he would forget, and he did not forget. And for some reason Matt Damon said yes!' Jennings had never met Damon, but they hit it off backstage prior to the 'Millionaire' taping. 'Of course, I loved his work, and I always had the impression he's always very believable playing the smart guy in a movie,' he said. ''Good Will Hunting,' of course. But also 'Rounders,' 'The Martian,' even the Jason Bourne movies. You're like, 'this guy seems like just a normal guy who is secretly really smart,' and it turned out to be true.' Promos for this season of 'Millionaire' played into Kimmel's decades-long late-night 'beef' with Damon, and Kimmel had fun skewering the star — including the long beard he was wearing because of his role in the film 'The Odyssey': 'Ken and what appears to be a yak are in the hot seat,' Kimmel said on the show. 'Now, where were you on January 6? What's going on with the beard? Are you waiting until the FBI reads your manifesto before you shave? I can't believe you keep getting hired to be in movies. It's really remarkable. Well, since this is for charity, I'm going to allow it begrudgingly.' Later, Kimmel joked that he planed to storm 'Jeopardy' and play with someone that Jenning hates. ''ve never seen anybody pull anything like this before, where they would sneak onto a game show and just start playing,' Kimmel joked. 'How it happened, I don't know. Rules were definitely broken. Laws were probably broken and but you know what? You can't put anything past him. He's a sneaky little bastard.' In the end, Kimmel came through with a crucial 'Ask the Host' lifeline. For the $500,000 question, the contestants were asked which star's first claim to fame was entering a Steve Martin look-alike contest. The answer was Bill Nye — and Kimmel knew it. 'I don't have the answers to the questions, but here's what I think: I know the answer to this one,' Kimmel told them. 'It's just one of these things where I just read a big story about this guy. I was on the radio in Seattle when this guy started out, he was on local television, and the answer, my final answer, is Bill Nye, the Science Guy.' Jennings said that wound up being the hardest question for him and Damon. 'Neither of us had heard the fact about Bill Nye in a Steve Martin look alike contest, and that was the one where I thought we might just have to go out here because we've never heard this, and a lot of the answers look appealing and plausible,' he said. 'And boy, I've never been happier in my life to hear Jimmy Kimmel say, 'you guys, I actually know this one cold.' That's what you want to hear from a late night authority.' From there, they cruised to the $1 million question. 'That stack of questions was on the easy side,' Jennings said. 'I think we just got lucky, because that's all carefully regulated and randomized. But we got very lucky that we had a stack that played to our strengths. It didn't really have any kind of wild card switcheroo, mean trick questions. And when I saw that last question pop up, I thought, 'I think I know this word. And then as soon as 'susurrus' popped up, that was such a relief. You're not aware of how much pressure there is on you until you think, 'Oh, I got away with one here again. I think we're gonna win the million!'' The one lifeline the duo didn't use was 'Phone a Friend,' but what viewers didn't see — as it was cut for time — is that they actually did. Imitating what very first 'Millionaire' winner John Carpenter did before answering his $1 million in November 1999, Jennings and Damon called their lifeline — 'Jeopardy!' champ Brad Rutter. But rather than ask for Rutter's advice, Jennings and Damon told him they were about to answer the $1 million question. 'We got to do the, 'Hey, Brad. We're gonna win a million dollars!' thing that that John Carpenter made famous,' Jennings said. Jennings and Damon join just two other celebrities who have won 'Millionaire': Chef David Chang (with an assist from ESPN's Mina Kimes) and the team of Ike Bariholtz and his father Alan Barinholtz. The new season of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' premiered last week, first with Drew Carey and Aisha Tyler paired in the hot seat. This week, after the Damon/Jenning win, 'The Daily Show's' Jordan Klepper and Ronny Chieng joined in. Other upcoming pairing include Joel McHale and Jim Rash; Tramell Tillman and Zach Cherry; Adam Devine and Anders Holm; and Helen Hunt and Dan Bucatinsky. 'I don't know how to quantify it exactly in print, but there's definitely some funny stuff,' Kimmel said of this season. 'There were some really hard questions that knocked some people out, who I expected to do well. And then there were a couple people who I did not expect to do well, who did very well… the fact that there are two of them and they have to make a decision is interesting, because there's no tie breaker. They do have to come to an agreement on what they're going to do, what their answer is, and what lifelines they're going to use. And sometimes that causes friction, and it's fun to be a part of.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in August 2025 What's Coming to Netflix in August 2025
