UNO TV Show and 5 Other Board Games That Deserve Shows

Culture

Unless the folks at Vulture are messing with us, there is going to be a game show based on the card game UNO:

"Mattel has teamed with a production company to develop both half-hour and hour-long formats for the show, in which contestants would compete for $100,000 and $1 million, the companies announced."

What the premise of each half-hour or hour episode will be is still under wraps, but if each game is as intense as any game of UNO I've ever played, then expect this to be top notch television programming. Watching someone forget to say "UNO" when they had only one card left would most likely be one of the most rewarding television watching experiences around.

All jokes aside, will the UNO TV show work? Let's hope that they have a plan to make it something more than random games of UNO. With the announcement of the UNO TV special, what other board games could adapt to great TV? What follows is a list of board games that could make for a great half hour game show: 

1. Yahtzee!

 "Y-y-y-y-y-yaaaahtzee!" What an awesome celebration scream that could be yelled out every time someone gets a Yahtzee. My favorite board game, I wish Yahtzee was a television show as well. My goal would be to be a contestant. 

2. Battleship and Clue (and Jumanji)

Throwing three board games into one grouping seems unfair, but they all share a common trait: two of the board games were turned into movies while the other one is a fictional board game that was described in a book before being turned into a movie and consequently turned into a board game (confusing, huh?). The movies didn't perform well (other than Jumanji), but a weekly mystery like Clue could work while a game of chance like Battleship could lead to very upset players with harsh reactions: and if people watch Jersey Shore, why wouldn't they watch board game players scream around like fools as well? 

3. Sorry!

This one would have to be a family based show that could turn into an airing of grievances. You would be able to let your sibling or parent know what you thought of them by shooting their player back to square one with a Sorry card. 

4. Scrabble

Let's just make this Word Wars: The TV Show. The documentary about Scrabble was entertaining, and the lengths that these competitors go to to come up with words is astounding. 

5. Monopoly

 It is one of the classic board games. It brings out the best and the worst in people. However, it is way too long of a game, so the TV show might be about the same as watching paint dry.

What games did I miss? Chime off in the comments if you'd like to see a board game as a TV show. Or, if you think that board game TV shows are stupid, you can let us know that as well.