The Genius Game Faces Uncertain Future Amid Low Viewership
ITV’s latest show, The Genius Game, has been described as one of the network’s most expensive flops in recent years. Despite its high production costs and a star-studded lineup, the program has struggled to attract a large audience. In fact, it has drawn fewer viewers than a BBC documentary about pangolins, an unusual comparison that highlights the challenges faced by the show.
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Hosted by David Tennant, The Genius Game reportedly cost £2.5 million to produce. However, despite this significant investment, the show only managed average viewership numbers of 661,000 after its initial launch. This figure closely matched that of BBC2’s documentary, Pangolins: The World’s Most Wanted Animal, which explores the lives of these unique, scaly anteaters.
An insider shared with The Sun that while ITV maintains that no final decision has been made regarding the show, many executives and commissioners view it as a failure. The program occupied a prime 9pm slot, had a well-known host, and was expected to compete with BBC’s The Traitors. However, on June 11, out of the five main channels, The Genius Game was beaten by two and tied with BBC2 thanks to the success of the pangolin documentary.
The Genius Game is an intellect-based competition where contestants test their IQ through new and challenging games, aiming to outwit each other for a cash prize. However, many viewers found the show confusing and difficult to follow. While the first episode attracted 1.5 million viewers in April, the number dropped significantly to 846,000 by the second episode.
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To put this into perspective, BBC1’s Race Across The World drew 4.2 million viewers at the same time, showing a stark contrast in popularity. ITV has yet to make a final decision on the show’s future, but the uncertainty has already led to changes in its broadcast schedule.
Initially, The Genius Game was scheduled to air on Wednesday and Thursday. However, due to declining viewership, the schedule was adjusted, and the show now only airs on Wednesday evenings. As a result, Jeremy Clarkson’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? celebrity specials were moved into the Thursday slot for two weeks in May. This change stretched the show over seven weeks instead of four.
Many viewers expressed confusion during the first episode, with some taking to social media to voice their concerns. One user wrote on X: “Just starting this. Seems very complicated. I’ll watch it out but not looking good tbh #GeniusGame.” Another viewer turned off the show within ten minutes, commenting: “Bye bye.”
Others shared similar frustrations, saying they needed more mindless entertainment after a busy day. One person wrote: “Sorry #GeniusGame it’s a no from me, way too complicated for that time of night, I need mindless entertainment after a busy day, ITV should’ve just extended #CBBUK instead.” Another noted: “I’m struggling to understand. I’m clearly no genius, the rules on rules on rules are something else #GeniusGame.”
Despite the backlash, ITV has not yet announced any definitive plans for The Genius Game. The network has stated that no decision has been made, but the show’s uncertain future is becoming increasingly apparent. The MailOnline has reached out to ITV for further comments.
