The syndicated game show “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” is ending after 20 years on TV and nearly 3,000 episodes, Variety first reported Friday.
“‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ will not return in national syndication for the 2019-20 season,” a representative told Variety.
The popular game show debuted on ABC in 1999 with Regis Philbin hosting. It switched to syndication three years later, after some 300 episodes on the network, and remained in syndication for 17 years. It drew as many as 30 million viewers in its first season.
Meredith Vieira took over as host when the show was syndicated. Later hosts included Cedric the Entertainer, Terry Crews and Chris Harrison of “The Bachelor.”
The iconic game show featured increasingly difficult multiple-choice questions as contestants inched toward the $1 million question. Contestants were able to throw out three “lifelines” for help from audience members when they got stumped (in the past, they could call a friend). The show spawned the catchphrase “Is that your final answer?”
The program, based on a British show of the same name, is going out on a high point. It celebrated giving away $100 million in prize money in November with a series of special shows.
The program is currently averaging about 2.24 million viewers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
