Hollywood Squares

Hollywood Squares is an American game show where two players compete in a game like tic-tac-toe to win money and prizes. The show first aired as a test show on NBC in 1965 and started regular shows in October 1966. The game uses a board with nine squares, each with a famous person. The host asks these celebrities questions, and the players try to guess if the answers are true or false to win squares and the game.

The fun part of the show came from the celebrities giving funny or joke answers, called “zingers.” These jokes were often made up by the show’s writers before the show. The first host, Peter Marshall, said that while the celebrities knew the topics of the questions, they heard the questions for the first time during the show.

The show ran for many years, with Marshall hosting from 1966 to 1980. After that, other hosts like John Davidson and Tom Bergeron took over. New versions of the show, such as Hip Hop Squares and Celebrity Squares, have also been popular. In 2025, the show came back with Drew Barrymore helping to make it and Nate Burleson as the host. It was renewed for another season in 2026.

Gameplay

Two players take turns playing a game like tic-tac-toe. One player uses the letter X, and the other uses O, also called a "circle." The board has nine squares, and each square has a different celebrity behind it.

Players choose a square, and the celebrity answers a question, often in a funny way. The player then says if they agree or disagree with the answer. If they are right, they put their symbol in that square. If they are wrong, the other player gets the square. The goal is to get three of your symbols in a row, up, down, or across. If no one can get three in a row, the player with at least five symbols wins.

1966–1981

The game show Hollywood Squares started with a pilot in 1965, hosted by Bert Parks. The regular show began on October 17, 1966, with Peter Marshall as the host. It was one of many popular games on NBC, along with Concentration, Jeopardy!, and Match Game.

Each game was a tic-tac-toe match between two players, with celebrities helping to answer questions. The daytime version ended on June 20, 1980, and a nighttime version continued until May 22, 1981. Prizes got bigger over time, and special rounds like the Secret Square offered extra rewards for quick thinking.

Many famous stars became regulars on the show, each known for answering certain types of questions. For example, Paul Lynde often answered history questions with funny jokes before giving his real answer. The Secret Square was a special part of the show where a hidden square could win a bonus prize if chosen correctly.

Storybook Squares (1969 and 1976–1977)

Main article: Storybook Squares

Hosted by Peter Marshall and announced by Kenny Williams, Storybook Squares was a fun version of Hollywood Squares made just for kids. It aired on Saturday mornings on NBC from January 4 to August 30, 1969. The stars on the show dressed up as favorite characters from television, fairy tales, and history. Later, in the 1976–1977 season, NBC brought back the idea during the daytime show, but this time families played together instead of just kids.

The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (1983–1984)

Main article: Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour

In 1983, NBC tried to bring back the Hollywood Squares game show. They mixed it with another show called Match Game. This new show was called The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. It started on October 31, 1983. Jon Bauman hosted the Hollywood Squares part, and Gene Rayburn hosted Match Game.

In this version, the game was played differently. The celebrities did not get special answers to help them. The questions were either multiple-choice or true/false. Players could win by guessing right when their opponent made a mistake. The show did not do well. NBC stopped it in July 1984 and replaced it with a soap opera called Santa Barbara.

1986–1989

A new version of the Hollywood Squares game show began on September 15, 1986. It was called The New Hollywood Squares and was hosted by John Davidson, who had been a regular player on the original show. Shadoe Stevens was the announcer and also a regular player.

The game had the same rules as the original show. In the first season, each game was worth $500, and in the second season, later games were worth $1,000. The contestant with the most money at the end got to play a bonus round for a chance to win a car. This version of the show ran for three seasons and ended on June 16, 1989.

1998–2004

In 1998, a new version of the game show Hollywood Squares began. Whoopi Goldberg helped create this show and was the main star in the center square. Other famous people like Gilbert Gottfried, Martin Mull, and Caroline Rhea also appeared regularly.

The show had two players trying to win money by guessing what famous people thought about different questions. Each game had three rounds, and players could win up to $4,000 in the final rounds. If a player didn’t win anything, they still got $500 as a small prize.

The show also had special bonus rounds where players could win big prizes like cars or cash by answering questions with the help of the famous people on the board. Over the years, the rules changed a few times to keep the game fun and exciting. The show ended on June 4, 2004.

Hip Hop Squares (2012, 2017–2019)

Main article: Hip Hop Squares

Hip Hop Squares was a fun game show that aired on MTV2. It started on May 22, 2012, and ended on December 18, 2012. Peter Rosenberg was the host, and DJ Ms. Nix, also known as Nicole Lyn, was the announcer.

The show returned five years later on VH1. It began on May 13, 2017, and ended on September 17, 2019. This time, DeRay Davis was the host, and Ice Cube was the announcer and executive producer. In this version, celebrities played as contestants for a member of the studio audience.

The West Virginia Squares (2014)

In June 2014, a special version of the game show called The West Virginia Squares was shown on local television in West Virginia. The host was Peter Marshall, who also hosted the original show. The questions were about the music and history of West Virginia. Famous people like Larry Groce, Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., and Joyce DeWitt were part of the game. This special version had only four episodes.

Nashville Squares (2019)

A special version of the game show called Nashville Squares focused on country music. It was hosted by Bob Saget and aired on CMT in November 2019. Celebrities played the game to help someone in the studio audience.

country music

Hollywood Museum Squares (2021)

In 2021, the Hollywood Museum brought back the game show for a special event to help raise money. This version was called Hollywood Museum Squares. Famous people like Loni Anderson, Alison Arngrim, and Gilbert Gottfried joined to play the game. They all appeared using video calls from their homes, sitting in front of a special set that looked like the one used in the late 1980s.

The show was hosted by different people each time, including Marshall, Shadoe Stevens, and Marc Summers. Writers from popular TV shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! helped create the episodes. Directors Steve Grant and Bob Loudin were in charge of making the show, and John Ricci Jr. and Philip Berman were the main producers.

Celebrity Squares (2023)

In 2023, a special version of the game show called Celebrity Squares started. This version celebrates Black culture and is hosted by D.C. Young Fly. The show began airing on VH1 in October 2023.

CBS revival (2025)

A new version of Hollywood Squares started in January 2025 on CBS. A different celebrity from the squares around the middle one announced the show at the start. Drew Barrymore helped make the show and sat in the middle square. Nate Burleson hosted the game. The show was supposed to start on January 9, 2025, but it began a week later because of wildfires in Los Angeles and nearby areas. One episode aired after an NFL divisional playoff game on January 19, 2025. Extra daytime showings happened for the first four episodes in late January 2025. The first season ended on May 9, 2025, and the show was renewed for another season.

The game rules stayed mostly the same. Players choose a celebrity for the host to ask a question, then agree or disagree with the answer to win that square. The goal is to get three squares in a row—up, down, across, or diagonally. Winning the game has new cash prizes: $1,000 for the first round, $2,500 for the second, and $5,000 for the third. Most episodes ended after two rounds. If the score is tied, a quick question decides who moves on to the bonus round.

Before the game starts, a "Secret Square" celebrity is chosen. They play for a trip instead of random prizes, but this does not affect who wins the game.

In the bonus round, the contestant has 60 seconds to go through all nine celebrities, agreeing or disagreeing with statements about them. The host starts from the top left and moves right. After the first half, the contestant searches for envelopes—eight have blue cards, and one hides a $25,000 prize. If the contestant finds the prize envelope or gets all nine celebrities right, they win the prize. If the prize is in an envelope from a wrong answer, they keep their main game winnings. The most someone can win, including the trip, is $33,500.

International versions

Color Key:   Currently airing     No longer airing     Upcoming or returning version  

Home versions and merchandise

Watkins-Strathmore made the first two home games of the show in 1967. These games let players write the celebrities’ names on the board with crayon or pencil. Each game came with four sets of question cards. Players could have three matches, with $200 awarded for each game.

In 1974, Ideal released another version with a picture of host Peter Marshall on the box. This version included funny celebrity names. Later, other companies like Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers also made their own versions of the game, some with 3-D boards and special rules for winning extra cash. The show was also turned into computer and handheld games, and an online version was available on the official website in 2002.

Episode status and reruns

Many episodes of the original Hollywood Squares game show still exist, but we do not know exactly how many. Some episodes may have been destroyed.

The Game Show Network has shown many episodes hosted by Peter Marshall, mostly from the 1970s. Some episodes from 1968 have also been shown. Many more episodes likely exist but have not been shown for various reasons. UCLA has a few episodes in its archive.

All episodes of The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour still exist and have been shown on the digital television network Buzzr since 2019.

The 1986–1989 version of the show was part of USA Network’s game show reruns from 1989 to 1993 but has not been seen on TV since then.

The 1998 version has been rerun on Game Show Network in the past. It was also seen on GameTV in Canada. In July 2023, a Hollywood Squares channel was added to Pluto TV with episodes hosted by Tom Bergeron, but it was removed in March 2025.