Fox Stations To Test ‘Pictionary’ Game Show

Fox Television Stations will bring a game show based on Mattel’s Pictionary game to broadcast television. Hosted by Jerry O’Connell, the 30-minute syndicated show, distributed by CBS Media Ventures, is set to debut July 12 on select Fox stations, including WNYW in New York and KTTV in Los Angeles, and run weekdays for four weeks.

In making the announcement, Frank Cicha, EVP of programming for Fox Television Stations said: “We’re sure a lot of families got much better at Pictionary over the last 15 months, so we think the timing is perfect for a fun, innovative TV version, and to have Jerry O’Connell as host is a real bonus. We’ve loved working with him in the past, and are fortunate he chose to do this with us.”

Jerry O’Connell will host Pictionary, based on the game of quick sketches and hilarious guesses from Mattel. The broadcast version of the game will follow the rules of at-home play. Two teams of three will consist of two players led by a celebrity captain. One player from the team will draw images that depict a word or phrase found on a card chosen at random, in an effort to have their fellow teammates guess the correct word or phrase on the card. The grand prize winner will receive a trip to an exotic destination.

O’Connell said: “Ever since my failed drawing of a koala bear, lost my Mom and me our household Pictionary crown, I’ve wanted to prove myself on the Pictionary stage. I’m so happy to be working with this team from Fox and CBS. Sharpen your pencils, it’s going to be a fun summer.”

Beginning his career at age 11 co-starring as Vern Tessio in Stand by Me, Jerry O’Connell later received critical acclaim for his role as quarterback Frank Cushman in Jerry Maguire. Most recently, the actor starred as the lead in WGN’s Carter and in The Death of Superman alongside his wife, Rebecca Romijn.

O’Connell’s additional film credits include Scream 2, Can’t Hardly Wait, the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced comedy Kangaroo Jack, and Piranha 3-D. In addition to his film work, O’Connell was recently seen on multiple television series including Scream Queens, Mistresses and Billions.

In the summer of 2019, O’Connell hosted Jerry O, a daytime talk show that aired on the Fox Television Stations. O’Connell costarred alongside David Alan Grier and Blair Underwood in A Soldier’s Play, which had a successful run for Roundabout Theater Company and is currently nominated for seven Tony’s.

The limited series will be executive produced by David Hurwitz, Noah Bonnett and Richard Brown. Fred Soulie, SVP-GM of Mattel Television and Adam Bonnett serve as co-executive producers for Mattel.