‘Celebrity Name Game’ Getting 2nd Season

Debmar-Mercury and FremantleMedia North America today announced the nationally syndicated Celebrity Name Game has been renewed for a second season following pickups by Tribune Broadcasting, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Cox Broadcasting and others. The first season, which premiered this past fall in homes across America, ranks No. 2 among all new strips.

The broadcast renewals provide the game show with initial 2015-16 clearances in well over 80% of the U.S. Hosted by the Emmy-nominated Craig Ferguson and executive produced by Courteney Cox and David Arquette, the second season is in pre-production and the first season, currently on air, returns with new episodes on Jan. 12.

The show puts contestants and their celebrity teammates on the spot as they compete in four rounds of fast-paced gameplay to identify famous names — actors, singers, athletes, pop culture figures, politicians, even cartoon characters — based on improvised clues. The winning team has a chance to walk away with up to $20,000.

Celebrity Name Game is co-produced by FremantleMedia North America and Debmar-Mercury and is distributed domestically by Debmar-Mercury and internationally by FremantleMedia. The show was developed by Coquette Productions based on the popular board game Identity Crisis, created by Laura Robinson and Richard Gerrits of North 44 Productions.

In addition to Coquette’s Cox and Arquette, executive producers include FMNA’s Thom Beers and Jennifer Mullin, and veteran show runner Scott St. John. The syndicated, half-hour weekday strip airs in more than 93% of the country, including the top-50 U.S. markets.