‘Person, Place or Thing’ To Debut in Syndication This Fall

'Person, Place or Thing,' Fox's new first-run game show, is hosted by actress Melissa Peterman.
'Person, Place or Thing,' Fox's new first-run game show, is hosted by actress Melissa Peterman. (Image credit: Fox First Run)

Person, Place or ThingFox First Run’s new game show hosted by Melissa Peterman — has been sold in nearly 90% of the U.S. for a fall 2023 launch. The show will premiere on Fox-owned stations as well as on stations in the Sinclair, Nexstar Media Group, Gray Television, E.W. Scripps and Tegna groups in 161 markets. 

“I've been trying to get Melissa to host one of our game shows for years,” Stephen Brown, executive VP of programming and development for Fox First Run and Fox Television Stations, said in a statement. “Her upbeat energy and comic timing work perfectly on Person, Place or Thing.

The game is played like the old standby “20 Questions,” in which players ask yes or no questions to try to get their partner to identify a person, place or thing. 

“I’m excited to return to working with Stephen Brown and the team at Fox on a game show that is truly for everyone,” Peterman — who has starred in such shows as The CW’s Reba, Freeform’s Baby Daddy and CBS’s Young Sheldon — said in a statement. “This is 20 Questions for the 21st century, with twists and turns that will keep people guessing. I promise that viewers will be shouting answers at the TV from home, but I can’t promise we’ll hear them. I can't wait to get started.”

The show was created by Jeff Proctor and Paul Franklin. Proctor, who previously served as VP of sports at CBS’s Los Angeles duopoly KCBS-KCAL, is the founder and president of ProAngle Media. Franklin was formerly executive VP and general sales manager at Twentieth Television and president of CBS Television Distribution. Proctor, Franklin and Peterman serve as executive producers. Fox first tested the show last summer on select Fox-owned stations. 

“We came together to create something fun, familiar, and lighthearted that the entire family can enjoy,” Proctor and Franklin said in a joint statement. “Partnering with former colleagues at Fox First Run and adding Melissa as the ideal host to make viewers laugh and want to play along will make this show a hit.”

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.