Plot Synopsis

Created, executive produced and hosted by Guy Branum, TALK SHOW THE GAME SHOW is a half-hour series that is based on his live comedy show. Each week, three guests come to play -- not to plug their next project -- as they compete against each other in various talk show-inspired challenges and vie for the title of "Best Guest of the Night" -- all while getting judged by a panel that includes journalist Casey Schreiner and writer Karen Kilgariff. During the game, contestants score points by: Telling an anecdote; Getting a laugh from the audience; Mentioning a city and getting applause from the audience; Using a euphemism in place of a curse word; Flirting with the host; Flirting with the judges; Name dropping; Drinking alcohol on stage; Political grandstanding; Giving a gift to the host; Flashing the host; Doing a spit take; Lying about/obscuring their age; Doing an impression; Singing; Making the host cry; and Making the audience go "awwww." But sometimes their attempts fail, and the guests can be sanctioned for any of the following: Failure to respect the host; Failure to respect the audience; Showboating; Steamrolling; Excessive name dropping; Being boring; Excessive agreement; Being underdressed; Being overdressed; Not knowing things a person should know; Pomposity; Ass-kissing; Mispronunciation; White Male Fragility; Murder; and Delay of game. In addition to Branum, TALK SHOW THE GAME SHOW is executive produced by Wanda Sykes and Page Hurwitz. Celebrity guests in the first season include:

John Salley vs. Tiffany Haddish vs. Dan Bucatinsky
Wanda Sykes vs. Scott Adsit vs. Pandora Boxx
Maria Bamford vs. Ben Roy vs. James Adomian
Diablo Cody vs. Moby vs. Arden Myrin
Tim Bagley vs. Rashad Jennings vs. Beth Stelling
Margaret Cho vs. Paul Feig vs. Ed Weeks
John Early vs. Ana Navarro vs. Kate Flannery
Utkarsh Ambudkar vs. Aparna Nancherla vs. Jon Daly
Tracey Wigfield vs. TJ Lavin vs. Oscar Nunez
Nicole Byer vs. Kyle Kinane vs. Julian McCullough
Fortune Feimster vs. Adam Cayton-Holland vs. Alice Wetterlund
Bridget Everett vs. Kelis vs. Josh McDermitt
Wendi McLendon-Covey vs. Jonah Ray vs. Michelle Buteau
John Ross Bowie vs. Aasif Mandvi vs. Phoebe Robinson
Julie Klausner vs. Moshe Kasher vs. Rhea Butcher
Chelsea Handler vs. Maurice Jones Drew vs. Nikki Glaser

On Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at 10:30pm ET/PT, truTV premiered a half-hour sneak peek of the series, with the official series debut one week later on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 10pm. In the series opener, "She Ready, Boo!," basketball legend John Salley stretches himself to new heights, actress Tiffany Haddish tells all about her $280 million celebrity car ride, and actor/writer Dan Bucatinksy makes a compelling comeback pitch.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After a seven-month break, TALK SHOW THE GAME SHOW returned with new episodes on Thursday, February 1, 2018 from 10:30-11:30pm ET/PT, as truTV debuted back-to-back new episodes:

10:30pm: Actresses Melissa Joan Hart and Caroline Rhea have a mini-SABRINA THE WITCH reunion, and Jared Logan beats up jocks.

11pm: Colin Quinn and Charles Barkley trash-talk their way through the competition, but are they a match for Broadway diva Marissa Jaret Winokur?

Following the two-episode premiere, TALK SHOW THE GAME SHOW moves to its regular timeslot -- Thursdays at 11pm -- beginning February 8, with these guests scheduled for the remaining 14 episodes of the season:

- Fortune Feimster; Reggie Bush; Nick Thune

- Cheryl Hines; Ron Funches; Michael Kosta

- Billy Eichner; David Koechner; Lauren Lapkus

- Tate Donovan; Kym Whitley; Cristela Alonzo

- Andy Richter; Sasheer Zamata; Nadia G

- Cynthia Bailey; Cole Escola; Andy Kindler

- Anders Holm; Lennon Parham, Seaton Smith

- Loni Love; Andy Bell; Nicole Sullivan

- Heather Dubrow; Tone Bell; Maribeth Monroe

- Wanda Sykes; Lauren Ash; Nico Santos

- Ileana Douglas; Arturo Castro; Alec Mapa

- Dave Holmes; Maria Thayer; Eliza Skinner

- Natasha Leggero; Cam'ron; Wilson Cruz

- Jill Kargman; Judah Friedlander; Joel Kim Booste