Regis and "Millionaire" are back in ABC primetime! Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the smash hit "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" comes back to ABC this summer for a special two-week event. "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" premieres SUNDAY, AUGUST 9 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) and will air for 11 nights, Sunday-Thursday at 8:00 p.m., with the finale on SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET).
Details on qualification opportunities for interested contestants from all over the country will be forthcoming, but ABC's 10th Anniversary edition of "Millionaire" will celebrate everything that viewers loved about the original, combined with the major improvements to the gameplay after seven successful years in syndication. In addition, as a brand new feature of the return of primetime "Millionaire," every episode will culminate with a celebrity playing one question to benefit their charity of choice.
From Daytime "Millionaire's" Emmy nominations on the eve of its eight season launch to the Oscar-winning phenomenon "Slumdog Millionaire," it has been a banner year for the "Millionaire" pop culture juggernaut. To date, there have been 1,285 episodes of the syndicated version, and before it went off the air in 2002, the primetime edition saw 363 episodes, including "Super Millionaire" in 2004. Over $132 million has been won by contestants over the decade ($79 million in primetime; $53 million in syndication). In primetime, celebrity players won $13.5 million for their favorite charities.
The 10th Anniversary edition will continue many of the strongest elements of the original show, along with some of the more recent modifications to the format that were streamlined over the show's lifespan in syndication. For example, the "Fastest Finger" element will return, and the lifelines will include perennial favorites "Ask the Audience," "Phone a Friend," and also "Double Dip" (which originated during "Super Millionaire"). Imported from the Meredith Vieira-hosted daytime version will be the new lifeline, "Ask the Expert," and the substantially faster gameplay featuring time limits on every question.
What has never changed is that "Millionaire" remains the only game show in the history of television where regular Americans from all over the country can win one million dollars by simply answering fifteen questions.