The Dating Game
Monday December 20, 1965
TV Flash files “Monday December 20, 1965” as a desk essential hour — The Dating Game (1965–1986) on ABC, season 1, episode 1, aired 1965-12-20, 25 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E01: listed hour 1 of 251 in the The Dating Game guide, first listed hour of season 1. It aired 1965-12-20 (25 min). No earlier hour is listed in this guide. Next is “Tuesday December 21, 1965” (S01E02).
Essential hour: “Monday December 20, 1965”. Monday, December 20, 1965 is the blind-quiz contract: one chooser, three unseen suitors, Chuck Barris cheek, Jim Lange at the lectern.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Monday December 20, 1965 sit in the The Dating Game guide?
S01E01 is listed hour 1 of 251 — first listed hour of season 1, season 1 episode 1.
When did The Dating Game S01E01 air?
Monday December 20, 1965 aired 1965-12-20 and is listed at 25 minutes.
Where should I start?
A Lange-hosted hour with the blind-quiz setup is the whole machine: unseen suitors, cheeky questions, a date as prize. Format, not serial.
In the series
Why this series still plays
The Dating Game made romance a blind quiz: one bachelor or bachelorette, three unseen suitors, Chuck Barris's cheeky production, and Jim Lange keeping the innuendo just inside Standards. It is the ancestor of every later dating competition, only shorter and more studio-bound. Network daytime taught America to flirt on camera without calling it reality TV yet.
Monday, December 20, 1965: one bachelor or bachelorette, three unseen suitors, Chuck Barris's cheeky production, Jim Lange keeping the innuendo just inside Standards & Practices. The Dating Game made romance a blind quiz on ABC and taught America to flirt on camera without calling it reality television yet. A contestant questions hidden suitors and picks a date based on banter alone. Soft-core sixties flirtation for daytime and prime access. **Matchmaking became a format here.**
Filed against
- Jim Lange as Host
Jim Lange hosted The Dating Game as a blind quiz with innuendo just inside Standards — one bachelor or bachelorette, three unseen suitors, Chuck Barris cheek, 1960s studio romance as the ancestor of every later dating competition. TV…