The Dating Game
Friday September 2, 1966
TV Flash files “Friday September 2, 1966” as the last listed hour of season 1 — The Dating Game (1965–1986) on ABC, season 1, episode 185, aired 1966-09-02, 25 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E185: listed hour 185 of 251 in the The Dating Game guide, last listed hour of season 1. It aired 1966-09-02 (25 min). The listed hour before it is “Thursday September 1, 1966” (S01E184). Next is “Monday September 5, 1966” (S02E01).
Viewer FAQ
Where does Friday September 2, 1966 sit in the The Dating Game guide?
S01E185 is listed hour 185 of 251 — last listed hour of season 1, season 1 episode 185.
When did The Dating Game S01E185 air?
Friday September 2, 1966 aired 1966-09-02 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…