The Dating Game
Wednesday January 19, 1966
TV Flash files “Wednesday January 19, 1966” as hour 23 of 251 in the TV Flash guide — The Dating Game (1965–1986) on ABC, season 1, episode 23, aired 1966-01-19, 25 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E23: listed hour 23 of 251 in the The Dating Game guide, hour 23 of 185 in season 1. It aired 1966-01-19 (25 min). The listed hour before it is “Tuesday January 18, 1966” (S01E22). Next is “Thursday January 20, 1966” (S01E24).
Viewer FAQ
Where does Wednesday January 19, 1966 sit in the The Dating Game guide?
S01E23 is listed hour 23 of 251 — hour 23 of 185 in season 1, season 1 episode 23.
When did The Dating Game S01E23 air?
Wednesday January 19, 1966 aired 1966-01-19 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…