Parents' Guide to

Press Your Luck

By Jenny Nixon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Reboot of '80s game show is glitzy fun, if a bit too long.

TV ABC Game Shows 2019
Press Your Luck Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • Press Your Luck TV Series: A contestant tries to avoid a Whammy
  • Press Your Luck TV Series: Host Elizabeth Banks
  • Press Your Luck TV Series: Three contestants and Elizabeth Banks

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Mich1534
Mich1534 Adult
July 31, 2019
age 8+

Love Press Your Luck

I watched press your luck when it was on years ago. I am so happy it’s back on . One of my favorite game shows.
Sammytricky1245
Sammytricky1245 Parent of 4 and 9-year-old
June 30, 2019
age 9+

Agreeing on a actor hosting

Well we also watch card sharks by Joel Mchale but, is a great show for my kid too.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

PRESS YOUR LUCK revamps the popular 1980s game show of the same name, this time hosted and produced by actress Elizabeth Banks. Each episode features three contestants who compete for the chance to win up to $1,000,000 by answering trivia questions and earning spins on the "Big Board": a game board that's full of cash and prizes including cars, electronics, and vacations. It won't be so easy, though, as they may also land on a dreaded "Whammy" square, which results in an animated devil-type imp character swooping down and erasing all their winnings. Once contestants earn four Whammies, they're out, leaving the winner to compete in a four-level bonus round that involves more spins on the board (and more potential Whammies to hit) but no additional trivia questions.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Ultimately, there's nothing particularly exciting about this game (original or rebooted version); we're just watching contestants spin over and over and waiting to see if they lose all their money. That said, Press Your Luck looks great, with a flashy modernized set and an amiable host who does a nice job interacting with contestants and keeping things moving. They've kept the wisecracking, roughly animated "Whammy" characters from the original series, which may push some happy nostalgia buttons for old-school fans, but added an all-new bonus round, which lengthens the episodes to a full hour -- which seems a bit long for this particular game, and may test some viewers' attention spans. Overall, though, it's harmless fun the whole family can enjoy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the recent trend in rebooting 1970s and '80s game shows. What is so appealing about bringing these shows back?

  • This new version of Press Your Luck features a bonus round, making the show a full hour as compared to the 1980s version's 30 minutes. Do you think it was necessary to do this in order to adapt the show for modern audiences?

  • Would you ever want to compete on a game show? Why or why not?

TV Details

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