Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

PREMIERED August 16, 1999

THE SCOOP Too bad the networks don't seem to be as daring in the regular season as they are during summer break. Although the world hadn't seen a successful prime-time quiz show in eons, ABC took a shot with a 13-episode trial run of the hit British series (with Regis Philbin taking on hosting duties), and viewers made it a smash here too. Perhaps, though, ABC should've polled the audience regarding its appetite for heaping portions of Millionaire; when the network shortsightedly began to overschedule the show after a promising regular-season debut, subsequent audience burnout left ABC's prime-time lineup filled with holes. Eventually, Millionaire was relegated to a syndicated daytime version (hosted by Meredith Vieira), yet its signature catchphrase — ''Is that your final answer?'' — lives on. —Michael Slezak