Martin Short Just Signed On to Host Wildly Nostalgic Show

Well, well, well… it looks like game show TV is getting a little more fabulous. Martin Short, comedy icon and all-around chaos gremlin (in the best way), is officially hosting a reboot of the classic panel show “Match Game” on network television. And it seems like it’s going to be just as amazing as it was before.

According to Variety, ABC is reviving the retro hit with Short as both host and executive producer. Production kicks off in Montreal this summer, and it’ll stream on Hulu after airing on ABC. So basically, it’s about to be Martin Short summer, and we’re not mad.

A Little Bit Vintage, A Whole Lot of Funny

If you’ve never seen “Match Game,” imagine this: Celebrities, cocktails, and chaotic fill-in-the-blank questions such as: “Betty White said, ‘My husband is so old, he blanks in Roman numerals.’” Two contestants try to match their answers to the celeb panel’s, and things get hilariously off the rails fast.

The show originally ran in the ‘60s and ‘70s (RIP Gene Rayburn and his long skinny microphone), then Alec Baldwin hosted a previous reboot that ran from 2016–2021. That version had some decent legs, but Martin Short feels like the upgrade this throwback format deserves. With his offbeat comedic timing and endless energy, the man was born to host a panel that thrives on unpredictable banter.

Martin Short Is the Match

Martin Short is having a moment. Again. Between “Only Murders in the Building,” his endless run of live performances (with buddy Steve Martin), and now this, he’s doing what most comedians dream of; making reinvention look effortless. Plus, he’s not phoning this in. He’s teaming up with executive producer Alycia Rossiter (“Project Runway,” “The L Word: Generation Q”), per Variety, to keep things fresh, funny, and probably a little weird—in the best way.

And the timing? Perfect. Nostalgia is trending harder than low-rise jeans at a Y2K party, and ABC knows it. Rebooting a feel-good, celebrity-fueled game show with a host who actually knows how to improvise? Smart move.

So yeah, “Match Game” is getting a shiny new coat of paint, and Martin Short is holding the brush (or maybe a glittery buzzer). Between the boozy banter and Short’s comedy chops, it seems like this reboot might actually be a match made in game show heaven.

No word yet on a release date for this new version of “Match Game.”

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