Maniac Mansion was unique in many ways, but one of the most notable was the fact that it was a live-action show based on a video game. While animated shows based on games have been fairly common through the ages, live-action examples are much rarer.
Forza Motorsport Showdown: The Speed Channel and Microsoft Game Studios produced this 4-episode miniseries in 2007. Hosted by Lee Reherman, the show followed six amateur racers who competed in different motorsports events, including drag racing, autocross, and drifting. The prize was 100,000, winner-takes-all. Complicating the competition was the fact that the drivers were using unfamiliar cars, manned by crews they’d never met before. The Forza Motorsport 2 game was released for Xbox 360 shortly after the show’s completion.
King Koopa’s Kool Kartoons: This anthology show starred a costumed actor playing the Mario series’ main villain, King Koopa (Bowser). An audience of children received Koopa shirts and masks while King Koopa introduced old public domain cartoons. The show lasted for one season (1989-1990).
Mortal Kombat: Konquest: The first Mortal Kombat game was released in arcades in 1992, and quickly became one of the most popular games of all time. Its realistic levels of gore and violence drew controversy, however. Seven years later, that didn’t stop TNT from airing this one-season adaptation. Many popular characters appeared in the series, which centered on the battle between the evil Shao Kahn and the warrior monk Kung Lao. In the final episode, Kung Lao is killed and Shao Kahn’s victory over the Earthrealm became complete.
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?/Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?: These two game shows, based on Brderbund Software’s popular educational games, aired on PBS successively from 1991-1998 (Time replaced World in the 1996 season). Gameplay consisted of answering questions and listing events in order. Sandiego herself only appeared in the Time series, portrayed in the first season by Janine LaManna and in the second season by Brenda Burke.
You Don’t Know Jack: The You Don’t Know Jack games are an edgy blend of humor and game shows, but weren’t actually based on a television show. Instead, a show was created based on the series, starring Paul Reubens as host Troy Stevens. The contestants were regularly subjected to distractions like crying babies or a marching band while trying to determine their answers, and Reubens himself often fell into comical situations. The show lasted for six episodes during the summer of 2001, after which it was replaced by The Wayne Brady Show.
