The Theme Park Reviewer, also commonly as the Park Reviewer or shorten to TTPRR is an American reality park review television series. The series is centered on a number of critics who are frequently referred to as "The Best Critics In The World" and who visit a variety of theme parks throughout the United States of Robloxia to evaluate the rides, attractions, scenery, paths, and other items while also providing insight into the staff members of the theme park. The first episode of the Henry Gonzales-created series aired on ABC on September 29, 1948, and since then after its release, it had aired more than 5,000 episodes over the course of 74 seasons. The series has been on the air for more than 75 years overall. Stephano served as the show's host for its first 35 seasons until retiring in 1983. Arthur Miller took over as host for the following 15 seasons before leaving in 1998 and being replaced by current host Arthur O'Moore.
The critic is the main character of the series, who at the start of each episode provides some background information on the theme park he will soon visit. In the middle of the episode, he visits and rides every ride in the park before providing some background information to the owners, creators, and employees. Sometimes, in certain episodes, the owners or someone else can become irritated and began a drama, in which case, if happened, the series transform into a drama-type series, with the critic assisting the people to get back on track with their parks and mend their parks. However, the majority of the time in parks, the episode focuses on the severe issues that each park faces, such as drama, fights, violence, a lack of cleaning, and more; on rare occasions in the series, the subjects can be as serious as racism, gun violence, mental health, accidents, terrorist attacks, injuries, and deaths. Beginning in 1959, The Theme Park Reviewer aired a number of special programs centered on these subjects.
Each episode's production started with the writers, producers, and creators selecting various parks to visit before deciding which park to visit. The host and the crew who were filming everything then proceed to the park. After filming, the episode is sent into pre-production before production with the editing and further filming by the owners begins. Before the episode was nearly finished, the crew evaluated it. If extra rewrites and changes were requested, the episode was postponed from its initial scheduled broadcast date and was instead moved back into post-production, before it was eventually aired in its final form. The first edition of the show aired from September 1948 to October 1969; the second edition ran from November 1969 to January 1980; and the third edition ran from June 1980 to February 1985. The series is currently airing in its seventh edition, which debuted in March 2020. The 75th season ended on November 21, 2023. The 76th season debuted in the United States on December 24, 2023 as a Christmas special, and it has been revised for a 77th, 78th, and 79th season, expanding from 2024 when the 77th season will aired to 2028.
In addition to being the longest-running review program ever, The Theme Park Reviewer is credited with beginning the tradition of park reviews for television. Since the series' premiere in 1948, there have been various iterations, and 100 productions have been produced, inspired by, or based on the series. 90 shows based on the program were produced abroad, and they all received positive reviews.
Theme Park Reviewer earned favorable reviews from critics, viewers, and fans of the program. The series, however, has received harsh criticism for depicting severe violence and subjects that were said to have made viewers uncomfortable. As a consequence, more than 200 of the show's episodes from its entire run had been pulled off the air, including the most controversial one, which aired on June 25, 1992, and portrayed a young youngster firing at a crowd of people and leaving one person dead and three injured. The episode's shooting scene was captured exactly two months before it was scheduled to run, and since that time, it has been banned from airing anywhere in the globe.
Crew members
There have been seven distinct teams working on each issue during the course of the seventh edition since the series's debut.
Hoster
- Stephano Mcdonald (First Host); For the first 35 seasons of the show, from 1948 to 1983, he served as the primary host. Before dying away in 2015, he had only sometimes made appearances since his retirement, usually as a guest.
- Arthur Miller (Second Host); After Stephano Mcdonald announced his intention to end the show, Arthur was chosen to take over as the primary presenter. On August 5, 1983, he made his debut on the 1,453rd episode of the show. But he quit the series in 1998 since he was getting older as well.
- Arthur O'Moore (Third and Current Host): Third and current host of the programme, Arthur O, joined and took over in 1998.
First edition
- Directors: Matthew Powell, Melchiah Sanders, Stephen Howard, Khari Lawrence, Christian Berry, Alphonse Lee, Michael Gutierrez, Aaron Tucker, Alfred Spencer
- Producers: Lara Walsh, Jaguar Ramirez, Lascelles Romero, Arthur Owens, Luther Ross, Adam Porter, Harry Moore, Henry Gonzales (creator)
- Writers: Erin Arnold, Henry Ross
- Music: Lorena Patel, Mahnoor Fox
Second edition
- Directors: Jack Rodriguez, Ange Jordan, Mahir Young, Anna Ferguson, Aimee Grant, Badr Gonzales, Spencer Richards, Benjamin Gray, Tegan Brown
- Producers: Mehdi Ortiz, Heather Wilson, Brandon Olson, Leo Mills, Panthino Cook, Lychorida O'Sullivan, Henry Gonzales, Stephano Mcdonald (hoster)
- Writers: Max Jones, Morgan Lane
- Music: Lorena Patel, Mahnoor Fox
Third edition
- Directors: Travis Turner, Alexander Williams, Samuel Baker, Robert Rossm, Oscar Johnson, Jeremy Barnes, Luke Bennett, Erica Hamilton
- Producers: Henry Gonzales, Prospero Cruz, Sara White, Ethan Walsh, Micha O'Quinn, Sierra O'Dohert, Hamza Rivera, Stephano Mcdonald (hoster): left in 1983
- Writers: Skinner Russell, Sean West
- Music: Lorena Patel, Mahnoor Fox.
Fourth edition
- Directors: Nilsson Richardson, Michel Dixon, Clarence Hernandez, Dorcas Trelawnes, Paris Herrer, Randall Meyer, Denzel Morgan
- Producers: Hamza Rivera, Arthur Burns, Robert Young, Emma Kelley, Amelia O'Ryan
- Writers: Sean West (only)
- Music: Lorena Patel, Mahnoor Fox (died in 2001 during the Fourth edition)
Fifth edition
The first edition to air in the 21rd century
- Directors: Mani Hall, Muhammad Bailey, Addy Berry, Aleksy Berry, Bianca Reed, Bloise Thompson, Manley Jimenez, Montgomery Jimenez
- Producers: Sienna Blaese, Sabine Matthews, Aaron Martin, Myles Gardner, Dorcas Holmes, Christopher Sanchez, Arthur Miller and Arthur O'Moore (both hoster)
- Writers: Skinner Russell
- Music: Lorena Patel (died in 2006 during the Fifth edition)
Sixth edition
Less directors, due to major changes during the sixth edition
- Directors: Hershel Powell, Erin Phillips, Sierra Harrison, Kacie Simpson
- Producers: Joseph Cox, Nicolas O'Gallagher, Sienna Blaese, Charles Nguyen, Sabine Matthews, Aaron Martin, Myles Gardner, Arthur O'Moore (hoster)
- Writers: Skinner Russell
- Music: old work or unused tracks by Lorena Patel, Mahnoor Fox (from first to third edition)
Seventh edition
The current edition of the series (began in 2020)
- Directors: Arthur O'Moore, Sabine Matthews
- Producers: Kenneth Davis
- Writers: Skinner Russell
- Music: old work or unused tracks by Lorena Patel, Mahnoor Fox (from first to third edition)
History
Background
The number of television sets in the United States started to significantly increase in the late 1920s and early 1930s. When televisions first became popular, there were already a large number of TV programmes, with over half of them specializing on sexual material. The long-running television program My Drama Show, which had debuted a year earlier and attracted more than 2,000,000 viewers—the greatest audience for a television program at the time—by 1936, was the most watched program in America. The idea for a review series is said to have originated in 1931, but it didn't gain popularity until the late 1930s, when three reviews shows were shown on television, all of which were huge successes and attracted more viewers than any other show at the time. The spotlight, though, was mostly on the outfits. Television at this time didn't have any movie reviews programs; instead, it was mostly concerned with clothes. There have been attempts to produce the first film review, but these efforts have failed since the technology is not yet available for the shows that are planned.
Less than 5% of all television programming in 1941 consisted of review programs, and 50% of them were unpopular with viewers. Henry Gonzales initially proposed The Theme Park Reviewer in 1943, although the concept for the program actually dates back to 1939, when Henry wondered why reviews weren't more frequent in television programs. The only place to obtain reviews at the time was in newspapers, and they were all devoted to movies and even TV series. Henry viewed this as an opportunity to develop the concept further. Before outlining the plot of the show in his original proposal to ABC, he wrote: "A New Park, A New Review For It." and explained the design, overall series, the format and its premise. The producers at the time thought the initial pitch's idea wasn't all that great because the premise was different and had not yet been presented. A year later, in 1944, while proposing the concept to the producers once more, the producers had never heard of the idea for a television series about a person inspecting parks. As a consequence, the series' initial approval didn't come until early 1945, when the early stages of its construction were underway. Henry initially intended to serve as the show's principal presenter, but as the series' early phases of creation progressed, he decided to give Stephano Mcdonald, an MGM critic at the time, the job instead.
IThe fundamental idea and format for this show would be focused on a kid-like manner, according to a statement made by the ABC business on December 21, 1945, while The Theme Park Reviewer was still in its early phases of development. In 1946, the "kid-like" format was eliminated from the concept, which had recently been given to the public as a "joke," and the true original planned format for the program had not yet been created or shown to the United States. This marked the beginning of significant modifications for the series. One of the former members of the crew who worked on the series' development at the time before the series' premiere later shared the single screenshot from the original format that was intended to be used. On October 21, 1947, the ABC corporation then released The Theme Park Reviewer. By January 1948, the series' first episode had already started shooting, and its whole run had been put together. On September 28, 1948, at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, ABC debuted the show's pilot episode.
Early years and beginnings
During the week of September 26 to October 2, the first episode of The Theme Park Reviewer got the greatest rating ever. The business in charge of the production and development of the program, Thrill Haven, decided that the series "needed" to have additional episodes after the episode's popularity. The program was originally only going to have 15 episodes since there were concerns that its structure and concept would make it short-lived at the time the episode debuted. Due to the success of the show, both the corporation and ABC placed additional episode orders, bringing the total number of episodes by the end of 1948 to 45. By December, it was estimated that more than 40% of all Roblox users had seen at least one episode, and 25% of them had watched multiple episodes. Beginning in the early 1950s, the show was a huge hit for ABC, gaining more viewers and having one of the biggest season premieres ever at the time, with a total of 19.4 million viewers for Season 3 in 1950. By 1953, The Theme Park Reviewer had "such massive" audiences that the reviewers had dubbed the program "ground-breaking," only for its viewers. The first four seasons of the sitcom received high accolades for transforming a dull premise into a "classic fun show."
However, not all critics and viewers had praise for the series. The show's depiction of violence, which initially appeared in Episode 21 and persisted until the current season, was the subject of the most discussion. According to a survey conducted by the ABC network seeking data on the show's first 20 seasons, 49% of all episodes included violence in some form. This was the largest proportion of violent episodes at the time, and it was even said that close to half of them would have attracted viewers if they had featured any kind of drama or violence. According to reports, examples of this may be seen in the two-part episodes Episode 195 and 196, which were initially broadcast from January 4 to 12, 1950. According to reports, the drama episode's viewership increased during the drama portion and was 5 times more than the typical number of viewers for the show at the time. The ABC business also admitted that because of the show's popularity, children between the ages of 9 and 14 were also viewing it, whether or not their parents were there. As a result, a warning sign was aired before each episode starting with Episode 217.
The Theme Park Reviewer has already surpassed all other review shows to take the top spot before the beginning of its fifth season. The sixth season of The Theme Park Reviewer debuted in 1953 with its first episode, and it soon rose to the top of all-time popularity lists for TV seasons. Before losing to another television program in 1955, the program was ranked as the top program for five straight years. By the time of this, the series had grown to be one of the most watched on television, and it had started to have an impact on the park. Because the entire series employs parks in an unexpected way, some of the park's founders or owners were concerned that they may lose some popularity if the critic did not enjoy the ride. Before reopening, they made some significant changes to the rules governing its parks. After reviewing the park, the critics all awarded it generally "Positive" reviews. After Stephano experienced a mental health issue on November 2, 1953, filming was delayed, and the subsequent episode—which was originally scheduled to show on October 12—finally aired on December 30, 1953.
Later years
Format and premise
The format and premise of The Theme Park Reviewer follows a straightforward "storyline" that was developed by the crew members who were working on the show. Every episode since the show's debut on September 29, 1948, has included an introductory segment that lasts one minute and features the roller coasters and theme park that will be featured in the program. After the introduction was over, the show began with Stephano Mcdonald, who played the primary critic for the first 35 seasons, wandering about near the location of the park or at his made-up home. Before leaving to begin his visit to the park, the critic told the viewers where he was going and how long he would be spending there. If it was a small park, he said he would only be there for a short while and only pay attention to the things that caught his attention. If it was a large park, as was the case in most episodes, he said he would be staying there overnight. Afterwards, he was transported into the park by a group of individuals who recorded the car's movements. When they had finished their visit, the critic got out of the vehicle, and the true performance began, which was now a reality series. The reviewer conducts interviews with the creators, current owners, staff members, and visitors throughout the whole episode.
The critic then made the decision, in the middle of the show, to ride each and every roller coaster at the amusement park. "The Positives" and "The Negatives" are the two primary themes of the series. For instance, if the reviewer absolutely adores the roller coaster, he will add 10 "positives" to his list of rides, but most of the time, if the ride turns out to be decent or outstanding, he will just add one to two "positives". When rating a roller coaster, he will give it one to two "negatives" if he doesn't like it, and ten "negatives" if he doesn't enjoy it. If the reviewer believed that the roller coaster was neither good nor poor, he would not add even one "positive" or "negative" rating to his list. In addition, rather than only focusing on the roller coasters, he evaluates every aspect of the park, including its design, general setting, roads, fencing, food service, and more. This helps to determine if the reviewer liked or despised the park. In a fast five to six minute segment at the conclusion of the program, he will demonstrate both the "positives" and "negatives" of the park and explain to the viewers why he loves or hates it. If he like the park, he would encourage viewers to visit it soon; nevertheless, if he disapproved of the park, he would forbid viewers from visiting it.
Two distinct "storylines" exist for each episode of The Theme Park Reviewer. One of them is the non-drama events, which occur when none of the park's inhabitants are hostile against one another or when the park doesn't require any repairs. However, there will be drama in certain episodes, mostly between the producers and the owners. The reviewer now explains that he had no option but to work with the owners and the creator of the series to get back on track and rectify the problem if it did exist, turning the show into a drama-type series.In a few rare instances, the drama will then get violent, with some of the characters being revealed to be fighting and arguing about the drama. If a fight broke out, the critic was required to break up the altercation but was compelled to stay far longer because of the owners' strong opposition. A two-minute clip highlighting the negative events that happened at the park he is now at will play to highlight the park's general defects and problems and the things that need to be fixed. In some situations, the reviewer describes the ideas he had for the new theme park design, pathways, or stores. In exceedingly unusual circumstances, a brawl may break out during an interview and one participant may grab a mini-gun, leading to a shooting. In a risky situation like this, the team is compelled to discuss these emotions regarding the filming and the drama as it worsens. The reviewer was forced to leave the park and stop advising the viewers to visit it altogether if the owners and developers continued to ignore each other.
The concept and idea of The Theme Park Reviewer were entirely different during the first ten seasons. The "storyline" is revealed to be different from the current structure; it now begins with the critic—Stephano Mcdonald at the time of the season's debut—walking about close to where the park sits. The episodes for the series were only around 30 minutes long during this time period, namely from the series' premiere until 1951, which did not provide the reviewer enough time to properly describe how the parks operate. As a result, the reviewer in these episodes just gave the audience a hint as to which park he planned to visit today. The critic then proceeds to ride every coaster in the middle of the episode, even though there were less roller coasters there at the time the series was released. The reviewer was forced to go to the area's larger, less well-known parks as a result. The reviewer was eventually given enough time to assess the park in a brief, yet lengthier amount of time because the run duration for an episode was eventually changed to 45 to 50 minutes. A distinct "storyline" was provided for the crew members in a select few episodes from 1950 to 1952, during which the critic was limited to reviewing the park's roller coasters. This was caused by the crew's inability to come up with creative ideas for the theme park they would be using.
The Theme Park Reviewer occasionally performs a musical performance that is not "recorded or scripted," but rather is developed by the park's proprietors for their own amusement. This causes people to dance around, making the critic's appearance surprising. Examples of this may be seen in episodes from the 20th century, including episodes 1959, 2263, 1529, and 3929, as well as more recently, episode 5059 on January 5, 2023.
Broadcast format, aspect ratio and color
The Theme Park Reviewer used a black and white color scheme for its episodes starting on September 28, 1948, and continuing through January 1953. At the time, there was no color. As a result, those hues are used throughout the first three seasons of the show. Short TV screens were common at the time, but by the late 1960s, some television sets started using significantly bigger displays, enabling the insertion of extra backdrop to the broadcast. There have been various prior attempts to colorize the first episode. Examples of this almost occurred when the third episode of the first season was substituted for the then-planned Episode 131 on the date of January 2, 1952, for reasons that are still unclear. According to reports from the crew, the episode was broadcast in full color. Had it aired on the correct date, it would have been the third episode of a television series to feature color and the second to do so in the United States. Eventually, Episode 296 was the first episode of the TV show to be shown in color.
Episode 1543, which aired as a special program in November 1970, was the first to employ a 4:3 aspect ratio. The program opted to employ an entirely new aspect ratio for the season as more TV displays became popular with largest screens. When the episode first aired, critics declared it to be the best episode ever, which showed the episode to be groundbreaking. With its debut episode using the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio, The Theme Park Reviewer established itself as the first television series. Many shows attempted to employ the 4:3 aspect ratio prior to the intended episode's premiere but failed owing to a lack of camera quality. The team behind the episode intended to change the way the 4:3 aspect ratio looked from the previous seasons of the series. They acquired new cameras for the episode just before Episode 1543 was filmed as a consequence. The Theme Park Reviewer switched to the 16:10 aspect ratio in the early 2000s, but on March 3 and April 1, 2003, respectively, when two "lost" episodes were finally shown, the show went back to its original 4:3 aspect ratio. With the premiere of the 57th season in 2004, the series made use of high definition for the first time. The program has since switched to a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Production
Development and research
The team behind an episode's production started by brainstorming new theme parks that had never been mentioned in American history. The series' creators, producers, writers, and some of the park's owners worked on their theme park research during this phase. Henry Gonzales said in 1979 that researching parks that had already been discussed was necessary because "if there is not research on a park, yeah, you are gonna get confused in which park you actually want to go to, and plus, you need to also research the history of the park, in case there are some issues with the park beforehand." Since there was "no internet" available at the time, they had to conduct their research on the park using newspapers, sheets of paper, billboards, and other sources. This research took place between the early 1950s and the late 1960s, and the show's creator Henry stated that he had to call the park's owners to ask them "if they could allow them to film." The team gathers the producers and presents them with their idea for the upcoming episode while the episode is being developed. Since the series is a reality show, the pitch for each episode focused on the park's background, offerings, roller coasters, architecture, popularity, and more. The production team informs the episode's creator when it has been approved. In 1976, Henry admitted that when an episode is approved, he "always" learns about it first before telling "the others".
Soon after an episode has been approved, pre-production on it started, with further research coming to the park first. In some instances, as the crew members had mentioned, when the park they had planned to visit is not good, i.e., it is receiving negative feedback from viewers and critics, production will stop on the episode that is focused on the park and will continue until a brand-new and better park is found. There were other instances like this over the whole duration of the series, but episode 1949 stands out for having happened during pre-production and requiring a total stop to filming due to a major cyclone striking the region the team was going to travel to. The episode was supposed to run on November 2, 1980, but it wasn't until almost a year later, on September 27, 1981, that it was finally shown because of the major delays in production caused by the park's extensive damage from the storm. Prior to the commencement of filming and production, early development on each episode might take at least five months to complete. Depending on the park's history and current technology like the internet, a new episode's production can now be completed in as little as one to two months. The crew members gave the authors the go-ahead to start drafting the next episode's opening sequence as it was nearing the finish of its development. The introductory scene of The Theme Park Reviewer, in contrast to previous reviews, consists entirely of text and was "pre-recorded" for five minutes.
Filming
Music
Styles
Point-of-view
Effects on parks
Better performance
Some parks featured in several episodes has improved over the course of the series' run, each year since the episode featuring the park was broadcast. In the episode 364 of the seventh season, which aired, examples of this were displayed. There was no title for the park's real name; it was just referred to in the episode as Katerina Baker's Park. In order to avoid using the theme park's name in the episode title, Episode 364 was used instead. For the park, it was described in the episode as "very dirty," along with some fights happening around the park more frequently, leading to the hiring of more officers, and as a result of hiring more, the creator reportedly had to pay more than $10,000 dollars every single year, which was reportedly the highest amount of money that a creator had ever given to a worker or more at the time the episode was released. The critic stated that the park need some improvements at the conclusion of the episode and did not recommend it to the audience. Less than three years after the first airing of the episode, the park was renamed "The World's Best Park Of Mini-Fun!" and Katerina Baker, the park's creator, made some significant changes to the park. She eventually closed the park for repairs, and by 1960, it was the second-most successful park in America.
Broadcast and release
Overview and seasons
| Season | Network television schedule | First aired | Last aired | No. of episodes | Time slot | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1948-49 | September 29, 1948 | August 1, 1949 | 45 | 6:00 PM (EST) | ABC |
| 2 | 1949-50 | September 4, 1949 | August 2, 1950 | 45 | ||
| 3 | 1950-51 | September 1, 1950 | August 4, 1951 | 45 | ||
| 4 | 1951-52 | September 2, 1951 | August 20, 1952 | 45 | ||
| 5 | 1952-53 | August 21, 1952 | August 1, 1953 | 45 | ||
| 6 | 1953-54 | August 14, 1953 | August 1, 1954 | 45 | ||
| 7 | 1954-55 | September 5, 1954 | August 9, 1955 | 45 | ||
| 8 | 1955-56 | October 1, 1955 | September 10, 1956 | 45 | ||
| 9 | 1956-57 | September 19, 1956 | August 1, 1957 | 45 | ||
| 10 | 1957-58 | August 21, 1957 | September 1, 1958 | 45 |
7:00 PM (EST) to 8:00 PM (EST) | |
| 11 | 1958-59 | September 8, 1958 | August 9, 1959 | 44 | ||
| 12 | 1959-60 | August 25, 1959 | August 1, 1960 | 46 | ||
| 13 | 1960-61 | August 24, 1960 | September 1, 1961 | 45 | ||
| 14 | 1961-62 | September 9, 1961 | August 19, 1962 | 45 | ||
| 15 | 1962-63 | August 29, 1962 | September 30, 1963 | 45 | ||
| 16 | 1963-64 | October 1, 1963 | August 1, 1964 | 51 | ||
| 17 | 1964-65 | August 4, 1964 | September 2, 1965 | 50 | ||
| 18 | 1965-66 | September 4, 1965 | August 28, 1966 | 49 | ||
| 19 | 1966-67 | August 29, 1966 | September 1, 1967 | 48 | ||
| 20 | 1967-68 | September 11, 1967 | August 31, 1968 | 46 | ||
| 21 | 1968-69 | September 1, 1968 | September 3, 1969 | 42 | ||
| 22 | 1969-70 | September 4, 1969 | August 2, 1970 | 41 | ||
| 23 | 1970-71 | August 10, 1970 | September 1, 1971 | 47 | ||
| 24 | 1971-72 | September 9, 1971 | August 1, 1972 | 48 | ||
| 25 | 1972-73 | August 11, 1972 | August 9, 1973 | 48 | ||
| 26 | 1973-74 | September 9, 1973 | September 1, 1974 | 48 | ||
| 27 | 1974-75 | September 9, 1974 | August 5, 1975 | 48 | ||
| 28 | 1975-76 | August 9, 1975 | August 21, 1976 | 48 | ||
| 29 | 1976-77 | August 25, 1976 | September 1, 1977 | 48 | 9:00 PM (EST) | |
| 30 | 1977-78 | September 9, 1977 | August 9, 1978 | 48 | ||
| 31 | 1978-79 | September 8, 1978 | August 21, 1979 | 48 | ||
| 32 | 1979-80 | August 31, 1979 | September 3, 1980 | 48 | ||
| 33 | 1980-81 | September 12, 1980 | November 1, 1981 | 51 | ||
| 34 | 1981-82 | November 9, 1981 | November 1, 1982 | 51 | ||
| 35 | 1982-83 | November 12, 1982 | August 9, 1983 | 51 | ||
| 36 | 1983-84 | August 18, 1983 | September 1, 1984 | 51 | ||
| 37 | 1984-85 | September 9, 1984 | September 8, 1985 | 51 | ||
| 38 | 1985-86 | September 25, 1985 | August 29, 1986 | 51 | ||
| 39 | 1986-87 | August 31, 1986 | September 2, 1987 | 51 | ||
| 40 | 1987-88 | September 4, 1987 | August 1, 1988 | 51 | ||
| 41 | 1988-89 | August 21, 1988 | August 29, 1989 | 51 | ||
| 42 | 1989-90 | September 9, 1989 | August 8, 1990 | 51 | ||
| 43 | 1990-91 | August 21, 1990 | September 2, 1991 | 48 | ||
| 44 | 1991-92 | September 9, 1991 | September 1, 1992 | 48 | ||
| 45 | 1992-93 | September 2, 1992 | September 2, 1993 | 48 | ||
| 46 | 1993-94 | September 11, 1993 | September 9, 1994 | 48 | ||
| 47 | 1994-95 | September 16, 1994 | August 29, 1995 | 48 | TENT | |
| 48 | 1995-96 | September 9, 1995 | August 1, 1996 | 48 | ABCTENT (1996-2017) | |
| 49 | 1996-97 | August 10, 1996 | September 10, 1997 | 47 | ||
| 50 | 1997-98 | September 25, 1997 | August 31, 1998 | 46 | ||
| 51 | 1998-99 | September 19, 1998 | November 1, 1999 | 45 | ||
| 52 | 1999-00 | January 1, 2000 | December 29, 2000 | 44 | ||
| 53 | 2000-01 | January 2, 2001 | August 29, 2001 | 43 | ||
| 54 | 2001-02 | September 31, 2001 | September 8, 2002 | 38 | ||
| 55 | 2002-03 | September 18, 2002 | September 19, 2003 | 49 | ||
| 56 | 2003-04 | September 21, 2003 | October 29, 2004 | 48 | ||
| 57 | 2004-05 | November 1, 2004 | September 31, 2005 | 46 | ||
| 58 | 2005-06 | October 6, 2005 | August 9, 2006 | 43 | ||
| 59 | 2006-07 | August 21, 2006 | September 1, 2007 | 41 | ||
| 60 | 2007-08 | September 9, 2007 | August 9, 2008 | 43 | ||
| 61 | 2008-09 | September 11, 2008 | October 3, 2009 | 45 | ||
| 62 | 2009-10 | October 10, 2009 | October 10, 2010 | 47 | ||
| 63 | 2010-11 | October 20, 2010 | September 9, 2011 | 49 | ||
| 64 | 2011-12 | September 12, 2011 | August 9, 2012 | 51 | ||
| 65 | 2012-13 | August 15, 2012 | August 19, 2013 | 50 | ||
| 66 | 2013-14 | August 29, 2013 | August 28, 2014 | 49 | ||
| 67 | 2014-15 | September 10, 2014 | August 29, 2015 | 48 | ||
| 68 | 2015-16 | September 11, 2015 | August 9, 2016 | 50 | 8:30 PM (EST) | |
| 69 | 2016-17 | August 21, 2016 | September 1, 2017 | 46 | ||
| 70 | 2017-18 | September 15, 2017 | August 29, 2018 | 45 | ||
| 71 | 2018-19 | August 31, 2018 | September 2, 2019 | 45 | ||
| 72 | 2019-2020 | September 11, 2019 | August 31, 2020 | 45 | ||
| 73 | 2020-21 | September 9, 2020 | August 21, 2021 | 45 | ||
| 74 | 2021-2022 | September 9, 2021 | August 25, 2022 | 45 | ||
| 75 | 2022-23 | September 9, 2022 | November 21, 2023 | 48 | ||
| 76 | 2023-24 | December 24, 2023 | Ongoing | 16 |
Editions
Seven complete episodes of the series had been shown as of the 75th season. The first edition of the program extended from September 28, 1948, to October 1969 (the longest edition of a television series to date), followed by the second edition, which ran from November 1969, to January 1980, and the third edition, which ran from June 1980, to February 1985. The fourth edition of the series aired from March 1985 to December 1998, the fifth from January 1999 to August 11, 2008, the sixth edition of the programme from August 18, 2008, to January 2020. The seventh and current edition began airing in March 2020.
| The Theme Park Reviewer edition release date timeline |
|---|
| 1948-1969 - The First Edition |
| 1969-1980 - The Second Edition |
| 1980-1985 - The Third Edition |
| 1985-1998 - The Fourth Edition |
| 1999-2008 - The Fifth Edition |
| 2008-2020 - The Sixth Edition |
| 2020-present - The Seventh Edition |
Episodes
- See also: List of The Theme Park Reviewer episodes (season 1-20), List of The Theme Park Reviewer episodes (season 21-40), List of The Theme Park Reviewer episodes (season 41-60) and List of The Theme Park Reviewer episodes (season 61-present)
There is a total of 5,000+ episodes.
Reception
Reviews
The Theme Park Reviewer have received generally positive reviews. Many people expressed concerns about the show being "too boring" before it debuted, and a news article dated September 4, 1948 said that it was "going to be a flop." However, because of its cutting-edge technology and its shows' realistic narrative techniques, the series was much praised when it first debuted in late-September 1948, both by reviewers and viewers. When the series was initially broadcast, television wasn't all that developed. It was still a relatively new medium, and at the time, the majority of TV shows—all of which were scripted-drama type shows—were short-lived since they didn't draw enough viewership and had a lot of unfavorable reviews. Young adults in particular took to The Theme Park Reviewer right away, and by the next day, it had become one of the most talked-about television programs in the country. Reviewer Mustafa Murphy claimed in an article published by the New York Times on September 30, 1948, that "thanks" to its shocking and intriguing reality storyline, which follows that basic review thingy but improved it, this show can proved that sometimes, a show can be good at doing its job." Most of the praise heavily went into the reality drama storyline. In several articles, dated all from October 1948, many critics expressed their thoughts, saying that "the storyline was very intriguing, especially given the fact that in most cases, shows like these can be easily boring to watch through". In a article dated from September 28, critic Edward Hayes stated that the show was unlike any other shows "in the world". The main character had also gotten a little bit of positive feedback. Despite the fact that the program was a reality program with a strong emphasis on drama and theme parks, Stephano McDonald received accolades for being both "serious" and "funny" at the same time. Since then, the show's initial presenter has received high recognition for being the finest host.
The Theme Park Reviewer gained popularity and became one of the highest-rated shows starting in the 1950s. After the first five seasons, which were well appreciated by reviewers since then, the program began to transition into a reality-drama series starting with the sixth season. The key factors behind the show's success at this period were said to be its drama. The dramatic tenor of The Theme Park Reviewer received appreciation. In a piece from August 2, 1953, reviewer Mary Riley applauded the hoster for "trying to deal with the problem carefully" and said that the drama was the main show's high point. In other situations, commentators had also said that the drama part had taught viewers a valuable lesson. One of the episodes, with a publication date of December 9, 1952, was criticized in a number of publications. It centered on a family striving desperately to avoid being shut down. The performance has also received attention for its poignant scenes involving the park employees and the reviewer himself. The majority of the time, a narrative that is being recounted by the individuals working had been "shocking," too potent, and really unpleasant to hear it, according to critics. The Theme Park Reviewer has garnered a lot of attention for both its structure and its idea. The focus of the acclaim was mostly on the first through fourth seasons of the program (from 1948 to 1952). Ria Mason and Nester Rodriguez, two critics who have written articles for various publications, both give the format of the performance high acclaim in an article from March 24, 1951. They claim that it is a very nice format that is extremely helpful to learn for. The structure and idea received the most of the plaudits, but all of the critics also gave the show's overall styling and direction high marks in their evaluations. One of the most notably ones were the point-of-views, also known by the series as POVS. The point-of-views, sometimes referred to as POVS by the series, were one of the most notable ones. It was the first time a camera had been displayed in a real roller coaster when POVS made its debut in the program in 1949. One of the numerous highlights of the concert had been POVS. The POVS, according to critics, were among their favorite sections of the whole program since they were so entertaining to watch, especially from a roller coaster.
The show has recently garnered favorable reviews from reviewers, however not as much as in the early years after its premiere. According to reports, the program's discline became apparent after Arthur Miller was introduced as the new host in 1983.
Ratings
Controversies
Episodes removed from rotation
- See also: The Theme Park Reviewer episodes removed from rotation
Throughout its run, The Theme Park Reviewer had a total of 212 episodes removed from airing. Untitled Episode 19 (previously known as Zakaria Harrison's Park), which was originally scheduled to appear on March 2, 1949, was one of these programs that became well-known. However, the complete program has subsequently been made available to the public and was shown on March 3, 2003, as a "lost" episode.
But, the most troubled and the most controversial episode became Episode 2846, titled as "The Twins's Park". First airing in the United States on June 25, 1992, during the first act of the episode, a massive fight between a group of teen happened, in which it is quickly stopped by a group of officers. However, during the middle of the part of the episode, one of the same teenager who got into a fight began shooting at everyone and the moment of the shooting was captured on camera. After the shooting, a three-minute crime walkthrough is shown, featuring extreme blood, gore and a dead body on the ground; the scene is shown without any blur or featured any black scene to cover the blood and the bodies. The incident that was captured on camera took place exactly two months before the episode's airing on April 25, 1992. Shortly after the episode aired, the episode was quickly pulled out from airing in the United States or anywhere else in the world. Since then, the episode had been leaked online by several users during the 2000s and 2010s. Despite this, the incident didn't affected the overall production of the show, but did affected the upcoming episodes that had to delayed by three weeks.
See also
- List of TV shows