Doug Davidson,[1] who was already well-known for his role as Paul Williams on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, hosted this syndicated series.
In keeping with a more modern theme, the set featured a black stage floor, darker lighting, muted colors such as silver, purple and gold, and a giant wall of video screens.
[2][better source needed] The Price Is Right theme was re-recorded with a faster tempo and a jazzier sound featuring a saxophone lead as opposed to synthesizers.
The three contestants who were called down stood behind a set of lecterns at the apron of the stage, and a vintage television commercial played on a large onstage video screen.
They would then offer a guess as to how much the item advertised cost in the year the commercial aired, and the closest bidder without going over won the chance to play for the Showcase.
The New Price Is Right also employed the daytime series’ Big Wheel for the Showcase Showdown in several episodes recorded early in the show’s brief run.
At the NATPE convention in January 1994, Paramount pushed The New Price Is Right as a viable option for stations for their fringe and access periods.
By the time NATPE concluded, the show had been sold in 78 markets and was one of the two more popular new entries at the convention, with the other being what would eventually become Warner Bros.’ entertainment news program Extra.
[4][5] Despite the willingness of station managers to buy the show, Paramount Domestic Television President Steve Goldman expressed doubt that things would work out as well as the company hoped, since the timeslots they were aiming for were highly competitive.
The eightieth and final first-run episode aired on January 26, 1995, with Paramount continuing to offer reruns to stations that wanted them until the end of the season.