Monday's Highlights: 'Million Dollar Money Drop' on Fox

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TV listings for the week of Dec. 19 - 25 in PDF format (alternate link)

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This week's TV Movies

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BIG BUCKS: Kevin Pollak hosts "Million Dollar Money Drop," a new game show where contestants answer questions to win up to $1 million at 8 p.m. on Fox. 

SERIES

The Sing-Off: The remaining groups perform and the winner is named in the season finale (8 p.m. NBC). 

Independent Lens: “The Calling,” which concludes Tuesday, follows American students from Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim faiths as they prepare to become ordained religious professionals (9 p.m. KCET). 

American Pickers: A collector has filled a train station with vintage cars, but Mike is taken with a mysterious Italian trunk that hasn't been opened in 50 years, and the guys stop at a New Hampshire home with a weather vane made from a real Harley-Davidson motorbike in this new episode (9 p.m. History). 

The Closer: The squad's holiday plans are jeopardized when a feud leads to a stabbing on Christmas Eve and the accidental death of a family's patriarch in this new episode (9 p.m. TNT). 

Hoarders: After growing up with a mother who was an inveterate hoarder a 19-year-old man realizes he must get his own hoarding under control if he want to have a ‘normal' life, in this new episode (10 p.m. A&E). 

Men of a Certain Age: Joe (Ray Romano) finds himself dating two women, a situation he isn't sure how to handle and Terry (Scott Bakula) makes a bet with another salesman over which of them can move more cars in this new episode (10 p.m. TNT). 

SPECIALS

Martha and the Christmas Tree: In the first of six planned episodes of this new animated series, a ten-year-old Martha Stewart, and her friends enter the annual Bedford Falls tree trimming contest (7 p.m. Hallmark). 

MOVIES

The Special Relationship: HBO reprises a some of its best 2010 TV movies beginning with Michael Sheen, Dennis Quaid in “The Special Relationship” (7:30 p.m.); Claire Danes and Catherine O'Hara in “Temple Grandin” (9 p.m.) and Al Pacino and Susan Sarandon in “You Don't Know Jack” (11 p.m.). 

SPORTS

Basketball: The Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Clippers (7:30 p.m. FS Prime).

Photo: Michael Yarish / Fox

Comments

[Adam]

This show follows the pattern of "extreme game shows" that build the intense suspense to annoying levels. However, the questions were interesting, and I was shocked to be wrong a few times. The host, Kevin Pollak, leaves a lot to be desired, however.

http://appraisalsbyadam.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/million-dollar-money-drop-season-1-episode-1/

[John Miller]

I googled "What is the most common password"? and 8 of the top 10 websites say the answer is "Password"...not really sure why the 2nd couple lost on that one...

[Lance Williams]

Million Dollar Money Drop on Fox, premiere episode: 3M Post-It notes were before the Walkman. The contestants were right, but lost $820K. The question was which product was in stores first. Post-It Notes were introduced in 1977 and sold in four cities. 1980 (the date used for the question) marked nationwide distribution, not when it was FIRST in stores.

"We made samples to test out on the company and the results were dramatic. We had executives walking through knee-deep snow to get a replacement pad. It was going to be bigger than Magic Tape, my division’s biggest seller. In 1977, we launched Post-it Notes in four cities. The results were disappointing and we realised we needed samples. People had to see how useful they were. Our first samples were given out in Boise, Idaho and feedback was 95 per cent intent to re-purchase. The Post-it Note was born."

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f08e8a9a-fcd7-11df-ae2d-00144feab49a.html#axzz18hyDnyKX

God-awful show without a function research department, apparently. Poor contestants don't even know they were robbed.

[fofoho]

"Launched" doesn't mean "sold." 3M gave away Post-It Notes for free in 4 markets in 1977 but those 4 offices didn't like them. They never sold one in stores (what the question asked) until 1980. Just read the official site for it: http://www.post-it30years.com/main/default.aspx

[AJ]

No, "launched" in this instance did mean "sold." They were sold in 4 markets but they didn't sell well, thus the quote that the "results were disappointing." It wasn't until a year later that they decided to "give them away" in only Boise, not 4 markets.

The only discrepancy that they show might be able to claim is that when 3M first sold them in the 4 markets in 1977, they weren't called "Post-It Notes." I can't find any evidence to conclude either way whether they were "Post-It Notes" in 1977 or if that name was created for the national launch in 1980. If the latter is true, then the show is still technically correct. However, if they were sold briefly in 4 markets in 1977 under the name Post-It Notes, the show owes somebody quite a bit of money.

[mrk and lauren]

they were wrong on the million dollar drop
the post it was first sold in 1977
we need to find out what happened

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_year_were_post_it_notes_first_sold

[LALady]

Don't bother watching the poorly researched "Money Drop." The show uses the same research team doing the network's "news" offerings.

A couple lost out on the big money due to faulty research. The question asked for the product first sold in stores: Post-It Notes, Sony Walkman or Macintosh computers. The couple said the notes. The show claimed Walkman.

The Post-It Note was sold by 3-M in four markets in 1977-1979. [Check the company's own website for the source]. I purchased the item in LA, CA during this period for work during graduate school. It wasn’t given to me or handed out as an experimental product; it was on the shelves just like everything else in the school supply section. The product didn’t sell well and was re-marketed in 1980 for consumer use. [The product continued for business sale during the re-marketing campaign for consumers, as I continued to buy it.] Walkman was marketed in Japan late in 1979 and introduced on a wider scale in spring 1980s for the US market, as listed on the Sony corporate website. The Mac was introduced for sale in 1984, as per Apple history webpage.

The TV contestants need to sue the producers of the show and the network to get their winnings. They were 100% correct. The question asked when the first product was sold. The correct answer is 1977.

[Jessica Hawkins]

My husband and I would love to be on the million dollar money drop show.

[Mr Robert A Robinson]

Tonights show 1/11/11, left me puzzled. I strongly believe that in today's day and time that teenagers spend more time surfing the internet than watching television by far. Children (under age 12) watch t.v. more than they use the internet. I would be interested in knowing where you got your survey results. I believe the couple was robbed of their $200,000.

I like your show but you need to have your facts correct.

Please respond

Thank you