The conclusion of Season 8 of the World Poker Tour (WPT) on Fox Sports Net will feature the WPT Championship at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The episode will be the WPT’s 178th, putting it among the longest running television shows in U.S. history.
The company that the WPT will find itself in is quite impressive. The roving tournament series will be just one episode short of the entire duration of “Seinfeld,” which ran for 179 installments. “Seinfeld,” which starred Jerry Seinfeld, Michael Richards, and poker icon Jason Alexander, ran from 1989 to 1998 and is now syndicated across the world in re-runs. Its finale was one of the most watched television programs of all-time. The series was nominated for numerous Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Directors Guild of America Awards, and People’s Choice Awards. Alexander was a guest on last week’s episode of “Poker2Nite.”
Also at 179 episodes is “I Love Lucy.” The Lucille Ball-led show premiered in the United States way back in 1951 and ran until 1960. The show earned several Emmy Awards in the 1950s, including Best Situation Comedy, Best Comedienne, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Actress. Others who made their mark on the television world through “I Love Lucy” included Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley.
George Greenberg, Executive Vice President of Programming and Production for Fox Sports, commented in a press release distributed by the WPT on Tuesday, “WPT’s production team is no stranger to making history – their show propelled the game into the thriving global industry it is today. The WPT production team broke new ground in translating the game of poker to audiences worldwide through innovative formats and high-quality production.” The WPT made its debut on television airwaves back in 2003 and features Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton and actor Vince Van Patten calling the action.
During the eighth season of the WPT, the series surpassed some of the giants of American television in terms of the number of episodes. “L.A. Law” is perhaps the most visible show that the WPT lapped; the franchise weighs in at 171 episodes. “L.A. Law” premiered in 1986 and ran for eight seasons. The series starred a rotating cast of characters that included Harry Hamlin, Michael Tucker, Blair Underwood, and Jill Eikenberry. “L.A. Law” won four Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series (1987, 1989, 1990, and 1991) and has become a staple of the worldwide airwaves despite no longer churning out new episodes.
Also passed by the WPT were the “Flinstones” (166 episodes), “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” (162 episodes), and “Magnum P.I.” (162 episodes). The WPT aired its first five seasons on the Travel Channel, vaulting the then-nascent network into the minds of television viewers. The press statement released by the WPT proclaimed, “WPT reached new heights by 2004, earning programming awards for innovation and attracting national sponsors including Anheuser-Bush and Cadillac. At the conclusion of its fifth season in 2007, WPT had filmed 23 tour stops and celebrated its landmark 100th episode.”
Season 6 saw the WPT move to GSN, although a management change at the network caused the departure of the poker program for Season 7. After some scrambling, the WPT settled on Fox Sports Net, where it currently resides for its second straight season. GSN continues to air “High Stakes Poker,” while the Travel Channel retains the rights to air the first five seasons of the WPT. Its programming can be seen in 150 countries around the world and the WPT is the number one distributed poker show on the planet. Party Gaming, the parent company of PartyPoker, recently purchased the rights to the tour.
New episodes of the WPT air on Sunday nights on Fox Sports Net. Check your local listings for more information.