OK, those of us who spent hours of our lives watching the primtime soaps of the 80's, we can now unite around a new primetime soap. The main characters are just over a foot tall and are quite furry...even the ladies. OK, they aren't the Ewings or the Carringtons but are every bit as entertaining, probably more since they are the cuddly creature known as the Meerkat (of the Timon fame from <b>The Lion King</b>).

Set in the Kalahari desert the Whiskers, lead by matriarch Flower struggle for survival. They have, of course have their own internal struggles. Flower's girls have that wandering sense and the consequences of these can prove deadly. Their eccentric uncle likes to pull power plays and has, more than one time, put the lives of the newborn in danger.

There are bitter feuds with neighboring families which have had deadly consequences. And then there are the dangers from other predators (hawks, owls, snakes) and nature itself. Season 2 seems to have kicked up the real life consequences.

It is real, there is drama, comedy, grief, joy, but most of all pleasure from watchin.

Password has always been one of the classics of the game show genre. Allen Ludden played the intellectual aspect to the hilt. After the (sadly permanent) passing of the original Password, in 1975, NBC elected to bring it back in 1979 but as "Password Plus" and retained Ludden as host.

This version used the password as clues to a puzzle which the contestants (or their celebrity parter) had to guess to win the money and eventually the game and go on to "Alphabetics" where $5000 could be won. The mood was more playful, to which the quick witted Ludden usually played into but at times seemed frustrated that there was too much nonsense. Celebrities included an unknown David Letterman, a Los Angeles area weatherman who would be taking the reigns of Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak, as well as the old stallworths like Dick Martin, Tom Poston, Lucille Ball, Tony Randall and Ludden's wife, Betty White.

The game was in nearly constant flux and often, in retrospect, seemed like the pilot for the later "Super Password" The show went through several rule change tweeks. The first and probably the most frustrating was the prohibiting of opposite clues. This made the game play a bit more intellectual but ticked off many Password purists. No longer could you give a clue like NIGHT for DAY. Ludden defended this rule change on air many time.

Other rule changes included the number of clues before the word went up unanswered went from 6 to 4 speeding up game play. Early on, control of the next word would pass to the contestent's team who did not answer correctly, penalizing the correct team. This was later changed.

Initially, the game consisted of two $100 puzzles and then $200 puzzles until one team had $300. Later, an additional $100 round was added and the players changed partners after the third round. The winning amount went up as well. This slowed game play so that many shows, nobody would play the bonus round.

The biggest change, sadly occurred when Allen Ludden passed away. The show was never quite the same with replacements Bill Cullen and Tom Kennedy. In 1982, the show was cancelled. Watching these shows in reruns on GSN is more about seeing those who we loved to watch but are no longer with us. A fun ride, none the less!

Password has always been one of the classics of the game show genre. Allen Ludden played the intellectual aspect to the hilt. After the (sadly permanent) passing of the original Password, in 1975, NBC elected to bring it back in 1979 but as "Password Plus" and retained Ludden as host. This version used the password as clues to a puzzle which the contestants (or their celebrity parter) had to guess to win the money and eventually the game. The mood was more playful, to which the quick witted Ludden usually played into but at times seemed frustrated that there was too much nonsense. Sadly, Ludden passed away and the show was never quite the same with replacements Bill Cullen and Tom Kennedy. In 1982, the show was cancelled.

Two years later, NBC again resurrected the Password franchise as "Super Password." This time veteren Bert Convy ("Tattletales", "Win, Lose or Draw") was tapped as host. As much as Ludden was Password, Convy was Super Password. His on stage demeanor was just the playful touch that this less intellectual game needed. He often seemed bumbling and many times he would unintentionally give away the answer. This may have been frustrating to the crew, celebrities and contestents but was a riot to those of us watching.

The premise of Super was the same as Plus: guess passwords to get the clues to the puzzle and solve the puzzle to win the round. In this version each game consisted of $100, $200, $300, and $400 rounds. Contestents would switch partners after the $200 round. The first contestant to $500 won the game and went on to play for a graduated jackpot which started at $5000 (later years it started at $10000) and went up by $5000 every time it was not won. This version also added the "Cashword" which was usually a more difficult word presented to the winner of the $200 puzzle. Guess it and win an extra $1000 graduated jackpot. Another much need rule change from Plus, thank goodness, opposites were again allowed for clues.

The celebrities came from various backgrounds, some very well know and others that most people have never heard of but are obviously there to promote themselves or their work. How else would you explain the then unknown Pat Sajak. Classic episodes include appearances by veteren funny men Tom Poston and Dick Martin.

This show is certainly worth the time to watch it. Thank you GSN for keeping it on the air.