Play on: Game time continues on ABC as two favorites return

Let the games begin - again.

ABC has gone very heavy on prime-time contests in recent summers, many of them updates of shows that were popular in earlier incarnations. Already, such series as "Press Your Luck," "The Chase," "Generation Gap" and "Claim to Fame" have made their returns for these warm-weather months.

That parade of participants and prizes continues as "Celebrity Family Feud" and "The $100,000 Pyramid" begin new rounds on ABC Sunday, July 9. Host Steve Harvey starts his 10th season of pitting teams of stars and their relatives or work colleagues against each other on "Celebrity Family Feud," while Michael Strahan presides over Season 7 of the latest "Pyramid" incarnation, in which personalities and their teammates use words and phrases to guess categories (or vice versa) to get to the winner's circle and a shot or two at big money.

Early Season 10 players on "Celebrity Family Feud" include Gayle King, Sophia Bush Hughes and cast members of Showtime's "Yellowjackets."

ABC was the home network of the original "Family Feud" when Richard Dawson hosted it from 1976 to 1985, with several others filling that role since its current syndication run began in 1999. Harvey became the host in 2010, and its rise in ratings not only have kept him there since, it paved the way for another run at the "Celebrity" spinoff.

Though Harvey has done other programs including the talk show "Steve" and ABC's current "Judge Steve Harvey," plus his sitcom "The Steve Harvey Show," he has enjoyed particular success with "Celebrity Family Feud" and its syndicated weekday parent "Family Feud." He expresses gratitude for his television career overall, which took him out of the realm of stand-up comedy and has brought him a wide and steady audience.

"It turned out to be the best thing that happened to me," Harvey reflects. "If I had tried to continue as a stand-up, there's no way I could maintain the TV career because of the political correctness that has killed comedy. Every joke you tell now, it hurts somebody's feelings.

"What people don't understand about comedians is that the joke has got to be about something. It has to be about somebody. We can't write jokes about puppies all the time. Some of these jokes are going to have to be about people."

This season on "The $100,000 Pyramid," the celebrity players include such returnees as Cedric the Entertainer, Yvette Nicole Brown, RuPaul and Mario Cantone. Among others on board are "Jeopardy's!" Ken Jennings, Amanda Kloots, "Shark Tank's" Robert Herjavec, Ross Mathews and several veterans of "The Goldbergs": Wendi McLendon-Covey, Sean Giambrone and Troy Gentile. Also an executive producer of the program, Strahan is happy with the outcome.

"This could be the best season that we've done," said the NFL veteran, "Good Morning America" co-anchor, Fox Sports personality and one-time astronaut. "And even if not, it has some of the best shows that we've done. There's a lot of fun, a lot of surprises and a lot of good matchups. The energy is just great."

Strahan attributes that in part to the long history the show has, dating back to the first version, which was "The $10,000 Pyramid" with host Dick Clark. "I think everybody knows what they're getting into," reasons Strahan. "Everyone is competitive, and they want to win their partner a lot of money. It's important to match up the right combination of someone against someone else, and I think we did a good job of that."

Resulting humor can be an indicator of that, and Strahan is satisfied with his progress as "Pyramid" host: "The more I've done it, the more I've become comfortable with it. I always say that the game is the star. I'm just there to keep it moving, and every once in a while, I get a chance to laugh or inject or have a reaction that I know is natural to me. I figure that people at home are probably having the same reaction, so I take that moment."

Indeed, Strahan notes, "There are times when you can't figure out how someone derives the answer from the clues they were given. It's just mind-blowing. There's a lot of winning, but there's also just a lot of good fun. And it's a lot easier for me just to be standing there than being someone who's sitting in the seat playing."