Television Quiz: 18 Questions on Shows, Hosts and Firsts

Television is the category with the shortest shelf life, so the durable questions are about formats and firsts rather than whatever is streaming this month. These eighteen stay on the safe side of that line.

Easy television questions

1. How many contestants sit in the hot seat at once on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? — One
2. What does BBC stand for? — British Broadcasting Corporation
3. Which yellow cartoon family lives in Springfield? — The Simpsons
4. What is a television programme shown in parts called? — A series
5. Which device changes channels from a distance? — The remote control
6. What does HD stand for? — High definition

Medium television questions

1. In which country did Who Wants to Be a Millionaire originate? — The United Kingdom
2. Which sitcom was set in a New York coffee shop called Central Perk? — Friends
3. What was the first colour broadcast decade in most of Europe? — The 1960s
4. Which animated series has run longest in primetime? — The Simpsons
5. What is the term for a programme’s first episode? — The pilot
6. Which award is the biggest in American television? — The Emmy

Hard television questions

1. Who invented the first working television system? — John Logie Baird
2. In which year did Who Wants to Be a Millionaire first air? — 1998
3. What was the first television advertisement broadcast for? — A Bulova watch, in 1941
4. Which show is credited as the first reality competition format? — Big Brother is the usual answer, though Expedition Robinson predates it
5. What does the term ‘watershed’ mean in broadcasting? — The time after which adult content may be shown
6. How many lifelines did the original Millionaire format offer? — Three

Notice the fourth hard question: reality TV origins are genuinely contested, so if you use it, be ready to accept either answer.