G4 was one of the first and only networks with programming dedicated to video games in the early to late 2000s, making it television's mecca for gaming culture. Now, nearly six years after the channel was discontinued, it is primed to make a comeback with the help of an old friend.
In its heyday, G4 was celebrated for X-Play and Attack of the Show!, gaming news and variety shows that covered upcoming and recent releases with humorous flair and enthusiastic hosts. In its later years, the channel's budget for original programming ran dry and ratings plummeted, leading DirecTV to drop the channel from its offerings. After a string many near-miss buyouts and stalled reorganizations, the network became the butt of jokes for airing programming blocks with back-to-back re-runs of shows like Cops and Cheaters, before finally shutting down in 2014.
Enter—or re-enter—Olivia Munn. Munn is an accomplished actress who has played roles ranging from Psylocke in X-Men Apocalypse to Sloan Sabbith in Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom, but her first big break was co-hosting G4's Attack of the Show! alongside Kevin Pereira in 2006. Though the network was hesitant to hire Munn due to her initially limited knowledge of video games, she went on to become one of the channel's most recognizable personalities along with Morgan Webb and Adam Sessler. Shortly after G4 teased a 2021 return of both Attack of the Show! and X-Play, The Wrap has reported that Munn is involved with the network's revival.
While Munn's precise role in the revival has yet to be officially announced, her involvement could lend credibility to the project as one of the key figures that helped define the network in its glory days. Munn is not the only high-profile personality involved with the network's revival, however. After launching his own twitter campaign to host "any" of the new G4's shows, Xavier Woods, AKA WWE wrestler Austin Creed, is also involved with G4's revival.
While G4 enjoys wide recognition and many fond memories among the gaming community, the revived network will see competition from the recently launched VENN (Video Game Entertainment and News Network). The show's fiercest competitors are likely online entities, however. Twitch streams and YouTube lets plays have captivated the attention of younger gamers who have no nostalgic attachment to the original G4. The network also started to strain when it struggled to break high profile news stories ahead of online news sources—a challenge that still persists for all formats of televised journalism.
Nonetheless, many gamers are eager and optimistic about the network return. G4's tweeted teaser was positively received, and the gaming community is actively speculating and making programming requests for G4's new offerings.
The G4 network is expected to relaunch at some point in 2021.
Source: The Wrap