Ready to pick up new passengers! Cash Cab is getting a reboot on Discovery Channel five years after the game show ended in 2012, the network announced on Tuesday, March 28.
The show featured unsuspecting New Yorkers and tourists hailing a taxi, only to find they’re contestants in a trivia game that could earn them cash on the way to their destination. The passengers racked up money as they answered questions correctly, but if they got three questions wrong, the driver dumped them out on the street. In the original show, riders could get help by phoning a friend, or if they were stumped, use a street shout-out to ask passersby. Contestants could also win extra money when the cab stopped at a red light in the “Red Light Challenge.”
Comedian David Steinberg, who has directed Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld, and All3 Media’s Lion USA will executive produce the show. Although Ben Bailey was the host and driver in the series, which aired from 2005 to 2012, Discovery Channel has not yet announced a host.
In a surprising twist for the reboot, comedians and celebrities will drive the cab and pick up passengers. It’s unclear if Discovery will make any other changes to the classic format.
Social media users were ecstatic about Cash Cab’s revival. “Cash cab is coming back my heart is going to explode,” one tweeter wrote, while another chimed in, “Finally! Cash Cab is coming back! This is what I moved to NYC for.”
Cash Cab will return to TV later this year.
