Quiz Show
Directed by Robert Redford
An idealistic young lawyer working for a Congressional subcommittee in the late 1950s discovers that TV quiz shows are being fixed. His investigation focuses on two contestants on the show "Twenty-One": Herbert Stempel, a brash working-class Jew from Queens, and Charles Van Doren, the patrician scion of one of America's leading literary families. Based on a true story.
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Quiz Show Ratings & Reviews
- flavo43November 24, 2025Quiz Show is a riveting docudrama that pulls back the curtain on one of the most unexpected scandals in American history—the rigging of televised quiz shows in the 1950s. At a time when television was still new and seen as wholesome entertainment, the revelation of corruption in something as innocent as a trivia program felt shocking. The film does an exceptional job not only recounting the events but exploring the personal motivations, pressures, and moral compromises of the people at the center of the scandal. Ralph Fiennes brings depth to Charles Van Doren, portraying a man torn between fame, intellect, and guilt, while John Turturro delivers a powerful performance as the overlooked contestant who exposes the truth out of frustration and principle. The movie captures the era beautifully, from its smoky studios to its cultural innocence, and shows how easily integrity can be manipulated when ratings and money are on the line. Quiz Show remains a thoughtful, compelling look at ethics, temptation, and the birth of modern media deception.
Quiz Show Trivia
Quiz Show was released on September 23, 1994.
Quiz Show was directed by Robert Redford.
Quiz Show has a runtime of 2h 13m.
Quiz Show was produced by Michael Jacobs, Julian Krainin, Michael Nozik, Robert Redford.
An idealistic young lawyer working for a Congressional subcommittee in the late 1950s discovers that TV quiz shows are being fixed. His investigation focuses on two contestants on the show "Twenty-One": Herbert Stempel, a brash working-class Jew from Queens, and Charles Van Doren, the patrician scion of one of America's leading literary families. Based on a true story.
The key characters in Quiz Show are Herb Stempel (John Turturro), Dick Goodwin (Rob Morrow), Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes).
Quiz Show is rated PG-13.
Quiz Show is a History, Drama, Biography film.
Quiz Show has an audience rating of 8.7 out of 10.
Quiz Show had a budget of $31M.
Quiz Show has made $24.8M at the box office.