WGN to play ‘Celebrity Name Game’ at 10 p.m.

Craig Ferguson

Craig Ferguson

Will Chicago viewers choose fun and games over the 10 o’clock news?

“Celebrity Name Game,” a new syndicated pop-culture game show hosted by Craig Ferguson, will be seen at 10 p.m. Monday through Friday on WGN-Channel 9, starting this fall. It's replacing “The Arsenio Hall Show,” which was canceled after one season.

Greg Easterly, president and general manager of the Tribune Broadcasting station, confirmed plans Tuesday to air “Celebrity Name Game” at 10 p.m. and “Friends” at 10:30 p.m., starting September 22. Since the last broadcast of “Arsenio Hall” will be September 7, look for WGN to air “Two and a Half Men” and “Friends” in the interim, Easterly said.

Produced by Courteney Cox and David Arquette, “Celebrity Name Game” is based on the board game Identity Crisis. Celebrities team up with contestants to guess the names of famous actors, singers, athletes, pop-culture figures, politicians and cartoon characters. Tribune Broadcasting has high hopes for the show on its stations nationwide.

In Chicago, WGN could use a boost at 10 p.m. Latest Nielsen ratings show the station badly trailing its competitors with reruns of “Arsenio Hall” at that hour.

News on ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 currently leads at 10 p.m. with an 8.4 rating (296,856 households), followed by NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 with a 5.2 rating (183,768 households), and CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2 with a 4.0 rating (141,360 households). WGN is tied with Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32, which airs “Modern Family,” with a 1.0 rating (35,340 households).

Among advertiser-coveted viewers between 25 and 54, 10 p.m. ratings show ABC 7 with a 2.7; NBC 5 with a 2.5; CBS 2 with a 1.0; Fox 32 with a 0.8; and WGN with a 0.4.