Game show returns to schedule in March

After a reasonably successful week-long run late last year, NBC's game show "Identity" is poised to become a regular part of the network's lineup.

The show, hosted by Penn Jillette, will make its debut as a weekly series at 9 p.m. ET Friday, March 16. It will then move to its regular timeslot at 8 p.m. Fridays the following week, taking over for another game show, "1 vs. 100."

"Identity" debuted to nearly 12.3 million viewers, and a 4.4 rating among adults 18-49, on Dec. 18. Subsequent episodes that week didn't match that standard, but the show averaged a respectable 9.3 million viewers and 3.1 adults 18-49 rating over its five-night run.

Both numbers are in line with the season averages for "1 vs. 100" (9.76 million viewers, 2.9 in the 18-49 demo).

In "Identity," players are confronted with a lineup of 12 strangers and told one thing about each of them, ranging from job titles to relative age. The contestant then has to match each trait with the right person, with an all-or-nothing prize of $500,000 on the line.

The weekly series will also have a play-at-home element, with viewers getting a shot at $10,000.