Michael Keaton is trading the Batcave for the hot seat tonight as the Batman icon takes on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire alongside comedian Jon Lovett.
The latest episode of ABC’s celebrity edition brings together two comedy-heavy teams, with Keaton and Lovett followed by Saturday Night Live favorites Will Forte and Taran Killam.
The episode airs tonight, Wednesday, October 7, on ABC, with ABC’s current schedule listing it from 9:02 p.m. to 10:01 p.m. EDT. Fans in the US can also stream the episode on Hulu the following day.
For viewers outside the United States, however, there is an important catch: the current ABC/Hulu offering is not available to stream internationally, meaning fans elsewhere will not be able to watch the episode through those US platforms.
Michael Keaton takes the Millionaire hot seat
Keaton is perhaps the biggest name in tonight’s episode.
The Oscar-winning actor has spent decades moving between comedy, drama and blockbuster filmmaking, but tonight’s challenge is considerably more straightforward: answering increasingly difficult trivia questions with a million-dollar charity prize on the line.
He is joined by Jon Lovett, the comedian and political commentator, with the pair working together to see how far they can climb.
ABC’s official episode listing describes Keaton as teaming up with Lovett before Will Forte and Taran Killam take their own turn in the hot seat.
And there is a certain symmetry to Forte’s appearance. He has already been part of the Millionaire revival, making tonight another chance to see the SNL alum put his trivia knowledge to the test.
Will Forte and Taran Killam are also playing
After Keaton and Lovett, the spotlight turns to Will Forte and Taran Killam.
The pair are both familiar faces from Saturday Night Live, making this another episode built around comedy stars rather than traditional game-show contestants.
ABC’s listing confirms the running order: Michael Keaton and Jon Lovett first, followed by Will Forte and Taran Killam.
That celebrity-pair format has become one of the defining features of the current version of Millionaire.
How does Who Wants To Be A Millionaire work?
The basic appeal remains the same: contestants answer multiple-choice questions as the potential prize increases, with the ultimate goal of reaching $1 million.
But ABC’s current incarnation puts celebrities into teams, with pairs competing together for a charity of their choice.
The show still revolves around the famous question-and-answer format and the pressure of deciding whether an answer is worth the risk.
The current series also uses the show’s familiar lifeline concept, giving contestants ways to seek help when they aren’t certain of an answer.
For celebrity contestants, there is an additional emotional incentive: they aren’t simply playing for themselves. The aim is to raise money for charity.
Jimmy Kimmel is the host
The man asking the questions tonight is Jimmy Kimmel.
Kimmel has hosted ABC’s revived celebrity version since it returned in 2020, bringing his late-night comedy style to the traditionally tense game-show format.
The current series is executive produced by Kimmel and Michael Davies and is produced by Sony Pictures Television’s Embassy Row and Kimmelot.
The Kimmel era has increasingly made Millionaire feel like a meeting point between a traditional quiz show and a celebrity variety event, with actors, comedians, sports stars and other familiar faces taking their chances with the questions.
Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and other major stars have already played
Keaton isn’t the only major Hollywood name to have taken the Millionaire challenge this season.
The current celebrity lineup has included Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Krysten Ritter and Jesse Eisenberg, among many others.
The season has also featured some particularly unusual pairings, including Affleck teaming up with Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding and Jesse Eisenberg playing alongside Paul Giamatti.
Damon previously teamed up with Jeopardy! host and trivia champion Ken Jennings, while the season’s lineup has also included Jason Alexander and Wayne Knight, Tig Notaro and Pete Holmes, and Colin Jost and Michael Che.
That makes Keaton and Lovett another intriguing combination: one of Hollywood’s best-known actors alongside a comedian and political commentator.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire actually began in the UK
American viewers might be surprised to learn that Who Wants To Be A Millionaire wasn’t originally an American show.
The format premiered on ITV in the UK on September 4, 1998, with Chris Tarrant as host. The original British version placed a contestant in the famous hot seat and challenged them to answer a series of increasingly valuable multiple-choice questions, eventually reaching the £1 million top prize.
The original format used 15 questions, four possible answers and three lifelines, including Ask the Audience, Phone a Friend and 50:50.
It quickly became a television phenomenon. At its peak in the UK, the programme attracted audiences of more than 19 million viewers, helping turn its distinctive combination of trivia, suspense and big-money stakes into a global television format.
The format subsequently spread around the world, with ABC launching the US version in 1999. ABC has described Millionaire as a format adapted in more than 120 countries and credited it with winning more than 65 awards worldwide.
What makes the ABC version different?
The current ABC incarnation is less about an ordinary contestant suddenly becoming a millionaire and more about famous faces using their celebrity to raise money for good causes.
The celebrity-pair format was established when ABC revived the show in 2020, with contestants able to play alongside another person and compete for charity.
That approach also gives the programme a different dynamic.
Instead of one contestant agonising over every answer alone, the audience gets to watch two people debate what they think is correct — potentially with very different levels of confidence.
And when the contestants happen to be people such as Michael Keaton, Jon Lovett, Will Forte or Taran Killam, the conversation itself becomes part of the entertainment.
How to watch Michael Keaton on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire tonight
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire: “In the Hot Seat: Michael Keaton & Jon Lovett / Will Forte & Taran Killam” airs tonight, Wednesday, October 7, on ABC.
- TV: ABC
- Time: 9:02 p.m. EDT
- Streaming: Hulu the following day
- Contestants: Michael Keaton and Jon Lovett; Will Forte and Taran Killam
- Host: Jimmy Kimmel
- Prize: Up to $1 million for charity
For US viewers looking for something different from the usual scripted drama or reality competition tonight, the prospect of watching Batman star Michael Keaton attempt to win a million dollars alongside Jon Lovett is reason enough to tune in.
And with Forte and Killam waiting in the wings, there is a second comedy-heavy team ready to take over the hot seat.
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