| Hosts | |
| Jack Cassidy (1975) Bill Cullen (1978–1979) | |
| Announcer | |
| Bob Clayton (1975) Jack Clark (1978-1979) | |
| Broadcast | |
    | |
| Packager | |
| Bob Stewart Productions | |
| Distributor | |
| Viacom Enterprises | |
1978 PILOT: "(Insert clips of the 4 contestants/couples and their problems) If you're in love and you have a problem, tell it to The Love Experts. Joanne Worley, William Shatner, Elaine Joyce, Geoff Edwards and the love machine himself, Bill Cullen!"
SERIES: "(insert three contestants and their problems) There all here to tell their stories to...(insert the first three celebrity panelists) and (insert the fourth and final celebrity panelist) on The Love Experts, starring Bill Cullen!"
The Love Experts was a short-lived romance game/talk show hybrid, produced by Bob Stewart for first-run syndication in 1978–79. It was a spiritual predecessor to the more successful Love Connection.
Premise[]
Three guests would appear and talk about their love lives — most of them were about love gone wrong and torn between two different people. After each guest told his/her story, a panel of four celebrities would give advice to the contestant.
Decision[]
After the guests told their stories, the celebrity panel would then choose which of the three contestants gave the most interesting story. That contestant won a prize (usually a trip). If the panelists' votes were tied, Cullen cast the deciding vote.
Following this, the panelists and Cullen would take and answer questions from audience members.
Celebrity panelists included David Letterman, Elaine Joyce, Jo Anne Worley, Geoff Edwards, Soupy Sales, Nipsey Russell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jay Johnson, and Billy Crystal.
Gallery[]
Music[]
"It Had to Be You" (Instrumental Version) 1978 Pilot
"Spring Rain" by Bebu Silvetti
NOTE: The theme song would later be recycled and carried over for the unsold game show pilots Mind Readers {not to be confused with the 1975 pilot hosted by Jack Clark nor the 1979-80 game show hosted by Dick Martin of the same names respectively} in 1978, Famous Last Words... in 1983 (both hosted by Geoff Edwards) and the unsold 1984 pilot of Jackpot (hosted by Nipsey Russell). In Spanish, it's called "Lluvia de Primavera".
Studio[]
New York City (1975 Pilot)
TAV Studios, Hollywood, California (1978 Pilot/Series)
Rating[]
Trivia[]
Neither the 1975 nor 1978 pilots had the panelists voting on which story was the best, the winner getting a trip. Instead, The Love Experts was focused squarely as a relationship advice show.
At the time, contemporary critics panned the show as being too obnoxious as a relationship advice show, and it ended after one season. However, in more recent years, the series has gained positive reviews; not only are the panel chemistry and host Cullen cited as top-notch, but the series has also been lauded for openly discussing relationship-based topics that were still considered somewhat "taboo" on television in the late 1970s.
The full series is held by CBS Television Distribution. However, it has never been reran since then.
In 1991, an unsold pilot was made in an attempt to revive the show under the name How's Your Love Life?, hosted by Pat Bullard, with John Davidson, Annie Bloom and Stuart Pankin as the panelists.
Links[]
The Love Experts @ The Bill Cullen Homepage
YouTube Videos[]
1978 Pilot
Opening credits to The Love Experts
Rhonda Shear remembers The Love Experts
Full episode from 1978
Another full episode from 1978