After a long and contentious search, a permanent host for Jeopardy! has been found! The show’s executive producer Mike Richards has been confirmed as the permanent host of the syndicated quiz show, succeeding the late Alex Trebek. In addition to Richards’s appointment, Sony Pictures Television announced that Mayim Bialik (Blossom, The Big Bang Theory) will host Jeopardy!’s primetime and spinoff series, including the upcoming Jeopardy! National College Championship, which is set to air on ABC in 2022.
Along with the two hosts, Ken Jennings (The Greatest of All Time) is returning as consulting producer for the show. Ravi Ahuja, Chairman of Global Television Studios and Corporate Development for Sony Pictures stated,
“We are thrilled to begin the next chapter of America’s Favorite Quiz Show with Mike hosting our daily show and Mayim hosting new versions of Jeopardy!,”
“We took this decision incredibly seriously. A tremendous amount of work and deliberation has gone into it, perhaps more than has ever gone into the selection of hosts for a show – deservedly so because it’s Jeopardy! and we are following the incomparable Alex Trebek. A senior group of Sony Pictures Television executives pored over footage from every episode, reviewed research from multiple panels and focus groups, and got valuable input from our key partners and Jeopardy! viewers.”
