Amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, Hollywood finds itself dealing with a new normal, leading TV and film producers to find ways to adjust. Jeopardy! is a program that’s been airing new episodes as of late, but the currently running 39th season is about to end. Now, questions are now swirling around the upcoming 40th season as well as the latest iteration of the Tournament of Champions. Reports indicate that the series is now facing a few struggles that could impact production moving forward. At the same time, host Ken Jennings is facing pressure to take a break from the show.
What’s Going On With Ken Jennings?
Ken Jennings has been holding down hosting duties on the popular game show pretty much exclusively as of late. That’s because fellow host Mayim Bialik skipped the finaling week of her filming schedule in order to show solidarity amid the writers' strike. Jennings has seemingly stayed mostly neutral throughout the situation but, apparently, he’s now being asked to take a stand. Per TV Insider, the 49-year-old former contestant is being pressured to step away from his duties as well. The outlet reports that sentiment is largely coming from fans of the show.
This news comes over a month after reports of alleged unhappiness over the GOAT taking over for Mayim Bialik amid the strike. An insider claimed that the TV personality has been referred to as an “opportunist” during this time and that he’s “showed his true colors.” The source also alleged that the host is still getting a “fat paycheck,” while other crew members must continue to work due to their financial inability to step away amid the protests.
Considering everything that’s been laid out above, Ken Jennings seemingly finds himself in an interesting position. Time will tell just how he plans to proceed as the latest season heads towards its conclusion. But of course, him aside, there are plenty of other concerns that the show’s creative team is going to have to contend with.
Jeopardy! Must Make Some Major Choices Amid The Strikes
As noted by TV Insider, the 40th season of the series was scheduled to hit the 2023 TV schedule on September 11. That could possibly change, however, since the producers may be forced to delay it due to the WGA and SAG strikes. A number of discussions have reportedly taken place among Jeopardy!’s bigwigs, including EP Michael Davies. As they chart a path forward, they’re allegedly mulling the prospect of keeping the upcoming season on schedule.
However, when it theoretically returns, it would feature questions written for previous episodes throughout the show’s history. While that would hypothetically be a viable way to move forward, there’s purportedly concern over how the fanbase would react. It goes without saying that they’re a spirited bunch, even calling out confusingly worded questions when they see fit.
The Tournament of Champions has also been marred by controversy, as some are asking that it not move forward. In this case, a number of the prospective participants are speaking out and sharing that sentiment. Ray LaLonde voiced his intent not to cross the picket line in a Reddit post that was shared at the end of last week. Said message earned a considerable amount of attention and, after it went viral, fellow champs like Hannah Wilson, Troy Meyer and Ben Chan publicly lent their support to LaLonde.
The path forward for the program is definitely unclear at this point in time. What we can only assume right now is that Ken Jennings and the rest of the staff are going to make the decisions they feel are best for them and the show as a whole. Of course, there’s no way of telling how exactly fans might react when those plans have been agreed upon.
Check your local listings so that you can see the finale of Jeopardy! Season 39 (which airs in syndication) when it airs on July 28.
