ITV Pays $30M For Controlling Stake In ‘Hatfields … 
Hot Trailer: ‘Anchorman 2′ 
2ND UPDATE: Charlie Sheen Fired Selma Blair From … 
Time Warner Cable Sued For Passing Lakers-Dodgers Costs On … 
Jonah Hill Signs For Management With LBI 
TOLDJA! ‘Dumb And Dumber To’ Proves No-Brainer … 
Salma Hayek’s Animated Passion Project ‘The … 
Relativity Moves Scott Cooper’s ‘Out Of The … 
Hot Trailer: ‘The Lego Movie’ 
Comedy ‘I Didn’t Do It’ Gets Series Order … 
Liv Tyler To Co-Star In Damon Lindelof’s HBO Pilot … 
DreamWorks Animation Launches Effort To Re-Position Itself … 
‘Pacific Rim’ Sequel In Planning Stages, … 
Legendary “Down To Handful” Of Studio Suitors: … 
UPDATE: Dan Harmon Apologizes For Comments Slamming … 
Deadline Expands: Hires Washington Post Journalist Lisa De … 
MGM & BermanBraun Sign TV Production Deal, First-Look … 
EMMYS: ‘Big Bang Theory’s Science 
‘Client List’ Season 3 Pickup In Limbo Over … 
Amazon Orders Cop Drama Pilot Based On Michael … 
Lionsgate Acquires Pulitzer Prize Winner ‘Devil In … 
Sony Pictures TV is casting a wide net in its search for a successor to Alex Trebek as host of one of the studio’s top properties, veteran game show Jeopardy!. I have learned that NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams and NBC Sports personality Dan Patrick are among those approached by the studio, along with embattled Today show co-host Matt Lauer and CNN’s Anderson Cooper. I hear all four have had exploratory conversations with Sony TV, though the studio is not actively pursuing anyone at the moment.
Sony TV’s succession plan for Jeopardy! became a hot topic today after the NY Post reported on Lauer and Cooper being in the mix for the job. With the exception of Patrick, who has presented at the Super Bowl and during the Summer Olympics, Jeopardy! would mark a step up in the ratings department for any of the candidates. Yesterday, Jeopardy! was the No. 1 program on any network among households in the nation’s top market, New York, where Williams, Lauer and Cooper are based. Jeopardy! averaged a 10.0 household rating, edging CBS’ primetime blockbuster The Big Bang Theory (9.1). Lauer’s Today drew less that a third of that, a 2.9 rating. Of course, hosting a syndicated game show, which often films a whole season worth of episodes in a stretch of a couple of months, could be a second job for a top anchor as proven by Meredith Vieira, who juggled hosting Who Wants To Be A Millionaire with her duties on The View and then Today.
Sony TV is not expected to move to serious discussions with potential new Jeopardy! hosts until given an indication by Trebek that he is ready to step down — the studio had made it clear to him that he will be the host for as long as he wants to. But Trebek, who has been emceeing Jeopardy! since its current version launched in 1984, is 72, and last summer suffered a second heart attack. His current contract expires in 2016, and with the show being such a ratings powerhouse, Sony wants to ensure a smooth transition for whenever Trebek asks his final question.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
Loading ...
What about Christopher Walken?
What….is….the Mississippi…River. Sorry…that is wrong…
I would watch every episode of Walken Jeopardy.
gol…
(That is, what is giggling out loud? Cor…rect!)
I was going to comment that I’d love to see Brian or Anderson. But this is brilliant. You win.
PLEASE do not put Anderson Cooper on my favorite show. That would not only spoil all future shows, but ruin all my fond memories of the show over the past 20 years. The mere thought of Cooper in Trebek’s role makes my skin burn like an acid attack and my blood boil as in a fiery cauldron.
agreed…should be anyone BUT a liberal icon. How about Ben Stein or Ken Jennings
Or Chris Matthews, so he can continue answering the question in advance of the completion of the question. Just a joke. I love Chris Matthews.
Ah, no, Mr. Know-It-All Matthews ate it hard last time he was on Jeopardy!. Not a surprise, really.
Funny Chris Matthews joke, “me”!
GENIUS idea!
You know, they’d blow everyone’s freakin mind if it was Britney Spears. Or even better, Kim Kardashian.
So essentially, they just want this thing cancelled in a few years.
Anyone but the insufferable Lauer.
I completely agree with you. If he becomes host I may never watch Jeopardy again.
Amen to that. Retirement for that pompous prick Lauer!
Any one of these guys would be better than Trebek, who is such a mean, old man. Worst tv host ever.
You have obviously been sniffing glue.
I could understand using some of these guys if they wanted to launch a new show, but Jeopardy is already more of a household name than any of them.
Why not bring Ken Jennings in to take over?
Or take a pool of potential candidates who would be happy to take the job and stick with it for decades like Trebek did (and not something I could see any of the people mentioned in this article doing), then have them all compete on Jeopardy for the chance to take over? It’ll be like American Idol except for trivia. You’re welcome Sony.
And by potential candidates I mean people who have been pre-screened through an open audition process that shows they are capable of having poise on stage, and they’ve been vetted so they don’t get someone with 12 felony convictions up there. This pre-screening wouldn’t be Jeopardy!, but if they wanted to have a limited reality series built around it, why not.
And by compete, I mean compete on Jeopardy! once they’ve been pre-screened, not in some kind of contrived “The Apprentice” set up.
This way America knows that if the host is slightly condescending towards a contestant with the wrong answer, the host has the smarts to back it up.
Being able to win Jeopardy has nothing to do with being a good host of Jeopardy. It’s about being natural and credible on camera; a completely different skill set. You do realize that Alex has all the answers/questions in front of him, don’t you?
Because Ken Jennings is as dull as drying paint.
Have you never seen Alex Trebek?
Jeoparady is a awful show. I don’t understand 90 percent of the questions. Give America what it wants, dumb shits. I like Jay Leno and Wipe Out.
They should get Alton Brown to host!
Not one women is being considered? Not one! How about ANN CURRY!
trebek doesn’t ask questions.
Note to Brian Williams. For even considering this position, you should immediately resign as the anchor of NBC Nightly News.
Right on.
Brian Williams has become a cheesy embarrassment which is a shame.
Also, Cheech Marin trounced Anderson Cooper when they competed on Jeopardy.
As long as they don’t put that rapidly aging weathergirl Pat Sajak into the role. He is so tiresome and visibly uncomfortable whenever there is a gay contestant on the show which is few and far between…
Thought I was the only one that noticed that. He pulls away, never allowing them to have physical contact like any other contestant. They appear to condone it too. It’s quite blatant – his interactions.
I can’t believe anyone would say that Pat Sajak is not only a dad but a great host.
Is hosting Jeopardy some kind of career coup? I don’t understand this at all.
Why would Anderson Cooper, or any even remotely serious newsperson want to host Jeopardy? Brian Williams I can understand, since he’s a tool who likes the attention, but Anderson Cooper?
Seriously? Anderson doesn’t like the attention? All those co-hosting gigs on Live with Kelly prior to him hosting his own talk show? New Years’ Eves with Kathy Griffin? And let’s not forget The Mole (one of the better reality competition shows that’s aired) which occurred in between his ABC News and CNN days.
I say this as someone that doesn’t have any dislike of Cooper and actually thinks he may be the best choice out of the options listed in the article, but for you to think that Anderson wouldn’t “stoop low” to this is kind of ridiculous.
Or maybe your post was tongue in cheek…
How about considering some ladies: Kaley Cuco (Big Bang, Penny); Ann Curry; Elizabeth Hasselbeck (The View); any thoughts out there?
Jeff Probst is available now that his talk show is history. He started with game shows early in his career.
Jeff, in fact, used to host “Rock and Roll Jeopardy”.
Probst would refashion the show in his “holy” image, and keep bringing back losing contestants that put on a big enough display for the cameras.
He’s ruined Survivor; he can keep his hands off this show please.
and no black people either.
i’m surprised Ryan Seacrest isn’t in this mix since he likes to keep busy.
Tyler Perry
Whether any of them accept the position or not, I delight in news anchors, reporters, and (gasp!) might I even suggest journalists being lured into jobs as game show hosts. It’s the perfect completion of the news-as-entertainment metaphor/transition.
Who are they kidding. They’ll end up going with someone like Mario Lopez or Howie Mandel.
1. Where are the women?
2. None of these men needs a job, they’ve already got one. Why not spread the love? If it absolutely had to be one of the four, I’d pick Anderson, hands down.
3. How about giving some new talent a chance? As pointed out by others, the show doesn’t need a host who’s already established (and costs a ton more than an unknown). What it definitely doesn’t need is a host who thinks he’s more interesting/important than the game itself.
I think all the women are trapped in binders. Read that somewhere.
Didn’t you read the story. Anderson Cooper.
Come on, every one of those rumored “newsy” type of so-called “A-list” names is a major SNOOZER when it comes to the potential “Jeopardy!” answer poser (not questioner, right?!). To keep “Jeopardy” going in the ratings, they need young demos to come in more while also NOT alienating the core older demographics, but to make the show a little more edgier and entertaining, too!
How about looking to recruit Penn (half of the team with Teller) or Chris Rock (imagine he screaming out the answers!). Or what about the raucous comediennes Amy Poehler or Tina Fey — come on, it’s time that the Sony folks and EP Harry Friedman shakes things up…or how about even a “rotating host” set-up??!! Imagine if Shaq or Sandra Bernhard got to host, too! Pump some blood into this thing! ;-D
By the way, I’m not sure if anyone else here is a sports fan and tried finding Dan Patrick’s morning talk show on Fox and now the NBC Sports Network, but that pompous blowhard is a MAJOR BORE to watch. It doesn’t help that Patrick does all of the talking and has a control room full of young, dweeby sycophants to try playing off “The Gifted One” — I’ve watched cracking paint generate more excitement, heat and buzz than Patrick’s show. Sony, please drop him from consideration!
Families watch this show.There are very few shows out there that a family can watch together on t.v. So why take one of thoughs t.v. shows and turn it in to a show that only adults can watch.
I say Lauer will Not get this gig, because his TV persona is tainted, Sony will not chance a top 5 syndicated show with him. How about this…Williams becomes the new Jeopardy host and Cooper gets his job at 30 Rockefeller.
The smartest thing NBC could do is sign Brian Williams to take over The Tonight Show when Jay leaves.
Williams has a brilliant dry wit that hardens back to vintage Carson, yet is broadly appealing to a younger, hipper demographic. And he absolutely kills it every time he guests on Letterman.
I second that…..seriously people are sleeping on Brian Williams. He is comedic gold.
It’s so obvious: Burt Reynolds or Sean Connery.
Completely agree. NO to Matt Lauer…
Ugh, enough already with the “make it hip and edgy’ for the kiddies to EVERYTHING. First of all, that always translates to making things poor quality and crass, and ruins things. Second of all, the goal should just be well done entertainment – all ages enjoy well done entertainment. We can have a mix of styles.
A no-name talent will not get the spot since no one wants to be responsible for taking a risk and screwing the ratings. Wheel and Jeopardy are the cash machines for Sony TV and they need that to keep flowing.
As for why any of the names mentioned would want the job – who wouldn’t want a multi-million dollar annual paycheck for about 40-50 days of work per year?
This. Jeff did amazing as the host of Rock & Roll Jeopardy! He’d surely do the job admirably.