What Is a Fiasco? How Sony Botched Alex Trebek’s ‘Jeopardy!’ Succession

Well, that was brief. Mike Richards stepped down as “Jeopardy!” host on Friday, one day after he started taping new episodes as the new host of the long-running hit syndicated game show. (Those five batch-taped episodes will still air, a spokesperson for the Sony-produced quiz show told TheWrap.) Richards’ one-day tenure as Alex Trebek’s successor is a case study of bad optics mixed with what appears to be a total lack of vetting. The result: a completely avoidable mess of Sony’s own doing. Richards’ ascent was met with almost immediate derision. Many of the complaints centered on what appeared to be a conflict of interest: Richards was both a candidate for the hosting job and the show’s executive producer — which gave him at least some level of influence over the final decision. (Richards and Sony have insisted that he had no say in the process, and CNN reported the decision was ultimately made by Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra.) Even if “Jeopardy!” made its decision based on data from focus groups, the end result felt like a farce to many fans, especially those who expected the gig to go to all-time “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings or pushed for...

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