Here's How The New Season Of 'Jeopardy!' Will Look Without Its Writers

Marina Fang
·3 min read
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As Hollywood executives continue to not give striking film and TV writers a fair deal, “Jeopardy!” will use a combination of previously written and recycled clues when its new season begins in September, the show’s executive producer said Monday.

On an episode of the show’s podcast “Inside Jeopardy!”, executive producer and showrunner Michael Davies explained that the show plans to incorporate “a combination of material that our WGA writers wrote before the strike, which is still in the database, and material that has been re-deployed from multiple, multiple seasons of the show.”

In addition, the season would begin with a Second Chance Tournament featuring returning players from the 2020-21 season, rather than a whole new slate of contestants. Last year, the show began its Second Chance Tournament to give players from the prior season who came up short of winning an opportunity for a rematch.

The empty set of
The empty set of

The empty set of "Jeopardy!" in a photo from its 38th season in 2022. As Hollywood executives continue to not give striking film and TV writers a fair deal, the long-running game show will use will use a combination of previously written and recycled clues when its new season begins in September, the show’s executive producer said Monday.

“I believe, principally, that it would not be fair to have new contestants making their first appearance on the Alex Trebek Stage doing it with non-original material,” Davies said.

“Jeopardy!” writers, who come up with the famed clues and answers in the form of a question, are members of the Writers Guild of America West. Since May, WGA East and West film and TV members have been on strike over issues of equitable compensation and working conditions in the streaming era and protections around the use of artificial intelligence. (HuffPost’s unionized staff are also members of the WGA East.)

The prolific and long-running game show has faced a lot of questions around how it would proceed, as studio executives continue to not resolve the writers strike, which will hit its 100th day on Wednesday.

Members of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA striking on Friday in front of Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Calif., where
Members of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA striking on Friday in front of Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Calif., where

Members of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA striking on Friday in front of Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, Calif., where "Jeopardy!" is filmed.

In July, nearly 10 recent “Jeopardy!” champions slated to be in the show’s annual Tournament of Champions announced they would not participate if it required them to cross the WGA picket line. As the list of champions grew, the show’s producers announced they “never had any intention of producing a Tournament of Champions for Season 39 until the strike is resolved.” The tournament, which typically is filmed in late summer and airs in the fall, would be scrapped until studio executives agree to resolve the strike.

It’s unclear if the returning players in the new season might plan a similar action in solidarity with the show’s writers.

The show’s ABC primetime spinoff “Celebrity Jeopardy!” will proceed with new material as planned, as the clues were entirely written before the strike.

Some other changes Davies announced Monday include raising the second- and third-place prize amounts to $3,000 and $2,000, respectively. The increase was in response to contestants’ concerns that travel costs have skyrocketed since the pandemic.

In addition, “Jeopardy!” producer and the podcast’s co-host Sarah Whitcomb Foss said that because of the altered season, the show is extending the eligibility period for people in its contestant pool. Currently, potential contestants who have passed the online test and subsequent audition are placed into a pool for a period of 18 months, when, at any time, producers might call them to be on the show. It will now be extended to two years.

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