‘Jeopardy!’ reportedly begins filming new season — and introduces a major change to the show

Lottie Elizabeth Johnson
·6 min read
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Ken Jennings as the host of “Jeopardy!”
Ken Jennings as the host of “Jeopardy!” | Jeopardy Productions, Inc.
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Season 39 of “Jeopardy!” marked the beginning of a new era for the quiz show, with Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik officially taking on roles as permanent hosts. The season came to an end on July 28, and “Jeopardy!” has been airing reruns during the offseason.

Here’s a breakdown of what to expect during the offseason — and how the writers strike will affect the upcoming season, which reportedly begins filming Aug. 15.

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Why is ‘Jeopardy!’ airing reruns right now?

“Jeopardy!” put together a summer rerun schedule to air during the offseason.

The show kicked things off with the inaugural Second Chance Tournament from this past season, which aired from July 31 through Aug. 11. The two-week tournament gave 18 contestants who lost their game the chance to come back and score a victory on the show.

Over the following three weeks, the show will re-air the 2022 Tournament of Champions, which featured formidable players like Amy Schneider, Matt Amodio and Mattea Roach.

During the first week of September, “Jeopardy!” will air producers’ favorite episodes from the past season.

Below is the full schedule:

  • July 31-Aug. 3 — Second Chance Tournament, Week 1.

  • Aug. 7-11 — Second Chance Tournament, Week 2.

  • Aug. 14-18 — Tournament of Champions, Week 1.

  • Aug. 21-25 — Tournament of Champions, Week 2.

  • Aug. 28-Sept. 1 — Tournament of Champions, Week 3.

  • Sept. 4-8 — Producer picks.

Will there be a new season of ‘Jeopardy!’ in the fall?

New seasons of “Jeopardy!” typically air in the fall. While the ongoing writers strike has affected production — new clues are no longer being written — the show is still scheduled to start filming Season 40 in August, USA Today reported.

According to the website on-camera-audiences.com, tickets to attend “Jeopardy!” tapings are available online, with the first taping taking place Aug. 15.

Amid the strike, “Jeopardy!” plans to recycle clues from its archives and use new clues that were written prior to the strike.

“‘Jeopardy!’ has a long history with and tremendous respect for the WGA and our writers,” Sony Pictures Television said in a statement, per USA Today. “We have always been careful to honor our WGA agreements and we would never air game material not created by WGA writers. However, just as we did, led by Alex Trebek, during the 2007-2008 strike, we will deliver first-run episodes again this fall.”

This move has generated significant criticism online from fans and former players.

“If you don’t have time to listen, here’s the executive summary of today’s announcement: 1:00-2:00: Jeopardy’s writers are invaluable and we couldn’t produce the show without them,” “Jeopardy!” Masters champ James Holzhauer said in a recent post on X, formerly Twitter, about the podcast “Inside Jeopardy!”

“2:00-15:00: Here is how we will produce the upcoming season without them.”

“Disappointed to hear that Jeopardy is considering this course of action,” 40-game champ Amy Schneider said in a social media post. “For what it’s worth, I, too, will not be participating in any Jeopardy productions that don’t use new clues written by their amazing, unionized writers under a fair, collectively bargained contract.”

The 40th season of “Jeopardy!” is expected to premiere Sept. 11 — the Monday following the summer reruns.

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What to expect from the 2023 season of ‘Jeopardy!’

As long as the strike continues, “Jeopardy!” viewers will likely see Jennings as the sole host. Bialk stepped down from hosting during the final week of filming last season in solidarity with the strike, the Deseret News previously reported.

“Our last week of shows was already locked,” Jennings previously told the Deseret News. “We could be above board and just shoot the last week of scripts that had already been written.

“You would not believe the work our amazing writers do, and they’re Emmy Award winning,” he continued. “We cannot wait for the strike to be resolved so we can get our writers back. We’re just hoping the writers get the fair deal they deserve (and) we can get back in time to the fall.”

Michael Davies, the executive producer of “Jeopardy!” recently revealed that Season 40 will begin with a Second Chance Tournament, featuring players from Season 37, TV Insider reported. Winners from that tournament will then play champions from Season 38.

He also revealed one major change to the show that will go into effect at the beginning of the new season: An increase in prize money. The second and third-place winners of each game will receive $2,000 and $3,000, respectively — a $1,000 increase, according to a recent episode of the podcast Inside Jeopardy!

Since “Jeopardy!” is not welcoming new contestants until the strike is resolved, producer Sarah Whitcomb Foss revealed on the podcast that the show would extend the pool of eligibility for potential new contestants from 18 months to 2 years.

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What about the ‘Jeopardy!’ 2023 Tournament of Champions?

“Jeopardy!” reportedly has no plans to produce a new Tournament of Champions, featuring top winners from the past season, until the strike is resolved, per Variety. The news came shortly after a number of recent “Jeopardy!” winners who are eligible for the upcoming Tournament of Champions said they wouldn’t compete until the strike was over.

“There are now credible reports that the producers are making contingency plans to start filming the next season of the show with old and/or recycled material if the WGA strike remains unresolved,” 13-game champ Ray Lalonde wrote on a recent Reddit thread, per Deadline. “I am a lifelong devoted fan of Jeopardy! I am and will always be grateful for the experience I had on the show and the opportunity to participate in the TOC is beyond a dream come true for me.

“That being said, I believe that the show’s writers are a vital part of the show and they are justified in taking their job action to secure a fair contract for themselves and their fellow WGA members. As a supporter of the trade union movement, a union member’s son and a proud union member myself I have informed the show’s producers that if the strike remains unresolved I will not cross a picket line to play in the tournament of champions.”

In the Aug. 7 episode of the podcast “Inside Jeopardy!” Davies said the show would not do tournaments like the new “Jeopardy!” Invitational Tournament — where players compete for a spot in the Masters tournament — and Tournament of Champions until the writers return.

“Jeopardy!” said it has not contacted any contestants from Season 39 regarding upcoming tournaments, according to USA Today.

“The Jeopardy! postseason represents the pinnacle of our competition, and it should feature our strongest players playing our toughest original material,” the show said in a statement, per USA Today.