LeVar Burton-Hosted Trivial Pursuit Series In The Works At The CW

The CW is closing on a deal to turn Trivial Pursuit into a gameshow hosted by LeVar Burton.

It comes nearly two years after Burton signed up to host the adaptation following his guest stint hosting Jeopardy!.

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Burton was one of the popular Jeopardy! guest hosts but didn’t land the job full time. Afterwards, he told The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah that he was looking for the “right” game show to host.

He will also exec produce the series, which comes from eOne through his LeVar Burton Entertainment banner. The CW insiders cautioned that the deal was not done yet.

It is the latest version of Trivial Pursuit to head to the screen; Freeform precursor The Family Channel ran a series hosted by Wink Martindale in 1993/94 that was loosely based on the game, while a syndicated version, Trivial Pursuit: America Plays ran in 2008/09.

The IP is owned by Hasbro, which previously owned eOne before it was bought by Lionsgate.

It is the latest unscripted series for The CW, which is banking on a third season of FBoy Island and a spinoff, FGirl Island, alongside The Great American Bakeover, The Force from Jersey Shore creator SallyAnn Salsano and Patti Stanger: Millionaire Matchmaking (w/t).

The CW’s unscripted chief Heather Olander told Deadline earlier this year that it was looking to launch a gameshow with “some IP along with it”.

“[Game shows] are probably the most expensive to launch. They require some marketing dollars. If you don’t have that IP, how do we do it?” she said.

“Trivial Pursuit is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe. I am thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television,” said Burton in 2021.

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