'Jeopardy!' has run out of new episodes after coronavirus pandemic shut down production

Jeopardy! is about to get a lot easier for regular viewers.

On June 12, the nationally syndicated game show will air the last of the episodes taped before the coronavirus pandemic forced production to shut down in March. Reruns will air in their place.

Until now, Jeopardy! has filled its timeslot with new showdowns, including the 2020 Teachers Tournament, as well as an encore of the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time tournament, which aired in primetime in January.

Alex Trebek hosts "Jeopardy!" (Photo: Sony Pictures Television/Courtesy: Everett Collection)
Alex Trebek hosts Jeopardy!. (Photo: Sony Pictures Television/Courtesy: Everett Collection)

California, the state where the show films in Culver City, has OK’d TV and film production to begin again as early as June 12, pending approval from public health leaders in individual counties.

As Variety writers Matt Donnelly and Brent Lang pointed out this week, even after productions have the official go-ahead from the government, there’s the question of when cast and crew members will feel comfortable and safe coming back to set. They found that production companies were skeptical they’d be able to film in front of live studio audiences, as Jeopardy! does, until much later this year at the earliest.

However, the show’s beloved longtime host, Alex Trebek, who’s struggling with pancreatic cancer, is ready to head back to work now.

“Alex is looking forward to resuming production as soon as we are able to do so,” a Jeopardy! spokesperson told E!. “He’s told us he wants to be one of the first shows back in production.”

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