Mayim Bialik will be the first guest host of ‘Jeopardy!’ after the departure of Mike Richards

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Bialik will host the recorded episodes this week, people familiar with the matter told CNN Business. Since the game show usually records one-week episodes in a single day, that means it will host three weeks of “Jeopardy!”

Sony, the show’s producer, declined to comment.

When Bialik was named earlier this month as the host of “Jeopardy!” prime time specials, some saw it as a consolation prize, as Richards was named the host of the popular weekday show. Currently, it is only planned to broadcast a first-rate tournament.
But with Richards suddenly as the daily host, amid controversy over his past offensive comments, Bialik can now position himself as a leader in the weekday work. A person familiar with the matter confirmed Monday that studio executives are considering her for the role.

“The studio loves Mayim, but at the time of the current season’s decision, his schedule for ‘Call me Kat’ was set and he wouldn’t have been able to juggle the syndicated show and his fox comedy.” , said the person.

“Now that there is more time to figure things out, it has become a real viable option for Sony,” the person continued. “It makes sense to ask him to intervene for several weeks while they find out the next steps.”

It has been speculated that Richards, who remains executive producer of “Jeopardy !, for now,” is making decisions about the next host.

But the person who spoke to CNN Business on Monday said that’s not the case.

Instead, the person said, Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra and Global Television Studios president Ravi Ahuja are the people directly involved.

“They don’t want to go through another extended hearing process,” the person added.

People with knowledge of the process have also pointed to Ken Jennings, who has posted the highest ratings of all “Jeopardy!” guest hosts last season, as one more candidate. Jennings was said to be a finalist for the first time and stayed on the show as a consultant producer.

Bialik is best known for her years in the hugely successful CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” where she played Amy. He currently plays the main character in “Call Me Kat” on Fox. Off-camera, she hosts a weekly mental health podcast called “Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown”.

In a statement earlier this month, about her early role, she said, “I couldn’t be happier to join the Jeopardy family! The show has become one of the most exciting opportunities. and surreal in my life.I am very grateful and excited to continue working with Mike Richards and I am little on the moon to join forces with him and Sony.After all, the conversations we have had about this partnership, I am so ready to start “.

Richards ’tenure as a daily host fell very short after a story on The Ringer’s website detailed a series of offensive comments on his past.

Claire McNear, the reporter behind the story and author of a recent book on “Jeopardy!” franchise, told CNN’s “New Day” on Monday that “the big question is where does Jeopardy!” “get out of here?”

“It has been such a stable institution in American television and culture for so many decades,” he said. “And suddenly, now, with this scandal, it seems to have been shaken. And I think there’s a lot of concern, especially within Sony and within the ‘danger!’ “staff, that this reliable thing might not be what it was and that it could become one more game show.”

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