As Jeopardy!’s return approaches, showrunner Michael Davies is revealing some changes to the game plan for the upcoming season amidst the ongoing writers strike.
On Monday’s episode of the Inside Jeopardy! podcast, Davies noted that they would have to postpone the 2022-2023 postseason since the “best episodes” of the trivia show are the ones that feature their writers creating original material. As a result, season 40 would proceed with its fall premiere but with recycled questions and contestants.
Davies explained, “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 or as we’ll talk about a combination of non-original material and material that was written pre-strike. So we decided that really we needed to invite back and give a second chance in general to players who probably thought that their chance to come back and play on the Alex Trebek stage had gone forever.”
Specifically, the season will open with a second chance tournament for players from season 37 who lost their initial game. The winners of this tournament will then advance to a season 37 and season 38 Champions Wild Card tournament.
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The writers’ strike began in May following failed contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Once the strike ends, Davies shared that they would head into their Season 39 post-season, which will culminate with the Tournament of Champions. He explained, “So episodes at the beginning of the season for the season 37 and season 38 contestants, the material that we’re gonna be using is a combination of material that our WGA writers wrote before the strike, which is still in the database and material that is being redeployed from multiple, multiple seasons of the show.”
Davies also mentioned that Celebrity Jeopardy! will return with all original content since it was completed before the strike.
In addition to these changes, Davies announced that once “regular” episodes return, the second and third place prizes will be increased by $1,000 each, making them $3,000 and $2,000 respectively.
At the beginning of the podcast, Davies expressed his appreciation for the Jeopardy! writers, stating, “There’s something I have to say right at the outset and that is how much I admire and miss our writers. They are beloved and valued members of the Jeopardy! team, just as they value every other member of our team. This really is a family who made this show.”
The Hollywood Reporter previously reported that the annual Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions would be pushed back and taped after the writers’ strike is resolved.
Jeopardy! is set to return for its 40th season on September 11.
