We’ve got good news and bad news for you, Mike Richards. On the plus side, your week as permanent “Jeopardy!” host just topped *almost* all of the other syndicated shows in ratings. On the other hand, the week ending Sept. 19 will be your only week as permanent “Jeopardy!” host. But you already knew that.
“Jeopardy!” drew a 5.1 rating with Richards. It ranked second among all syndicated shows and to a “Family Feud” 5.3 rating. “Wheel of Fortune” ranked third with a 4.8 rating.
“Judge Judy” was the fourth-highest-rated syndicated show, posting a 4.5 rating. It easily topped the courtroom category; we’ll get to talk shows in a bit.
That “Jeopardy!” rating was up 24% week to week, but the previous weeks were all “Tournament of Champions” reruns. The “Family Feud” rating was actually down 5% from its prior week.
“Jeopardy!” was the only game show to grow from the same week last year. With the return of champion Matt Amodio, who continued his 18-game winning streak to start the new season, the Sony quiz show rose 2% year over year.
There was likely some viewer intrigue for Amodio, and even more trainwreck tune-in for the lone Richards week.
“Ellen’s” 19th and final premiere week rose 25% from last year to a 1.0 rating. Kelly Clarkson’s Season 3 premiere week (0.9) topped last year’s start by 13%. Drew Barrymore’s Season 2 premiere week (0.5) jumped 25%.
“Dr. Phil” and “Live With Kelly and Ryan” tied atop the talk shows, each with a 1.7 rating.
Richards exited as permanent host of “Jeopardy!,” which has just entered its 38th season, just one day after it returned to production, following the resurfacing of a gender discrimination lawsuit from his time with “The Price is Right” and multiple misogynistic comments he made on a podcast he co-hosted last decade. Richards taped five episodes before he was also ousted as the show’s executive producer.