Week 2 of Ken Jennings’ (temporary, for now at least) “Jeopardy!” tenure slipped 5% in ratings from Week 1, according to Nielsen. That rate of retention is not bad at all, and with the 5.9 rating, the Sony quiz show remained No. 1 in syndication for the week ending Jan. 24, 2021.
But “Wheel of Fortune” and “Family Feud” are getting closer as “Jeopardy!” settles down. The Pat Sajak-hosted puzzle show drew a 5.7 rating in the same week. Steve Harvey’s game show had a 5.6.
Survey says it’s gonna be tight for the near future.
For the penultimate week of January, “Judge Judy” was somewhat close behind the game-show competition with an average 5.1 rating. With a 1.9 rating, “Live With Kelly & Ryan” finished first among talk shows for the ninth week in a row. “Dr. Phil” had a 1.7.
Trebek’s final “Jeopardy!” episode aired on Friday, Jan. 8. It was a sad occasion but a great success in TV ratings, drawing the most viewers — 14 million — in 419 days, which is when James Holzhauer’s incredible winning streak came to an end.
In terms of its actual rating number among Nielsen-measured households, Trebek’s final week of “Jeopardy!” episodes averaged a 6.6 rating. That was up 29% from the previous week and a season best.
Trebek passed away after a long and public battle with cancer on Sunday, Nov. 8.
“Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex,” the show’s website posted that day.
Jennings’ first episode behind the podium aired on Monday, Jan. 11. Jennings holds the “Jeopardy!” records for wins and cash prizes. He also won the show’s “Greatest of All Time” tournament.
Future guest hosts of the program include “Jeopardy!” executive producer Mike Richards, journalist Katie Couric, NFL star Aaron Rodgers, “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker and “Call Me Kat” star Mayim Bialik.
Leave a Reply