'Jeopardy!' Changes Schedule, Will Air Alex Trebek's 10 Best Episodes in December Ahead of His Final Episodes in January

Jeopardy! has changed up its schedule and will now air Alex Trebek's 10 best episodes in December [...]

By Stephen Andrew

Jeopardy! has changed up its schedule and will now air Alex Trebek's 10 best episodes in December ahead of his final episodes in January. Initially, producers had announced that Trebek's last episodes would air in late December, with his final one airing on Christmas Day. Now, those will be pushed to the week of Jan. 4, with a selection of Trebek's greatest episodes airing the weeks of Dec. 21 and Dec. 28.

Producers have also announced that Jeopardy! will resume production on Monday, Nov. 30, with Ken Jennings — Jeopardy!'s "Greatest of All Time" champion — filling in as a guest host for a series of episodes. In a statement, Jeopardy! Executive Producer Mike Richards spoke out about the show continuing, and explained that this is what Trebek wanted. "Alex believed in the importance of Jeopardy! and always said that he wanted the show to go on after him," he wrote.

"We will honor Alex's legacy by continuing to produce the game he loved with smart contestants and challenging clues," Richards said. "By bringing in familiar guest hosts for the foreseeable future, our goal is to create a sense of community and continuity for our viewers." At this time, no other guest hosts have been formally announced but will be in the coming weeks.

Trebek died on Nov. 8, after fighting Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. for more than a year. In a statement the same day, Jeopardy! producers confirmed the tragic news. "Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends," read a tweet on the show's official Twitter page. "Thank you, Alex."

Shortly after Trebek's passing, Jeopardy! producer Mike Richards appeared on the Today show and shared a little about the iconic game show host's last day. According to Richards, Trebek spent his final day "sitting on his swing next to his wife, Jean, and kind of watching the horizon." He also shared that Trebek "was coherent" and "wasn't in pain" when he died. "The fact that he had a nice final day makes all of us in the Jeopardy! family feel much better," Richards also said.

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