'Jeopardy!' and 'Wheel of Fortune' Not on Tonight In Many Areas Due to Election Coverage
With the country turning its attention to the 2020 presidential election, so, too, are the major [...]
With the country turning its attention to the 2020 presidential election, so, too, are the major television networks. Both Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune will be impacted because of this. In some areas, the two ABC game shows will be cut from the programming altogether, such as in the Philadelphia area. Other areas, like in Los Angeles, will air the episode at a later date.
For Jeopardy!, many stations will skip the Tuesday episode altogether. Among these include Knoxville, Tennessee, Buffalo, New York and Richmond, Virginia. Others, like in Louisville, Kentucky and New York City will air the episode on another co-owned station. The same schedule can be said for Wheel of Fortune, though the show did not list specific programming notes across the country.
#Jeopardy! will be preempted in many areas today through the rest of the week, so be sure to check your local listings and DVR settings!
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 3, 2020
Jeopardy! currently is in the midst of Carmela Chan's three-game win streak. Over the span she has collected $55,401 in earnings. Meanwhile, Wheel of Fortune is fresh off its Halloween Week special.
As was the case for much of Hollywood, both shows were dramatically impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. After being shutdown for months, production finally returned near the end of summer albeit with plenty of changes in place. Jeopardy! saw its contestants stations moved six feet apart and other safety measures enforced. Wheel of Fortune viewers were more aware of the changes, the biggest one being the special wheel-spinning holders that each contestant possesses to keep germs off the game board. Smaller changes that fans noticed was Pat Sajak no longer holding the winning player's hand while walking to the final puzzle.
In other news, some of Jeopardy's most famous winners and the ones who participated in the Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time special event will be taking part in a new game show. Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer were revealed to be teaming back up for a new ABC quiz show, The Chase. The trio will take turns facing off against competitors in a battle of wits. Deadline did not report on any start date. The show will be modeled after its British predecessor that first debuted in 2009 to much fanfare. After the election is wrapped up, both shows will return to its normal programming.