Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Password’ Renewed for Season 2 – But There’s a Catch

Jimmy Fallon’s successful Password revival will return for a second season soon. Production was postponed as the Tonight Show host continued to show support for the Writers Guild of America’s strike. Fallon has not hosted a new episode of The Tonight Show since May 2, when the strike began.

NBC renewed Password last week, with Keke Palmer returning as host. Filming was expected to start on the Universal lot, but Fallon is among the stars refusing to cross the picket line, reports Deadline. The first season aired in August 2022 and averaged 4.3 million total viewers. It was the number-one show from last summer and the most-watched summer alternative series premiere in two years, according to NBC.

Password debuted on CBS in 1961 and has been revived several times ever since. Fallon frequently featured the game show on The Tonight Show, keeping the format alive and even having the late Betty White join him. White was considered one of the great celebrity Password players. Her husband, Allen Ludden, hosted the show in the 1960s and 1970s. Fallon dedicated the Season 1 premiere to White.

The new Password followed the same format as the original, where contestants were paired with celebrities to guess secret passwords. Fallon was a player in every episode of Season 1 and is expected to do so in Season 2. Martin Short, Chrissy Metz, Yvette Nicole Brown, Tony Hale, Chelsea Handler, Heidi Klum, Meghan Trainor, and Jon Hamm played in Season 1. The series is produced by Fremantle, which owns original Password producer Goodson-Todman Productions.

NBC will also air new seasons of the unscripted shows America’s Got Talent, Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge, American Ninja Warrior, and LA Fire & Rescue this summer. The network announced new seasons of the shows in March, but Password was nowhere to be found. This was due to Palmer and her boyfriend, Darius Jackson, having just welcomed their first son in February.

Password is the second major unscripted game show that the writers’ strike will impact. Last week, Deadline confirmed Mayim Bialik would not host the last week of Jeopardy! out of solidarity with the writers. Ken Jennings will host the final episodes, which are being filmed this week at the Sony Pictures lot. Jeopardy! does hire WGA writers, but the questions are written well in advance of filming. Jeopardy! writers Michele Loud, Jim Rhine, and Billy Wisse have been seen on the picket lines.