A Kids Version of ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Is in the Works

Sony Pictures Television’s new kids division is reportedly working on a new Wheel of Fortune spinoff featuring child contestants. The division is also working on a new take on Bewitched that would follow a teenager. A version of Shark Tank with children is also in the works.

Sony Pictures Television – Kids, previously known as Silvergate Media, will come out of the gate swinging by mining Sony’s vast library. New animated takes on Bewitched and The Partridge Family are being considered, as are the kid-centric versions of classic game shows. Joe D’Ambrosia, the division’s executive VP and general manager, hopes to introduce these long-running Sony properties to a new generation.

“There’s such a vast history at Sony Pictures Television with properties that we could play around with and reinvent, introducing a whole new generation of kids to them,” D’ambrosia told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday. The division has a “straightforward and clear” goal of creating content for children on the level of other high-quality shows produced by other Sony divisions, like Cobra Kai, Jeopardy!, and The Crown.

Sony is in “early talks” to create kid-focused versions of Wheel of Fortune and Shark Tank. The kids version of Wheel could feature surprise twists like physical and comedic challenges for players to earn letters or buy vowels. Sony has already found success with expanding the Wheel franchise thanks to ABC’s Celebrity Wheel of Fortune primetime show.

The new version of Bewitched will center on Tabitha Stevens, the daughter of witch Samantha and human Darrin. She struggles with having a foot in both worlds. She goes to middle school during the day and is secretly attending a magical academy. The show is “Hannah Montana meets Harry Potter,” according to D’Ambrosia.

Bewitched originally aired on ABC from 1964 to 1972 and has lived on in syndication. The show inspired the short-lived spinoff Tabitha and the 2005 movie starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. CBS, NBC, and ABC all tried to revive the property, but no attempt succeeded.

Sony also hopes animation might work to bring back The Patridge Family when so many live-action attempts have failed. This new take will center on a Black family in Brooklyn who runs a food truck. They travel throughout New York City to serve good food and good songs. Both animated projects are in the very early stages of development and do not have writers attached.