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Future of 'Jeopardy!': More spinoffs under consideration

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Author: 
Michelle Rose / TV Media
Ken Jennings, host of "Jeopardy!"

Ken Jennings, host of "Jeopardy!"

Future of 'Jeopardy': More "Jeopardy!"? On the heels of the recent "Celebrity Jeopardy!" revival and "Second Chance Tournament," and with a revamped "Tournament of Champions" set to begin next week, executive producer Michael Davies is reportedly considering further expanding the "Jeopardy!" universe.

In an interview with the New York Times, Davies discussed future possibilities and ideas for additional spinoffs, including a Masters League that would feature the show's winningest players.

"What we really need to develop is the pro-level version of the game," said Davies, who also co-hosts the soccer podcast "Men in Blazers" and is known to refer to "Jeopardy!" as a sport. "It seemed ridiculous to me that we have this sport ["Jeopardy!"] where every single year we take all of our best players — we take our LeBrons and our Dwyanes — and we switch them all out."

Davies, who was the producer of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" when that show took off, also indicated he'd like to see this expansion air live but concedes the idea "makes a lot of my staff nervous." Another possible spinoff might focus solely on sports and pop culture trivia.

"Jeopardy!" has experienced a few tumultuous years since the death of longtime host Alex Trebek in 2020. Davies officially became the show's full-time executive producer in April, replacing former host/executive producer Mike Richards after his ousting due to derogatory comments he made in the past.

Before that, the search for a replacement host saw multiple guest hosts (including "Reading Rainbow's" LeVar Burton) taking turns behind the podium. Ken Jennings ("The Chase") and Mayim Bialik ("The Big Bang Theory") were ultimately announced as permanent hosts in July, with Jennings heading up hosting duties until December and Bialik taking up the reins in January.

With the host issue settled and ratings remaining steady, "Jeopardy!" and its production team can now look ahead to the future.

Speaking to Variety at the 2022 Daytime Emmy Awards, before Bialik and Jennings had formally signed on, Davies teased, "With all of our plans for 'Jeopardy!' — which is more 'Jeopardy!,' not less, more versions — we're going to need multiple hosts to represent the entire audience, to represent the entire country, in order to take this franchise forward."

 

'Them': Amazon's horror anthology series "Them" is rounding out its cast for Season 2.

Pop culture icon Pam Grier ("Foxy Brown," 1974), Luke James ("The Chi") and Season 1 star Deborah Ayorinde ("Harriet," 2019) have been tapped as series leads for Season 2, which is formally known as "Them: The Scare."

Like "Them: Covenant," the story for "Them: The Scare" will be set in Los Angeles County, but this time in 1991, 40 years after the events of Season 1. In the new season, Ayorinde will play LAPD Det. Dawn Reeve, who is assigned to a gruesome murder case that has left the most hardened detectives in the Robbery Homicide Division shaken. According to the official description, something malevolent grips Dawn and her family as she draws closer to the truth.

Grier will play Dawn's mother, Athena, who is described as meticulous, clever and prideful, "but her Mama Bear qualities hide secrets." James, meanwhile, will star as Edmund Gaines, an aspiring actor and a seemingly sensitive soul who feels a deep void within.

Joshua J. Williams ("Mudbound," 2017) and Jeremy Bobb ("Russian Doll") have also been tapped as regulars in Season 2. Williams will play Dawn's teenage son, Kelvin "Kel" Reeves, who is harboring a secret from both his mother and grandmother, and Bobb will play Dawn's partner, Det. Ronald McKinney, who has a reputation for closing cases quickly, occasionally through questionable means.

Wayne Knight ("Seinfeld"), Carlito Olivero ("Step Up: High Water") and Charles Brice ("The Survivor") will have recurring roles as Dawn's supervisor, a newly minted detective and a charming attorney, respectively, and former NBA player Iman Shumpert ("The Chi") will play Dawn's ex, Corey, a musician who is frequently on the road.

 

Order up: Jon Cryer's portrayal of iconic villain Lex Luthor in CW's "Supergirl" and other DC universe TV shows has proven to be a hit with fans (despite some initial misgivings when casting was first announced), but the former "Two and a Half Men" star is moving over to NBC for his next TV project.

The network recently gave a series order to a still-untitled comedy series from creator Mike O'Malley ("Survivor's Remorse") and Cryer, who will serve as both star and executive producer.

The show tells the story of Jim (Cryer) and Julia (Abigail Spencer, "Grey's Anatomy"), a couple who are going through an amicable divorce. They have decided to continue raising their kids in the family home while taking turns staying with them, but it gets more complicated for Jim when Trey (Donald Faison, "Scrubs"), the owner of his favorite sports team, enters the picture and wins Julia's heart.

O'Malley will serve as showrunner alongside two real-life Boston sports team owners: Tom Werner, owner of the Red Sox, and Wyc Grousbeck, owner of the Celtics.

It's a little late for the new series to make it to air during the 2022-23 season, so expect to see it land sometime in 2023-24 instead.