Jeopardy! EP says show will take time on Alex Trebek successor

Tomorrow night will serve as the final episode of Jeopardy! featuring the late, great Alex Trebek as host. It’s going to be one of the most emotional episodes imaginable, as we see the game play out with all of the subtlety and nuance you would expect. This episode was originally scheduled to air on Christmas Day, but it was delayed to ensure that there was proper time to pay tribute to the host.

As this episode airs, there will continue to be questions as to who the next host will be — and that is something that the series is planning to take its time to figure out. Speaking to Deadline, show executive producer Mike Richards noted that a full-time successor to Trebek may not be named until the spring:

“We are going to take our time and talk to a lot of people, have some people guest host and see what our fans think as well.”

Jeopardy!: The Greatest of All Time champion Ken Jennings will serve as the first guest host of the series, and the Los Angeles Times recently claimed that Katie Couric is also going to have a chance to take on the gig. Jennings has been regarded as a favorite to win the show, but has also come under fire for some tweets from his past. Some other candidates who have been floated online include Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton and CNN broadcaster Anderson Cooper. We’ve said personally that Burton is our favorite choice, but it will be up to Richards and producers in the end.

Richards also noted to Deadline that there will be some guest hosts who are auditioning for the gig, whereas others are there to pay tribute to Trebek:

“[You] will also see big-name people who are not going to be considered for the role but they just love the show, love Alex and wanted to pay tribute. So not everyone who comes on is auditioning. We are going to go in a lot of different directions, I don’t think we want to be in a hurry to name a new person. We all are still mourning the loss — certainly I am — of Alex, and I think just turning around and naming someone would be irresponsible and not thoughtful, which is antithesis of Jeopardy!“

Who do you want to see become the next Jeopardy! host?

Be sure to share right now in the comments, and then also stick around to get more news on the series. (Photo: Sony Pictures TV.)