Since Alex Trebek passed away in 2020, Jeopardy! has gone through an unprecedented period of messiness. Executive producer Mike Richards essentially anointed himself as host of the long-running game show before fall-out over resurfaced comments led to his dismissal; there’s still no single permanent host, although Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik have done a capable job of filling in. It hasn’t all been bad — Matt Amodio went on a historic run, and transgender champion Amy Schneider is using her platform for good — but the post-Trebek era has been rocky, to say the least.
Michael Davies wants to change that.
The new Jeopardy! executive producer published a letter to viewers this week, saying he hopes to put the show back on track. “I have been so fortunate to have developed and produced several long-running and successful shows during my 30-plus-year career. But I have experienced nothing like Jeopardy!. It is built on the shoulders of giants like Merv and Julann Griffin, Alex Trebek, Harry Friedman, and Johnny Gilbert. They are our Time Lords. And what they created and built will outlast all of us,” he wrote.
The key passage comes at the end of the note, when Davies asks for feedback from fans (you can do so here). “This is the first of many initiatives to bring you more access to the show we all love,” he said. “And as with everything else on Jeopardy!, we want to get it right. And in time, with your help, I know we will.” Replacing one Michael with another Michael as Jeopardy! executive producer maybe wasn’t the best optics, but this is a good start.
You can read the entire letter here.
(Via Jeopardy!)