Jeopardy! | |
---|---|
Genre | Game show |
Created by | Merv Griffin |
Directed by | Bob Hultgren (1960s) Eleanor Tarshis (early 1970s) Jeff Goldstein (mid-1970s) Dick Schneider (1978–79, 1984–92) Kevin McCarthy (1992–present) |
Presented by |
Art Fleming (1964–75, 1978–79) Alex Trebek (1984–present) |
Narrated by |
Don Pardo (1964–75) John Harlan (1978–79) Johnny Gilbert (1984–present) |
Theme music composer | Julann Griffin (1964–75) Merv Griffin (1978–79, 1984–present) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of episodes | NBC (1964–75): 2,753 Syndication (1974–75): 39 NBC (1978–79): 108 Syndicated (1984–present): 7,000 (as of May 20, 2015) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Robert Rubin (1970s) Merv Griffin (1984–2000) Harry Friedman (1999–present) |
Producer(s) | see below |
Running time | approx. 22–26 minutes |
Production company(s) | Merv Griffin Productions (1964–75, 1978–79) Merv Griffin Enterprises (1984–94) Columbia TriStar Television (1994–2002) Sony Pictures Television (2002–present) Jeopardy Productions, Inc. |
Distributor |
Metromedia (1974–75) King World Productions (1984–2007) CBS Television Distribution (2007–present; US only) |
Release | |
Original network |
NBC (1964–75, 1978–79) Syndicated (1974–75, 1984–present) |
Picture format |
480i (SDTV) (1984–2006) 720p & 1080i (HDTV) (2006–present) |
Original release |
NBC Daytime: March 30, 1964 – January 3, 1975 Weekly syndication: September 1974 – September 1975 NBC Daytime: October 2, 1978 – March 2, 1979 Daily syndication: September 10, 1984 – present |
Chronology | |
Related shows |
Jep! Rock & Roll Jeopardy! Sports Jeopardy! |
External links | |
Website | www |
Jeopardy! is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show features a quiz competition in which contestants are presented with general knowledge clues in the form of answers, and must phrase their responses in the form of questions. The original daytime version debuted on NBC on March 30, 1964, and aired until January 3, 1975. A weekly nighttime syndicated edition aired from September 1974 to September 1975, and a revival, The All-New Jeopardy!, ran on NBC from October 1978 to March 1979. The current version, a daily syndicated show produced by Sony Pictures Television, premiered on September 10, 1984, and is still airing, making it by far the program's most successful incarnation.
Both NBC versions and the weekly syndicated version were hosted by Art Fleming. Don Pardo served as announcer until 1975, and John Harlan announced for the 1978–1979 show. Since its inception, the daily syndicated version has featured Alex Trebek as host and Johnny Gilbert as announcer.
With over 7,000 episodes aired, the daily syndicated version of Jeopardy! has won a record 33 Daytime Emmy Awards and is the only post-1960 game show to be honored with the Peabody Award. In 2013, the program was ranked No. 45 on TV Guide's list of the 60 greatest shows in American television history. Jeopardy! has also gained a worldwide following with regional adaptations in many other countries. The daily syndicated series' 33rd season premiered on September 12, 2016.
Three contestants each take their place behind a lectern, with the returning champion occupying the leftmost lectern (from the viewer's perspective). The contestants compete in a quiz game comprising three rounds: Jeopardy!, Double Jeopardy!, and Final Jeopardy!. The material for the questions covers a wide variety of topics, including history and current events, the sciences, the arts, popular culture, literature, and languages. Category titles often feature puns, wordplay, or shared themes, and the host will regularly remind contestants of topics or place emphasis on category themes before the start of the round.