“Sports Jeopardy!” executive producer Harry Friedman gave a straightforward pitch for his new quiz show: “It’s sports and ‘Jeopardy!’ End of pitch,” he told The New York Times.
The sports-themed “Jeopardy!” will premiere on Crackle, a video-streaming website owned by Sony, on Sept. 24 and it’s one of the first digital game shows. The 30-minute show will debut a new episode weekly, and viewers can play along on the “Sports Jeopardy!” mobile app, released earlier this year.
“It just seemed like a natural extension of the ‘Jeopardy!’ format, and the growth of sports just simply can’t be denied,” said Friedman, who also produces “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune.”
Veteran sportscaster Dan Patrick will host the program, which filmed on the actual “Jeopardy!” set in front of a live audience. Patrick even used the dressing room for “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, who gave the new host some advice.
“He said ‘Have fun.’ That’s the one mistake he made early that he’s almost trying to make up for,” Patrick told The Hollywood Reporter.
Friedman and the “Jeopardy!” team pitched the sports-themed game show to ESPN almost 20 years ago, according to The New York Times. The network couldn’t find a place on its schedule where it didn’t compete with the original. The team pitched it again last fall as a digital entity.
“It’s where we’re headed with Millennials,” Patrick told USA Today about the online video consumption of the younger generation. “To be part of this process is exciting. It’s cutting edge.”
Crackle will air two episodes on premiere night. Patrick warns that even the best sports trivia folks will have trouble with some of the show’s questions.
“If you’re a sports fan, you’ll be challenged by the clues. Final Jeopardy is particularly tough,” he told USA Today. “I pride myself on having good sports knowledge, and I know 75 percent to 80 percent of the answers.”
Crackle has 18 million monthly users, most from the key 18-34 age demographic, according to USA Today. The website hosts reruns of old TV shows and other original series, such as Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.”
