LeVar Burton to host ‘Trivial Pursuit’ game show
Over a year and nearly 300,000 petition signatures later, Burton has landed a job hosting a TV quiz show after "Jeopardy" setback.
Superscribe William Shakespeare famously wrote centuries ago: “All’s Well That Ends Well.”
The efforts of determined TV viewers appear to prove his famous play’s assertion, now that over a year and nearly 300,000 petition signatures later, LeVar Burton has landed a job hosting a TV quiz show.
Fans pushed for Burton to helm Jeopardy — following late longtime host Alex Trebek — but after a one-week trial run during which he wowed the quiz show’s devoted audience and critics alike, the actor was nonetheless passed over for one of the show’s executive producers, Mike Richards. Then, just weeks after announcing he would host the show, Richards resigned amid controversy about alleged sexual harassment.
Jeopardy will be hosted in syndication by Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings for the remainder of the year, and additional guest hosts may take to the podium.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Burton will host a new Trivial Pursuit television game created by Hasbro and Entertainment One.
“LeVar Burton has been an iconic member of American pop culture for decades, from Roots to Reading Rainbow to Star Trek and beyond,” said Tara Long, president of global unscripted television at eOne. “His love for intellectual curiosity paired with his ability to connect with audiences worldwide make him the perfect partner to bring Hasbro’s beloved trivia game to households in a new and exciting way.”
According to the report, Burton will also serve as an executive producer of the show.
“Trivial Pursuit is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe. I am thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television,” Burton reportedly said.
He shared the development on Twitter earlier this week. Fellow television host Wayne Brady of Fox’s Game of Talents shared Burton’s tweet, writing, “Go get it @levarburton! Big win for us trivia fans!”
Created in 1979, Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which a winner is chosen by their ability to answer general knowledge and pop-culture questions from six categories. More than 100 million copies of the game in various editions have been sold as of 2014.
In a September interview with The Daily Show‘s Trevor Noah, Burton talked about no longer desiring to host Jeopardy.
“The crazy thing is that when you set your sights on something … they say be careful of what you wish for because what I found out is that it wasn’t the thing that I wanted after all,” Burton told Noah. “What I wanted was to compete. I mean, I wanted the job, right, but then, when I didn’t get it, it was, like ‘Well, okay, what’s next?'”
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