Many had concerns over the future of Jeopardy! following the passing of longtime host Alex Trebek. The initial year was met with controversies, including the firing of a producer who tried to become host. After some course corrections, the show not only found a host in fan favorite Ken Jennings, but in a lot of ways it’s expanded the potential of the quiz show. There’s been more tournaments, including the return of Celebrity Jeopardy! and primetime airings of their annual Tournament of Champions: the latter of which marked some of the period’s highest ratings. Along with two podcasts and selective reruns on PlutoTV, the brand of Jeopardy! seemed to be doing better than ever.
Something that should be apparent is the Jeopardy! staff’s desire to explore the potential of what the format could achieve. That is why, for the first time since Sports Jeopardy! in 2014, they have announced a spin-off. With Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost filling in the host role, Pop Culture Jeopardy! looks to remix the familiar and give audiences a niche form of trivia. So long as you watch TV and read the magazines, you’re going to do fine. It may limited in scope, but I’d argue that they’ve taken enough risks to at least pique curiosity. Even if the formula looks the same, Pop Culture Jeopardy! is much more than a direct clone of its flagship series.
This is seen immediately with the opening credits. While the beloved think music in Final Jeopardy remains the same, the front half is given a dizzying, youthful update. The logo fits the theme as it jumps around different designs that are recognizable to anyone who could excel. These designs are eye-grabbing, appealing to the most iconic designs in pop culture history. Depending on when you pause, you will find something that might have gone unnoticed. It’s a move that feels reminiscent of recent Oscar-winner Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) down to the fact that it embodies the limitless potential of the next half hour. While “pop culture” seems like a limited subject, the first three episodes of the Amazon Prime spin-off prove that it’s anything but. Add in an agile theme song, and you’ll know within 30 seconds whether the appeal of this trend-chasing redesign will be for you.
Another thing that helps to distinguish this new series is the presence of teams. While this isn't the first time Jeopardy! has used multiple players per team in a single episode, it plans to be the most prominent recurrence. As announcer Johnny Gilbert does introductions, they are given a chance to do their goofy wave to the camera. Everything is topped off with a team name, often designed around a pop culture reference or pun meant to add humor. This is how the team will be defined for the remainder of the game in the design of “team name – player first name.” As of the first round, their interview segment centralizes around describing their team name including how they discovered their love of trivia. It’s nothing too revolutionary but, given the three-player set-up, does a nice job of keeping this segment from being bogged down in nine separate inspirational stories.
Then there’s the host. Jost has made a name for himself as a regular on Saturday Night Live, especially on the Weekend Update segments. According to the podcast Inside Jeopardy!, the producers were impressed with his ability to do cold readings and interact well with contestants. Given the thankless nature of rattling off dozens of questions in quick proximity, there is a need to balance pacing. While there are elements of his style that feels a bit inexperienced, it’s the sort of foibles that can improve.
For now, his one shortcoming is being too buddy-buddy with the contestants in-between questions. Jeopardy! has always prided itself on having hosts that could draw the line between intimidation and playfulness. Jennings has been as revered as Trebek’s replacement because he shares that ability of knowing when to lean in and ease tension with an offbeat joke. It shouldn’t be said that Jost is bad, but he’s inexperienced. He has yet to develop a rhythm that makes the jokes feel natural. While his instincts do provide some great humor that keeps everything upbeat, there are points where he’s too reliant on long set-up/punchline bits that distract from the pacing. The major plus is that he seems engaged with every facet of the show, so it’s likely that this will improve with time.
Another thing that makes the show promising is how it’s akin to tournament style set-up than a meandering format that could hypothetically go forever. Based on early episodes, we are currently in the “knock-out round” where three teams compete for one spot before advancing to the next round. Conceptually, it feels reminiscent of Celebrity Jeopardy!, but over a longer time. With approximately 40 teams, they will be whittled down until one stands. The jury is out on how difficult the questions will get as time progresses.
The larger episode shares the formatting of the broadcasted version. It is broken up into First Round, First Round (second half), Second Round (a.k.a. Double Jeopardy), and Final Jeopardy. Each section is broken up by a commercial break with the first two including an interview segment. The questions from there are broken into categories with the typical Jeopardy! wit. While some will tell you directly what will happen, there are few that embrace the punny nature and leave contestants guessing.
As the name suggests, these are topics located within the field of pop culture. There’s nothing so far that isn’t tied to entertainment with the most esoteric corners being literature and live theater. Even then, these questions aren’t likely to veer from things recognizable to general consumers. The one downside of this approach is that those at home who have a working knowledge of trends will have an easy time competing. While some will see that as a major plus, the one value of Jeopardy! is the sense of discovery. I knew a lot of things, but the soporific uncertainty meant you came away with new factoids to stump your friends. I’m not saying that I aced the first three episodes, but my margin of satisfaction with what I didn’t know was smaller.
Along with questions that have regular point values, there are two surprise fields hidden within the board. Jeopardy! fans will be quick to recognize the Daily Double. This allows contestants to wager points that could enhance their margin of leadership. With exception to players in negative values, this is limited to how many acquired points they achieved. Those with good wagering skills can take advantage, albeit if it’s in a category they can guarantee that big risk would lead to big reward. The uncertainty is always the biggest draw because you could wind up just as much in the lead as you can at zero. Depending on where the Daily Double is achieved within gameplay, there can be a hustle back to the frontline or results in waving the white flag. The only way around this would be if Final Jeopardy went horribly wrong regarding the more accomplished teams.
The new element that piques curiosity is the Triple Play. Unlike other Jeopardy! categories across its various incarnations, this is reliant on the entire team to succeed. With one Triple Play present in each round, the goal has each member respond. The question is made up of three parts that can be answered in full or in part. Provided the first team fails to get Part 2 or Part 3, the opposing teams can jump in and fill in the gaps. Each correct part of the answer will get points. As usual, wrong answers simply mean disqualification until gameplay continues.
Double Jeopardy is more of the same. The only difference is that the point values are doubled. Otherwise, the show is familiar for viewers. Final Jeopardy comes down to a question that is given 30 seconds to answer as the iconic think music plays. With a strategic wager, one team wins and advances while the other two go home. As per usual, the fun is seeing if the closer competitors are clever enough to out-wager and close out with a lead. There’s been a few surprises so far that prove the potential for this to be an enjoyable alternative. With that said, Pop Culture Jeopardy! is only as appealing as its categories, and there’s more limits on what those could be compared to the original. The chances of Final Jeopardy being truly difficult will differ based on personal knowledge.
The good news is that this spin-off is more of the same. When people read its title, they will know what they’re getting. Much like Sports Jeopardy!, it’s a condensed version that encourages niche forms of trivia that could stimulate competitive nature. Given that Jost is likable and the tone is upbeat, this is a great addition to the game show canon. I personally doubt that it would ever match the cultural influence of Jeopardy!, but given how each of the recent branches have had a consistent level of quality, one can hope it at least remain consistent. It is unclear what the final tournament will look like or if there will be expansions of games before the better teams are “knocked out.” However, the appeal of having an eventual winner gives Pop Culture Jeopardy! enough of a hook to make it watchable and, to their intentions, bingeable.
This can be seen in the series’ most awkward element. Given that Jeopardy! exists on a scheduled airing, its ability to say “tomorrow” with certainty works. Jost having to say goodbye with both a “see you next time” and “or right now” is a less clean sign-off. The intention makes sense and overall the Amazon Prime model will benefit any impulsive fan base, but it reflects the small ways that the show still needs to improve. For now, it’s a nice footnote to the franchise that will hopefully emphasize a lot more curious experiments in the near future. While classical Jeopardy! will always be ideal, the recent decision to test their limits remains exciting and this is a welcomed addition, even if I’m not as in love with it just yet.
Comments
Post a Comment