Jeopardy! fans don't need to hear this, but you, a lapsed fan, might: Starting Monday, July 26, LeVar Burton begins his week-long run as the host of the beloved game show.
The Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: The Next Generation star joins a lengthy lineup of other public figures — including everyone from CNN's Sanjay Gupta to professional football's Aaron Rodgers — who are vying for the honor of replacing the late Alex Trebek as host. Burton's path to scoring the opportunity was decidedly different, however.
Despite the actor's obvious cred as a beloved celebrity and defender of education for people of all ages, it took a Burton-authored appeal on social media — possibly helped by a fan petition — for the show's producers to give him a shot. Now, it's finally happening, and not a moment too soon. Finding a replacement for someone like Trebek hasn't been easy.
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But hey, maybe you don't keep up with Jeopardy! anymore. We get it. The show has been a staple of the U.S. TV diet for generations, but not everyone watches it religiously for their whole lives. I haven't been a regular viewer since my teenage years when I would watch an early broadcast of the day's episode and then use that information to make my mother and sister think I had the ability to psychically divine the answers. (A ruse that lasted all of one week, if that, though it's still one of my best capers.)
Point being, some of us who might be rooting for Burton to get the job may not immediately know where to turn for catching the coming week's episodes. Well, don't worry. We're here to help.
When is Jeopardy! even on?
Let's start with the most basic of basics: New episodes of Jeopardy! air on ABC from Monday to Friday at 7:00 p.m. local time in most locations. As mentioned already, Burton is hosting the coming week's episodes — so he'll be on from July 26 through July 30.
Note that things may be a little funky on the timing front during Burton's Jeopardy! week due to the ongoing Tokyo Olympics and, at the end of the week, the 2021 NBA Draft. There's a rundown of how the scheduling changes affect various airings on the show's official website.
Note, too, that you can punch in your ZIP code at the link above if you want to double-check the airtime in your area.
Where can you watch Jeopardy!?
As I mentioned already, Jeopardy! airs on ABC. If you have cable or even if you just rock the modern equivalent of rabbit ear antennas, tuning in is as simple as setting the channel to ABC at the right time.
The same is true for subscribers to alternative cable-style services like Hulu with Live TV or YouTube TV. ABC should be available to subscribers of services like these in most locations. Most services like these also include some kind of built-in DVR feature, so as a bonus you can set Jeopardy! as a favorite and catch up with the show even after it airs.
For people who cut the cord on cable (or who have just never bothered), there's still hope. You can watch Jeopardy! without having to resort to anything shady. All you'll need is an internet connection and a willingness to create an account on a particular website: Locast.
Locast.org is essentially a streaming service for "rabbit ear" TV — i.e. the channels you'd get if you had a working antenna. It unfortunately only works if you're in or near a supported market, but that accounts for roughly three-quarters of the country. It's also technically a free service, so there's no harm in at least checking.
That "free" comes with a bit of a caveat, though: If you watch on Locast without donating any money — a $5 monthly fee is the minimum suggested amount — the site cuts in occasionally to ask for a donation otherwise. You can always go pick your show again in the live guide on the site, but the interruptions are the price you pay for going the totally free route.
What to expect from Burton's hosting week?
Jeopardy! isn't filmed live, so Burton's run as host technically happened already. He's done some press ahead of the week his episodes air, and some of what he's said sets the stage for what we can expect from his time at the podium.
"I had, like all of the hosts, one day of rehearsal and the following day I shot five episodes of Jeopardy!" he said in an interview with the Associated Press. "I came backstage after taping the first episode and I said to [my wife] Stephanie, 'Well, how did I do?' She said, 'ehhh.' Now, this is a woman who loves me enough to tell me the truth. She said it wasn’t me."
Burton took the constructive criticism in stride and used it to inform his subsequent four episodes.
He continued: "I made it my business for the next four chances at bat to just be myself, to forget about the procedure, to forget about the process, stop trying, stop focusing on the wrong thing. You’re not going to be smooth as Alex, let go of that. But what you can bring to the table is you. So that became my point of focus. And when it did, I started having fun."
That's all the info you should need. Tune in for Burton's hosting stint on Jeopardy! all this week, starting Monday, July 26.
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