LeVar Burton Set To Host New Game Show And Gets The Last Laugh After ‘Jeopardy’ Snub

LeVar Burton is currently developing a variety game show centered around the trivia game Trivial Pursuit in partnership with Entertainment One (eOne). The announcement of his new venture, Blavity reports, draws upon the momentous public support he received for the Jeopardy hosting opportunity following the death of longtime host Alex Trebek.  

Burton’s fans championed for the actor to receive the role, with him being selected to guest host the show from July 26-30. 

Joshua Sanders, a self-proclaimed fan, created a petition last fall advocating for Burton to be selected for the role. Despite the public push, executive producer Mike Richards was picked for the role which caused an outcry among the actor’s fans. But Burton set out to create his own opportunity. 

As the host for the new game show, Burton will produce the project through his company, LeVar Burton Entertainment (LBE) in a collaboration with eOne, whose parent company is Hasbro. Burton is an executive producer on the series, in addition to LBE’s Sangita Patel, and eOne’s Tara Long and Geno McDermott. Presently, no major network is associated with the production. 

“’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 said to Variety. 

Tara Long, president of global unscripted television for eOne exuded sheer excitement to work with Burton and his brand.

In September, Burton spoke with The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and said he lost interest in hosting Jeopardy following the whole ordeal.  

“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,” he said. “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?’”

Feature Image Credit: Ian Tuttle/Stringer