DENVER (KDVR) — Fans of “Jeopardy!” will get to see the final episodes hosted by Alex Trebek this week. The acclaimed game show host died Nov. 8 after battling pancreatic cancer.
Trebek hosted the popular show for 37 seasons, taping his last episodes Oct. 29. Those shows were originally slated for the end of December, but have been moved to the new year.
The final new episodes hosted by Trebek are airing Jan. 4 – 8. “Jeopardy!” airs weeknights at 6 p.m. on FOX31 Denver. If you’re not in the Denver area, you can find you local time and channel on the “Jeopardy!” website.
After Trebek’s death, Mike Richards, an executive producer for “Jeopardy!,” talked with the “Today” show about the host’s final day of taping. “I knew he was in an enormous amount of pain, and as he was leaving, I saw him at the door and I said, ‘You know, that was maybe the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen,’” Richards said. “He kind of had his head down and he looked up and said, ‘Well, thank you.’ And that, you knew, when he accepted that, that he was really fighting and it was just so important for him to do this show and to support everything that it means to America.”
In March 2019, Trebek talked with ABC News about what he might say when his time on the show came to an end. “Don’t ask me who’s going to replace me because I have no say whatsoever … but I’m sure that if you give them the same love and attention and respect that you have shown me … then they will be a success and the show will continue being a success. And until we meet again, God bless you and goodbye,” he said.
The show will have a series of guest hosts following Trebek’s final episode. Record-holding contestant Ken Jennings will be the first to take the helm, in episodes airing the week of Jan. 11. A permanent replacement host has not yet been named.