Jeopardy: New Features for Season 26

Jeopardy, the popular answer-and-question show that has been loved by trivia fans everywhere for the past quarter of a century, recently started its 26th season in syndication. As such, there are some brand new features and changes that have been added, though the basic rules of the game have still been left unchanged. In the past, we have had increased dollar amounts, the addition of the Clue Crew, the chance for returning champions to keep winning until they are defeated, remixes of the classic theme song, and many other major and minor alterations. What has changed for the famous quiz show this time around? That is what I, who has seen the season premiere episode, am here to tell you today.

First off, there is a brand new set, which was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year. While portions of the set have not changed all that much, there are some new touches worth noting. For one thing, the contestant’s dollar amount now turns red if it is in a negative amount. In the past, it was shown as a negative number or its background changed from blue to red. Part of the wall now opens at the start of the show for host Alex Trebek to walk through and make his entrance, a throwback to the days when the Jeopardy logo of the wall had the same function. At the start of Final Jeopardy, the name of the category now shows up of a high definition monitor, though following the commercial break, it still shows up on the board above the corresponding clue. These changes are subtle, but they do show how much technology has changed in the last 25 years.

After being eliminated in Season 25, the act of having the dollar amounts appear on the board at the beginning of the round has returned. While it is still done only in the first round, it is now accompanied by a new sound effect, as opposed to the familiar beeps associated with the board through the end of Season 24. The amounts now also appear at a faster rate. A more subtle change is the new font used for the closing credits, as opposed to the classic “Jeopardy” font that I have been used to for many years. Again, the game itself has not changed a bit, and in this regard, the producers at Jeopardy realize that if it is not broken, they should not bother to fix it, and they have not and probably will never do so. We still have the new opening and closing music from last season, as well.

I find a lot of these changes to be interesting, and in some cases, a nice nod to Jeopardy’s 25-year history. One alteration I am somewhat wary of, however, is a special monthly celebrity tournament that will happen throughout the season. Every month, three celebrities will compete to try and win money for their charities, and the tournament is set to conclude in May with the highest scoring celebrities attempting to emerge victorious. In the past, I have approached celebrity editions with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude, but then they were just for a single week, and the following week they would resume normal game play or move on to a better tournament (college, champions, etc.). Having a celebrity episode once a month seems to be overkill, as if Jeopardy is running out of more clever ideas. A heavy reliance on celebrities and special themed episodes has spelled doom for other game shows in the past, and while it will surely not mean an end to Jeopardy anytime soon, it could lessen its appeal a bit. I would not care if Jeopardy either resumed the one week celebrity editions or got rid of them altogether, but doing it once a month reeks of desperation, not that the show is in trouble of being canceled in the near future.

Still, there is a lot that works with the new features. The new set is quite technologically advanced, and as I mentioned, some of its features have origins dating back to previous seasons, which is ideal for longtime Jeopardy fans. Having the first round board fill up again is a sight for sore eyes, even with the new sound and faster rate. As a whole, these features fit in well with the game, which is as exciting and suspenseful as ever. While it might take me a bit to get used to the new credits font, I am sure that I will adjust to and live with this change, as well. Overall, these changes are something that Jeopardy should be proud of, though the idea of monthly celebrity episodes makes me wonder whether or not they could have come up with better ways to maintain their audience.

I have been a fan of Jeopardy for years, and I am always pleased to see its features evolve even as the main game is left untouched. Fortunately, that has been the case here, and as long as Jeopardy does not mess up too badly, its fans will likely continue to tune in every day to see how much they, and the contestants, know about numerous subjects. If this happens, then it is likely that Jeopardy will be around for its 50th year in 2034. Who knows what changes they will have made by then? For now, I shall continue to enjoy many of its additions for this season, though only time will tell whether or not the celebrity episodes is a good idea. In the meantime, be sure to check out Jeopardy’s changes and see what you think about them. May it always hold the interest of trivia fans young and old.