There is nothing like a familiar face to serve up TV’s ultimate comfort food.
In September, Sony Pictures Television passed the keys to its game show “Wheel of Fortune” to broadcasting powerhouse Ryan Seacrest. Nielsen data shows “Wheel of Fortune” averaged 7. 9 million viewers through Dec. 1, up 3 percent from last year in the long-running host’s final season. dates Pat Sajak.
“Wheel” has more viewership than all of CBS’s prime-time non-sports series, “60 Minutes” and “Tracker. “More than 58 million people listened to part of the show this season. More people are watching “Wheel” and Sony’s couple’s show “Jeopardy!” to 7 p. m. than any streaming service, adding Netflix.
“Wheel’s” ratings surge comes as classic television viewing continues to decline. The show gained viewership as the total number of people watching television fell by 9% over the same period.
Sustainability is a hallmark of “Wheel,” which on Jan. 6 marked 50 years since it first aired on NBC’s Daylight Hours show. The game, in which participants will have to guess the letters of a mysterious word or phrase, has been part of the television landscape ever since, surviving the great changes that have divided the mass audience.
But star replacement is a critical test of any TV show’s popularity. Sajak had hosted the syndicated edition of “Wheel” since its premiere in 1983 and it has become a nightly ritual for millions of viewers. He has to hang up his boots at the end of the 2023-24 season.
“It’s a pivotal moment for us,” said Suzanne Prete, Sony’s president of gaming displays. “It’s private for the audience. Pat is like a family circle to them.
Sony executives know how disruptive change can be for an institution such as “Wheel.” After a public audition of potential successors for longtime “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek in 2021, the company went with executive producer Mike Richards, who was not exactly a household name. The move angered fans, and a scandal over offensive remarks Richards had made on a podcast led him to quit before his episodes aired.
Seacrest is a well-known quantity. He spends his mornings at KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, hosting “American Idol” and counting the balloon in Times Square for “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. ” In 2023, he effectively ended six years as Kelly Ripa’s co-host. on the daily communication program “Live”. He has largely avoided controversy and survived a 2018 investigation into sexual harassment allegations brought by a former stylist who worked for him at E! (The network dropped the investigation due to inadequate evidence. )
When Sony considered successors for “Wheel,” Seacrest was at the top of Prete’s wish list. “If I had the choice of anybody in the world, it would have been Ryan,” she said.
Once Prete promoted the idea, he learned that Sony Pictures Entertainment president Tony Vinciquerra knew Seacrest from his days at Fox, the network’s “American Idol. “
Vinciquerra recalled how Seacrest idolized Merv Griffin, the band singer turned talk show host and game show impresario who created “Wheel” as well as “Jeopardy!” Seacrest did a game show pilot for Griffin after he first arrived in Hollywood. One of his dreams was to host “Wheel.”
Vinciquerra had dinner with Seacrest, and a deal came together quickly, a year ahead of Sajak’s exit.
Once he secured the job, Seacrest asked for videos of past shows so he could study the nuances of the game. Prete was ready to send him 50 recent episodes.
“He said, ‘No, I need to watch each and every episode,'” Prete said. There are 8,000 of them.
Ted Harbert, a former network executive and friend of Seacrest, can attest to the host’s obsessive preparation. “He wanted the regulations to come naturally to him,” Harbert said. “There didn’t need to be any questions. “
Executive producer Bellamie Blackstone flew to Miami to see Seacrest with a tabletop version of the game and practiced as many scenarios as possible.
“When he stepped on the set, it was like he’d been doing it his whole life,” Prete said.
Seacrest also quickly mastered the interaction with contestants and has shown he is willing to go the extra yard. When a bodybuilder recently played the game, the host volunteered to be bench-pressed right on set.
The colorful carnival atmosphere of the stage, which sees Seacrest on the arm of co-host Vanna White, as does Sajak, remains unchanged.
Although a smooth transition helps, the continued success of “Wheel” is also a testament to the lasting power of classic game shows.
After spending decades in the air, its appeal spans generations. The fans watching at home with their parents and grandparents are now the audience with their children and grandchildren. The easy-to-watch screens also offer audiences a break from scripted television, which has become more complex and intense in the streaming era.
“I think overall the programming is pretty intense,” Prete said. “Our games are fun and energetic, and they bring people together. »
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