Andy DehnartReading Rainbow host, Star Trek: The Next Generation star, and podcast host LeVar Burton, who was many people’s choice to host Jeopardy!, will host a different game show instead.
The Hasbro board game Trivial Pursuit is being developed into a game show called, well, Trivial Pursuit, and LeVar Burton will both host and executive produce the show.
Burton said the adaptation will be “a premium show for television,” and in a press release, also called it “one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe.”
Tara Long, president of global unscripted TV at Hasbro’s eOne, said in the press release:
“LeVar Burton has been an iconic member of American pop culture for decades from Roots to Reading Rainbow to Star Trek and beyond. His love for intellectual curiosity paired with his ability to connect with audiences worldwide make him the perfect partner to bring Hasbro’s beloved trivia game to households in a new and exciting way.”
LeVar Burton’s Trivial Pursuit follows several others
Trivial Pursuit has already been adapted into a game show before, but none of the versions have lasted for more than a year. The American versions were produced for cable TV and syndication, while Burton described his version as “premium,” so it’ll be interesting to see how that it differs.
The first version was on the BBC in 1990, and then The Family Channel—the predecessor to Freeform—aired an American version in 1993 and 1994, which was hosted by Wink Martindale. Three players who did the best in a lightening round competed in a version of the board game, trying to fill their pie with wedges representing different categories.
The show returned in 2008 as Trivial Pursuit: America Plays, a syndicated show hosted by Brady Bunch star Christopher Knight that had a more-complicated format. While 170 episodes were produced, it was not renewed for a second season.
The new version being developed by eOne, a production company now owned by Hasbro, which is also developing other board games, including Clue and Risk, as TV shows—though not reality competitions, alas. Clue will be an animated series on Fox, and Risk is being developed into a drama.
Wait: Can we please make a reality TV version of Clue happen? Please?! LeVar Burton can host it, too.