There’s an online petition to get LeVar Burton named the new host of “Jeopardy!”
While the former “Star Trek: The Next Generation” actor did win a celebrity edition of the game in 1995, and has stated publicly that he’d love the gig, it seems extremely unlikely he’ll get it for a simple reason: Burton is 63 years old. No one gets hired to start a new broadcast venture at that age.
The show’s producers are looking for someone who can guide “Jeopardy!” for several decades, as Alex Trebek did, beginning when he was 44. That’s just a bit older than Ken Jennings is now and, considering his fan base within the “Jeopardy!” universe and his already-existing relationship with the show, I’d be shocked if anyone else were chosen to helm the franchise going forward.
The “Jeopardy!” team announced yesterday the show will go back into production next week with a series of interim hosts, starting with Jennings. That’s a good way to handle it, creating a buffer between the last episodes of a legend (which will air the week of January 4th) and whoever eventually succeeds him.
The other guest hosts haven’t been named yet — and no one has said how long their supposed tryouts will run — so Burton might get a shot.
But if this were a Daily Double, I’d put all my money on Jennings.