Posted in: Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: eOne, hasbro, jeopardy, LeVar Burton, Trivial Pursuit

Trivial Pursuit: LeVar Burton Hosting TV Adaptation Worthy of His Name

Published Wed, 17 Nov 2021 08:07:10 -0600

Last updated Wed, 17 Nov 2021 09:32:00 -0600

While LeVar Burton's Jeopardy! permanent hosting dreams were dashed, Entertainment One (eOne) offered him the next best thing with a TV adaptation of the popular game Trivial Pursuit. The Hasbro-owned company eOne struck a deal with the Star Trek: The Next Generation star and his company LeVar Burton Entertainment (LBE) to develop the board game into a game show with Burton also serving as executive producer with LBE's Sangita Patel and eOne's Tara Long and Geno McDermott, according to Variety.

LeVar Burton Shills Ryan Reynolds' Gin After Jeopardy! Endorsement — Image courtesy of Ryan Reynolds

"'Trivial Pursuit' is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe," Burton said. "I am thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television." The game show will be shopped through various networks. "LeVar Burton has been an iconic member of American pop culture for decades from 'Roots' to 'Reading Rainbow' to 'Star Trek' and beyond," said Long, president of global unscripted television for eOne. "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."

Orlando, FL/USA-2/12/20: Trivial Pursuit game pieces which is a board game from Canada in which winning is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. (Joni Hanebutt / Shutterstock.com)

Burton was one of several guest hosts who auditioned to take over for the late Alex Trebek, who passed in 2020 with his stint taking place in July. Call Me Kat star Mayim Bialik & former Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings currently serve as temporary hosts at least until the end of the year. Jennings took over for controversial choice, executive producer Mike Richards since ousted from both his positions by Sony due to his past comments. Having been passed over twice, Burton said he no longer wanted the position and opened up to Trevor Noah on The Daily Show to explain his thoughts. Trivial Pursuit is available in over 26 countries and 17 languages with over 100 million copies of the game sold.

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