Stephanopoulos pushed to seek post-Alex J! job

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Bob Jersey

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May 14, 2020, 10:29:51 AM5/14/20
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Kevin M.

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May 14, 2020, 11:01:10 AM5/14/20
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I’m sure if they tried really hard, they could find someone with less on-screen charisma than George... but they would have to try REALLY hard.

On Thu, May 14, 2020 at 7:29 AM 'Bob Jersey' via TVorNotTV <tvor...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
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Tom Wolper

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May 14, 2020, 4:41:59 PM5/14/20
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On Thu, May 14, 2020 at 11:01 AM Kevin M. <drunkba...@gmail.com> wrote:
I’m sure if they tried really hard, they could find someone with less on-screen charisma than George... but they would have to try REALLY hard.

I always figured one of the Clue Crew would step up to host. They already know everything about how the show works and they know everybody.

Mark Jeffries

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May 14, 2020, 6:08:10 PM5/14/20
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During the Sony hack, a E-mail from Harry Friedman stated that the job was Anderson Cooper's if he wanted it.

Mark Jeffries
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Joe Hass

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May 14, 2020, 7:07:10 PM5/14/20
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For whatever it's worth: in my fantasy world, Keith Olbermann would be a perfect Jeopardy host. It will likely never happen, but a boy can dream.

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PGage

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May 14, 2020, 7:18:05 PM5/14/20
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Why not KO? His old partner did Sports J after all. 

Olbermann has show he is able to keep his mouth shut about politics.

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Jim Ellwanger

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May 14, 2020, 7:24:30 PM5/14/20
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I'm pretty sure they'll be looking for someone younger than the 61-year-old Olbermann...

...who they can count on to stay with the show for the long haul (and not piss off the executives/show staff/contestants/viewers).



Joe Hass

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May 14, 2020, 7:48:59 PM5/14/20
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::sigh:: What Jim said.

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PGage

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May 14, 2020, 7:59:49 PM5/14/20
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KO would be a youngster compared to the current host. If they got 18 years I would think they would be pretty happy.

Alex hasn’t been the easiest going guy in the world, and can be borderline asshole on occasion to contestants. KO’s personality was kinder and gentler in his last ESPN incarnation. He has something that is important for the job, which is plausible illusion that he know the answers to the questions... er... questions to the answers. He’s funny, articulate, and a great interviewer. 

I find Cooper even more bland than Stephanopoulos. Maybe only person better than KO would be Colbert, but he is busy.

Doug Eastick

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May 14, 2020, 10:19:38 PM5/14/20
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They should consider some of the Big Winners of J!    If any of them have the skills for the job.



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brugdr

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May 14, 2020, 10:37:14 PM5/14/20
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Last year it was announced that Friedman would be stepping down at the beginning of the month.  Not sure if that came to pass.

FWIW, the 2 people Alex mentioned that he'd like to see replace him were on the young side and pretty obscure.

David

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Mark Jeffries

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May 14, 2020, 11:35:05 PM5/14/20
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Friedman left last week.  Mike Richards is his replacement.  He was showrunning "The Price is Right" and "Let's Make a Deal" for Fremantle and was Sony's man on the current reboot of "Millionaire."  (Some years ago, Sony bought out the Dutch company that had purchased the rights to "Millionaire" and now they own it.)

Mark Jeffries
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David Bruggeman

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May 14, 2020, 11:54:14 PM5/14/20
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Granted, his big win was in Celebrity Jeopardy, but I think Andy Richter would do a good job.  I have no idea if he'd want it.

David

Dave Sikula

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May 15, 2020, 1:18:32 AM5/15/20
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The impression I got of Alex (who seemed to like me; YMMV) during the Q and A stuff with the audience was that, if he was asked a question he liked (something he hadn't been asked a lot or about his interests, charity work, etc.), he was personable and charming. If he was asked something he'd been asked a million times ("Do you really know all the answers?"), he could be something of a dick.

KO's not a bad choice, but I'd think he's too polarizing. Snuffleupagus seems like too much of a lightweight, and I find Cooper to be just bland--and polarizing (and also someone who'd probably rather not leave New York). I'd expect to either see Ken Jennings or a woman.(If this were thirty years ago, I'd go with someone like Linda Ellerbee,)

--Dave Sikula
::sigh:: What Jim said.

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JW

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May 15, 2020, 1:25:44 AM5/15/20
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As far as the next host, it's not going to be Olbermann for the same reason it's not going to be, say, Sean Hannity: too much baggage. I don't know if there's the same sort of pool now of generic game show hosts that there was when Merv chose Trebek for the syndicated version, but it would be easy to imagine the producers wanting to go in that direction. The game remains the star, so there's no reason to bring in a big name.

David Bruggeman

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May 15, 2020, 1:50:10 AM5/15/20
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Taking a quick perusal of the Game Show Network lineup, whatever pool of generic game show hosts there was dried up and/or retired long ago.  That said, the actors serving as hosts of GSN programs lack the name recognition to get a meeting for an ABC summer game show.

David

JW

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May 15, 2020, 5:53:36 AM5/15/20
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> Taking a quick perusal of the Game Show Network lineup, whatever pool of generic
> game show hosts there was dried up and/or retired long ago.  That said, the actors
> serving as hosts of GSN programs lack the name recognition to get a meeting for
> an ABC summer game show.

Thanks. I'm sorry to hear that we're not producing the next generation of Tom Kennedys.

The ABC summer shows, like the couple of daytime game shows that come to mind (Wayne Brady and Drew Carey), use non-game show names as hosts. As I said before, that's not what Jeopardy! needs. They just need someone competent who can survive the early comparisons to Alex Trebek the way Trebek got through the comparisons to Art Fleming.

PGage

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May 15, 2020, 8:24:49 AM5/15/20
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On Thu, May 14, 2020 at 10:18 PM 'Dave Sikula' via TVorNotTV <tvor...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
(If this were thirty years ago, I'd go with someone like Linda Ellerbee,)

Oh man, that sentence could fit into so many paragraphs...





PGage

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May 15, 2020, 8:33:27 AM5/15/20
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I’m not really on a campaign to get KO the gig (in fact I recently unfollowed him on Twitter because I just could not take another: “They’re going to kill Bob tomorrow at dawn unless you adopt him” tweet). But come on, whatever you think of Keith, he does not belong in the same sentence as Hannity. There may be a reason or too why Olbermann won’t and maybe shouldn’t get the job, but there are dozens of reasons Hannity won’t get it, and being too smart and too brittle for the room are not in his top ten.

Yes, both may alienate too big a portion of the opposite ideological spectrum to make sense as the host of a show aiming for a universal audience, but only one of them would actually be good at the job is that were not a factor.

On Thu, May 14, 2020 at 10:25 PM JW <redb...@gmail.com> wrote:

As far as the next host, it's not going to be Olbermann for the same reason it's not going to be, say, Sean Hannity: too much baggage. I don't know if there's the same sort of pool now of generic game show hosts that there was when Merv chose Trebek for the syndicated version, but it would be easy to imagine the producers wanting to go in that direction. The game remains the star, so there's no reason to bring in a big name.

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Tom Wolper

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May 15, 2020, 10:06:04 AM5/15/20
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On Fri, May 15, 2020 at 1:18 AM 'Dave Sikula' via TVorNotTV <tvor...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
The impression I got of Alex (who seemed to like me; YMMV) during the Q and A stuff with the audience was that, if he was asked a question he liked (something he hadn't been asked a lot or about his interests, charity work, etc.), he was personable and charming. If he was asked something he'd been asked a million times ("Do you really know all the answers?"), he could be something of a dick.

KO's not a bad choice, but I'd think he's too polarizing. Snuffleupagus seems like too much of a lightweight, and I find Cooper to be just bland--and polarizing (and also someone who'd probably rather not leave New York). I'd expect to either see Ken Jennings or a woman.(If this were thirty years ago, I'd go with someone like Linda Ellerbee,)

Anybody from politics or news would be too polarizing. For all we think of Olbermann's positives, there is a substantial number of people who would choose not to watch or immediately turn off the show if they saw him host. He also has a reputation for not sticking in one job for too long. And the problem with any high profile host is that you don't want people to tune just to watch the host. Alex never distracts from the game. Choosing a high profile host who already has another job means paying top dollar and having a host who always has going back to the old job in the back of their mind.

In one of the many Jeopardy! articles I have read someone pointed out that Alex's best quality comes from how he acts at the end of the show. Of the three contestants, two people who have been through a process to show how good they are at playing the game have to go home. A lack of compassion at that moment or any condescension would be a host's undoing.

Joe Hass

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May 15, 2020, 10:28:10 AM5/15/20
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Amen, sir.

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Doug Fields

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May 15, 2020, 11:12:31 AM5/15/20
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With all due respect, a sentence like "whatever you think of Keith, he does not belong in the same sentence as Hannity" is completely dependent on your personal perspective and political leanings.  I have several conservative acquaintances who would say that exact same sentence, reversing Olbermann's and Hannity's names, and they wouldn't be the least bit sarcastic or ironic when they say it.  

Personally, I think they're bat-shit crazy, but that doesn't change the level of sincerity of their beliefs.

Doug Fields
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From: tvor...@googlegroups.com <tvor...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of PGage <pga...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2020 8:33 AM
To: tvor...@googlegroups.com <tvor...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [TV orNotTV] Re: Stephanopoulos pushed to seek post-Alex J! job
 

PGage

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May 15, 2020, 1:38:49 PM5/15/20
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I am going to push back on that. I’m sure there are lots of hyper conservatives who see Hannity as a hero and KO as a villain. That supports the assertion that both are too polarizing for the job, a claim I am willing to concede. But it is objectively true that KO is more qualified for the job of hosting Jeopardy than Hannity; the fact that some people could not see or admit that does not make it any less true.

I am pretty sure my position on this is not due to ideological bias. I can think of people Whose views I despise as much as I do Hannity who I think might be qualified for the job (even if, like KO, they would be too polarizing). Bill O’Reilly, who like KO may not have the temperament, does have the intellectual heft and, when he wants to turn it on, charm, for the job (will overlook for now his sexual harassing/assaulting issues). 

Doug Fields

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May 15, 2020, 2:40:10 PM5/15/20
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Well, if you frame it that way, I'll ease up a little on arguing the point.  I honestly have never paid enough attention to Hannity to know whether or not he's got the brainpower to handle a job like Jeopardy...though I'd be willing to concede the point that he ought to be reasonably intelligent to have parlayed his on-screen persona into the its current juggernaut position.  I've rarely been able to listen to one of his rants for longer than a couple of minutes before I have to turn him off.

But if you're saying you're not basing your position on ideological bias, I can certainly accept that...you're a better man than I am, in that case.  🙂

Doug Fields
Tampa, FL
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2020 1:38 PM

PGage

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May 15, 2020, 4:39:23 PM5/15/20
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One thing that is clear is that I am not a better man than you are. 

 Was going to use KO’s former GF as an example of someone who has the talent to do the job, but I threw up a lot in my mouth and couldn’t make the argument...

Joe Hass

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May 15, 2020, 9:41:34 PM5/15/20
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I will push back on this *very hard*. Just to be absolutely sure I wasn't missing anything, I went to that hotbed of factual information, Wikipedia, and pulled up Hannity's career path. His *entire* career has been "be a blowhard". Am I saying Olbermann wasn't a blowhard sometimes? Hell no. But Olbermann earned his way up the path. At his best, he's a broadcaster. I will put his four years with Dan on The Big Show as Television Hall Of Fame, changed the way we look at sports level. At Sean Hannity's best, he's been a shill for whomever he can find to buy what he sells.

That sentence stands on *fact*.


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JW

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May 16, 2020, 5:48:42 AM5/16/20
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I'm sorry.

When I used Hannity's name, it was because his is a Fox News name I know, and I'm happy that everyone seems to understand what I was saying.

But I apologize for starting a debate about exactly how unsuited he'd be to become the Jeopardy! host.

stannc

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May 17, 2020, 12:32:21 AM5/17/20
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So then, Rachel Maddow.

daniel anderson

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May 17, 2020, 11:18:26 AM5/17/20
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I have to agree with your assessment. People don't tune into a game show to see the host. Price is Right has done well with Drew Carey,  but people don't tune in to see him, they tune in to see the contestants win.  Same thing with Let's Make a Deal; people don't tune in to see Wayne Brady, they tune in to see the contestants win(and on both, sometimes they win big). ABC did the Pyramid  revival just right, with a host who stays pretty much out of the way, like Dick Clark or Bill Cullen did.

Kevin M.

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May 17, 2020, 11:24:00 AM5/17/20
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On Sun, May 17, 2020 at 8:18 AM daniel anderson <danieland...@gmail.com> wrote:
I have to agree with your assessment. People don't tune into a game show to see the host. Price is Right has done well with Drew Carey,  but people don't tune in to see him, they tune in to see the contestants win.  Same thing with Let's Make a Deal; people don't tune in to see Wayne Brady, they tune in to see the contestants win(and on both, sometimes they win big). ABC did the Pyramid  revival just right, with a host who stays pretty much out of the way, like Dick Clark or Bill Cullen did.

I’d say you’re partially correct. People will tune out or turn off a show if they dislike a host, regardless of whether they like the premise of the show or the contestants.




On Friday, May 15, 2020 at 10:06:04 AM UTC-4, Tom Wolper wrote:
On Fri, May 15, 2020 at 1:18 AM 'Dave Sikula' via TVorNotTV <tvor...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
The impression I got of Alex (who seemed to like me; YMMV) during the Q and A stuff with the audience was that, if he was asked a question he liked (something he hadn't been asked a lot or about his interests, charity work, etc.), he was personable and charming. If he was asked something he'd been asked a million times ("Do you really know all the answers?"), he could be something of a dick.

KO's not a bad choice, but I'd think he's too polarizing. Snuffleupagus seems like too much of a lightweight, and I find Cooper to be just bland--and polarizing (and also someone who'd probably rather not leave New York). I'd expect to either see Ken Jennings or a woman.(If this were thirty years ago, I'd go with someone like Linda Ellerbee,)

Anybody from politics or news would be too polarizing. For all we think of Olbermann's positives, there is a substantial number of people who would choose not to watch or immediately turn off the show if they saw him host. He also has a reputation for not sticking in one job for too long. And the problem with any high profile host is that you don't want people to tune just to watch the host. Alex never distracts from the game. Choosing a high profile host who already has another job means paying top dollar and having a host who always has going back to the old job in the back of their mind.

In one of the many Jeopardy! articles I have read someone pointed out that Alex's best quality comes from how he acts at the end of the show. Of the three contestants, two people who have been through a process to show how good they are at playing the game have to go home. A lack of compassion at that moment or any condescension would be a host's undoing.

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Kevin M. (RPCV)

ko...@frontiernet.net

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May 17, 2020, 2:07:42 PM5/17/20
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I saw an online discussion this week with game show historians and 
They were speculating about Ken Jennings as host because of
The recent repeats of the tournament with him and the rumor
That the summer repeats may be his original appearances.


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Dave Sikula

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May 17, 2020, 4:53:27 PM5/17/20
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I tend to agree with this. I've never been crazy about "Wheel," but even if I was, Sajak's presence would turn me off to it. There are too many people with too much baggage--on both ends of the spectrum--that people will turn away from them, no matter how much they like the show.

--Dave Sikula

On Sunday, May 17, 2020 at 8:24:00 AM UTC-7, Kevin M. (RPCV) wrote:


On Sun, May 17, 2020 at 8:18 AM daniel anderson <danieland...@gmail.com> wrote:
I have to agree with your assessment. People don't tune into a game show to see the host. Price is Right has done well with Drew Carey,  but people don't tune in to see him, they tune in to see the contestants win.  Same thing with Let's Make a Deal; people don't tune in to see Wayne Brady, they tune in to see the contestants win(and on both, sometimes they win big). ABC did the Pyramid  revival just right, with a host who stays pretty much out of the way, like Dick Clark or Bill Cullen did.

I’d say you’re partially correct. People will tune out or turn off a show if they dislike a host, regardless of whether they like the premise of the show or the contestants.




Kevin M. (RPCV)

Doug Eastick

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May 17, 2020, 8:29:09 PM5/17/20
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I predict they will choose a Conan. And by that, I mean someone where most of the industry and society will react with "wuuuuh? Who's that??"

And they will turn out to be suitable for the job.

Don't quote me on this.



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Mark Jeffries

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May 18, 2020, 12:45:18 AM5/18/20
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It's happened before.  When Drew Carey was picked for "Price is Right," he was on nobody's list.  I think people thought that it would either be Rosie O'Donnell or the schmuck weatherman on "CBS This Morning."  And outside of the Bob Barker diehards, it turns out that after a rough start he's done a decent job and is still at it over a decade later.

As for "Jeopardy!", one would have to think that the people who have done the splinter versions of the show would have the first call if they wanted it--in my order of preference, that would be Dan Patrick ("Sports") and Jeff Probst ("Rock and Roll").  If you want to throw in Bob Bergen (kids version on Game Show Network "Jep!") go ahead, but as long as he's got the Porky Pig voice gig...  Another choice for me would be Robin Roberts.

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PGage

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May 18, 2020, 1:14:49 AM5/18/20
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Part of what you are saying really is that good sports broadcasters make sense to consider (KO, Patrick, Roberts). The prototype of this kind of choice of course is Bob Costas, who despite his perpetual boys looks is probably too old at this point. They are smart, articulate, can think on their feet, follow a script and fill to time.  I guess you could add Tirico to that list, and maybe (God help us) Joe Buck.

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