Temporary “Jeopardy!” host Mayim Bialik was welcomed by viewers with open arms. The “Big Bang Theory” alum’s debut as temp host of the syndicated version of the Sony quiz show rose 6% in ratings from the previous week, when Mike Richards had his very short tenure as full-time “Jeopardy!” host.
Bialik’s week, which featured the continuation of Ph.D. student Matt Amodio’s winning streak, also rose 6% from the comparable week last year.
(Spoiler alert: On Oct. 1, Amodio passed James Holzhauer for the second-longest win streak in show history. Ken Jennings still holds the show’s longest streak. We’ll get the ratings for that week next Tuesday.)
With a 5.4 rating, “Jeopardy!” tied “Family Feud” atop all of syndication the week ending Sept. 26, 2021. “Jeopardy!” averaged 8.9 million total viewers, “Family Feud” had 8.6 million.
“Wheel of Fortune” finished third with a 5.0 rating and 8.3 million total viewers.
Just like the previous week, “Judge Judy” was the No. 4-rated syndicated series. “Dr. Phil” was the highest-rated talk show.
Mayim Bialik will be the permanent host of “Jeopardy!” specials and spinoffs, though Richards was supposed to be the daily program’s regular host.
Richards exited as permanent host of “Jeopardy!,” which recently kicked off its 38th season, just one day after the show returned to production. His departure followed the resurfacing of a gender discrimination lawsuit from his time with “The Price is Right” and multiple misogynistic comments he made on a podcast he co-hosted last decade. Mike Richards taped five “Jeopardy!” episodes before he was also ousted as the show’s executive producer.
Longtime “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek died in November 2020 following a long battle with pancreatic cancer. After his death, the show began taping new episodes with a rotating stable of guest hosts while searching for its ultimate replacement for Trebek.