The CW is committing itself to game show programming as the network has picked up adaptations of two classic board games, Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit.
According to Deadline, an official announcement is expected soon to confirm the news. Both game shows come from Hasbro Entertainment, Lionsgate Alternative Entertainment (which acquired the eOne assets from Hasbro in 2023), and The CW. Scrabble will also be produced by Mattel Television Studios.
As previously reported, the Trivial Pursuit game show has been in development for a while, with LeVar Burton rumored to be in line to host. Last August, TMZ reported Burton and his team were “close to locking in terms” for the job, which would see the Star Trek alum serve as host and executive producer.
The rumors of Burton’s hosting was met with positive feedback. Many fans wanted to see him as Jeopardy! host back when the show was still looking for a permanent replacement for the late Alex Trebek. Now, it seems like The CW is searching for its own Jeopardy!
As of writing, there is no host attached to Scrabble.
This isn’t the first time Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit have been adapted for television. The Family Channel aired a Trivial Pursuit TV show from 1993 to 1994, hosted by Wink Martindale. The show was divided into an interactive element and then a Main Game, where contestants had to fill in all colored wedges on a large pie-shaped game board.
Meanwhile, Scrabble aired on NBC between July 2, 1984, to March 23, 1990, and again from January 18 to June 11, 1993. Chuck Woolery hosted the show, with Jay Stewart serving as the announcer for the first year. Charlie Tuna replaced Stewart in 1985 and remained through the original run and the entirety of the 1993 revival.
There was also Scrabble Showdown, which launched on The Hub in 2011. This version was hosted by Justin “Kredible” Willman and more closely followed the rules of the board game.
The CW was taken over by Nexstar in 2022 and has seen a number of changes over the past year. The network has made a stronger push into unscripted programming, which includes the likes of FBoy Island and spin-off FGirl Island, The Great American Bakeover, The Force, and Patti Stanger: Millionaire Matchmaking.
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
