The brutal ratings war is over, and the results are a bloodbath. One iconic game show didn’t just win premiere week—it completely crushed its legendary rival in a stunning victory.
‘Jeopardy!’ & ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Premiere Week Ratings Revealed: Who’s on Top?
Disney/Christopher Willard; Disney/Eric McCandless
Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune both returned with new seasons earlier this month, but one drew in more viewers than the other.
Not only did Jeopardy! beat its fellow game show with 7.5 million premiere week viewers, but it also increased its 2024 premiere week viewership by 4%, according to Live + Same Day data from Nielsen shared by Variety on Wednesday, September 24.
Jeopardy! was one of seven CBS Media Ventures shows to make it into the top 10 most-watched syndicated series list for the week of September 8-14. Wheel of Fortune came in second, followed by Inside Edition at No. 4, Entertainment Tonight at No. 5, Hot Bench at No. 6, The Drew Barrymore Show at No. 8, and Flip Side at No. 9.
Along with Jeopardy!, four of the other CBS top 10 series also saw an increase in premiere week viewership from last year. The Drew Barrymore show became the No. 2 syndicated talk show, behind Live With Kelly and Mark, with 1.3 million viewers, marking an 8% increase from 2024.
Already the top syndicated court show, Hot Bench scored its best premiere week ratings in four years, according to the outlet, increasing 15% to 2.1 million viewers. Inside Edition and Flip Side, meanwhile, earned 3 million (+1%) and 1 million (+17%) viewers, respectively.
Jeopardy! Productions Inc.
Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune premiered their respective 42nd and 43rd seasons on September 8. Per Variety, several shows were preempted throughout the premiere week due to Monday Night Football, the 24th anniversary of 9/11, and coverage of the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. As a result, several show ratings were not as high as they might have been without the
Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune are no strangers to competing in TV ratings. Back in July, USTVDB.com reported that Jeopardy! averaged 7,787,000 total viewers for the week of June 23, while Wheel of Fortune averaged 7,264,000 viewers, per Nielsen ratings.
Wheel of Fortune previously beat Jeopardy! in ratings last September, scoring 8,310,000 viewers compared to the latter’s 7,113,000. The boost in ratings was likely due to Ryan Seacrest making his Wheel of Fortune hosting debut during the Season 42 premiere.
Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings, meanwhile, has a longer history with his game show, having first appeared as a contestant before taking over the late Alex Trebek‘s hosting shoes. In a Monday, September 22, Instagram video, Jennings took a trip down memory lane by roasting some of his old Jeopardy! outfits.
“If I’m seeing that right, that is a terrible tie,” Jennings said of his past self wearing a tan shirt and Coca-Cola bottle-patterned tie in a clip shared via the show’s Instagram “And really, it’s a color of shirt I would never wear.” “I guess if you like Coca-Cola, you’re into that outfit. That’s really unfortunate. I feel like maybe I should be wearing some sweaters.”
He went on to say of his past fashion choices, “I think I was just trying to vary as much as possible, because I thought, ‘Oh, you don’t want to wear the same six shirts, you know. The audience will catch on to that. So, instead, I wore new, worse shirts.”
Jeopardy!, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
Wheel of Fortune, weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
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