Who replaces “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek?

If “owning a TV dream job” “would be a final danger?” answer, the question would be: ‘Who gets Alex Trebek as host?’

The legion of fans for the popular match program will soon get a clearer picture of who it is in the coming months. Sony Pictures Television, which ‘Jeopardy!’ Produced, a formal search began for Trebek’s replacement, according to several people familiar with the plans but not authorized to discuss it in public.

A Sony representative declined to comment on the status of the search. Barry Nugent, a consultant and former head of talent development at the Game Show Network, is leading the process to fill the highly coveted position, the results of which will be scrutinized by the program’s loyal audience and the TV industry.

Sony is hiring not only a host but also the face of a beloved pop culture franchise.

‘The Host of’ Jeopardy! “is one of the leading representatives of broadcast television,” said Ted Harbert, a longtime TV executive at ABC and NBC. “The next host will retain the legacy of a national institution.”

The program, created by Merv Griffin, dates from 1964 when it started on NBC.

While the audience levels for broadcast and cable TV networks have been steadily declining in the time of streaming, “Jeopardy!” according to Nielsen data, about 8 million viewers daily on the stations it transports nationwide, more than most network time programs. Younger viewers will find previous episodes on Netflix.

Viewers will start seeing hosts after the last Trebek episodes aired this week in October. Trebek, the only host of ‘Jeopardy!’ since it was revived for syndicate TV in 1984, he died on November 8 after battling pancreatic cancer.

Everyday “Jeopardy!” the champion, Ken Jennings, is the first host from January 11th. The TV news personality, Katie Couric, also offered a replacement for a week, making her a permanent replacement.

Couric declined to comment on the discussion and whether she is interested in a permanent role.

Other names that came to mind in the early discussions about the post include Steve Kornacki, the political correspondent for MSNBC who developed a fierce cult for his flashy analysis of the number of votes on election nights; actress Mayim Bialik; and Mike Richards, the executive producer of “Jeopardy!” who also has experience as a game presenter.

Richards has a message on the air to “Jeopardy!” viewers after Trebek’s death and appeared in TV interviews about the legacy of the host, but is not a household name.

The search surprised the talent agency industry a bit because many representatives believed that Jennings would be taken care of as Trebek’s successor. Jennings has an overall agreement with Sony and is probably still going on, although some insensitive comments he made on social media about people with disabilities have led to criticism and led to him asking for a public apology.

Jennings also got involved in the social media drama involving John Roderick, a musician now known as #BeanDad. Roderick, who co-hosts a podcast with Jennings, became an online pariah after he posted a Twitter thread on Saturday about refusing to help his hungry young daughter open a can of baked beans and force her to use a can opener if she wants to eat. The 9-year-old struggled with the task for six hours.

Roderick issued a big apology, but not before other inappropriate tweets were dug up on his now-deleted account. Jennings defended his mate. Sony has not commented on any of the social media issues concerning Jennings.

Jennings is part of the Jeopardy family, but according to people informed about it, he does not fit into the parameters of the search. Sony is said to be looking for “A-list” names – famous TV or movie stars – that match the “Jeopardy!” fire, which is basically a television quiz show for intelligent people.

There is no shortage of interested parties.

“It’s a dream job for a lot of people because it’s a lot of money and not many days’ work,” said one TV executive, who was once involved in the program, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The initial message to agencies is that everyone who takes on the role should make it their primary task. It could filter out some of the other names that have come up over the years, such as CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who has made no secret of his desire for the job and has long been on the list of possible Trebek successors.

ABC News’s chief anchor ABCanopoulos also reflected on the offer if the post became available, as did John Berman of CNN, a well-known “Jeopardy!” champion in 2015, and former competitor of the “Today” Meredith Vieira

TV news personalities have perhaps the best skills for the program, which is done almost in real time, because they often work without a text and need to be able to think on their feet.

The theory will be put to the test when Couric – who has been doing thousands of hours of live TV and communicating with the public every day as he greets “Today” fans at Rockefeller Plaza outside the program’s street-level studio – get later this year.

Expect fans to weigh in.

“If you ask ten fans who they want to be the next host, you get 15 different answers,” said Claire McNear, author of “Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definite History and an Insider Guide to Danger!” “But there are some throughlines. It must be someone who projects intelligence, whether it’s because they’re a famous former champion or because they bring the broadcaster gravitas like Katie Couric or something else. ”

McNear added: ‘You want someone who can make the show fun, but at the same time’ Jeopardy! ‘is deliberately a show that does not leave much room for editoriality: If you have to get through 61 clues in one half hour, there is not much room for a host to start cracking jokes. ‘