‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Fear the WGA Strike May Hinder the Show’s Upcoming Season

The WGA strike has put a pause on production of a multitude of shows and films throughout Hollywood, and while writers are fighting for the compensation they deserve, fans are left uncertain of the fate of their favorite programs, including Jeopardy!.

The 39th season of the iconic trivia show is wrapping up on July 28, leaving devoted fans uncertain if it will return as planned for its 40th season.

Particularly, the fate of the Tournament of Champions — the annual competition that features 15 of the previous season’s victors — is up for debate. While the tournament is scheduled to begin airing in September, The New York Post notes that “the show is typically filmed two months in advance,” meaning that if it were not for the strike, the tournament would currently be in full production.

A Reddit forum of fans contemplating the potential pause of the show is filled with concerned users, including one who pondered, “Could strikes put Masters in late fall?,” citing ABC‘s need for programming.

Other Reddit users were quick to comment that despite the seemingly live nature of the game show, Jeopardy still requires the work of writers, especially with its famous questions. One fan wrote, “Where do you think they’re going to get questions for Masters without their writers?”

While some raised the point that Jeopardy! has reused questions and can do so that in order to avoid violating the terms of the strike, one user rebutted. “I know Jeopardy! recycles a lot of questions, but they always change something, and that involves writers, and they can’t just have producers do that work,” they wrote.

Some have accepted that they may not be seeing new episodes for a while after the Season 39 finale, with one writing, “if the strike continues into the fall tv season, there won’t be any Jeopardy at all” and another adding, “I’d be shocked if we got anymore Jeopardy before the strike ends.”

This is not the first instance the strike has impacted the show. Co-host Mayim Bialik stepped back from the show in order to support the ongoing strike, prompting her fellow co-host Ken Jennings to fill in for her.

The remainder of Jeopardy Season 39 airs weeknights at 7/6c. Check local listings for airtimes.