Question: I’ve never heard of the quiz show The Chase, which is being remade with former Jeopardy! champions Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter. I get why ABC would want to be in business with these three based on the success they had with the “Greatest of All Time” (GOAT) tournament. Although these guys are great players and it was exciting to watch them go against each other because they play the game at such a high level, I think the fact that it was Jeopardy! was a bigger deal than their personalities. Your thoughts? —Jake
Matt Roush: I don’t imagine ABC is expecting ratings approaching the GOAT tournament, which felt like a once-in-a-lifetime stunt. But I can’t blame the network, or these players, for trying to milk another proverbial 15 minutes of game show infamy while they can. As most game show fans no doubt know, before his staggeringly successful run on Jeopardy!, Holzhauer appeared as a contestant on The Chase during its Game Show Network run in 2014. (It’s based on a British format, as so many things are.) In the new version, the three Jeopardy! champs will take turns in the role of “the Chaser,” as the fearsome trivia expert who will try to block new players as they try to wrack up money by answering a flurry of questions (estimated at up to 166 per episode). It’s no Jeopardy!, but what is? I’d certainly give the new Chase a shot if this were your kind of show.
To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to: tvinsider.com