You haven’t seen the last of Mike Richards. Well, you may have, ignoring the week’s worth of episodes the once-obscure game show producer filmed as host before stepping down in disgrace will air mid-September. But he’s not completely going away. According to The New York Times, Richards may no longer be Alex Trebek’s permanent replacement, but he will remain on as an executive producer, the job he held before the mess he helped create.
As per NYT, rumors that Richards would be negotiating an exit from the show have been greatly exaggerated. This week he returned to his old position, with the full support of Sony, which runs the longtime syndicated game show. One difference: Because a number of the scandals that befell him involved insensitive statements about women, about Jewish people, etc., he will have to undergo sensitivity training. A fellow exec has also been hired to in part “oversee” Richards’ day-to-day, as well as contribute to the creative and business sides of the show.
As of now, Richards is back on set, helping manage the next batch of episodes, watching guest host Mayim Bialik — who was hired as full-time host of a prime-time Jeopardy! spin-off — do the job he had for all of a day. In the meantime, Richards’ full-time replacement is still up in the air, but some people can think of at least one person. Or maybe two.
(Via NYT)
