While the game show world continues to mourn the death of Alex Trebek, its syndication partner is apparently getting a big boost thanks to ABC. Wheel of Fortune is reportedly getting a celebrity spin-off, which is a term for both a television show and something that can happen to game show wheels if they’re not installed properly.
According to Deadline, ABC will take The Wheel into prime time, following Jeopardy‘s very successful lead with its Greatest Of All Time Tournament earlier in the year. The show’s first prime-time appearance won’t be a collection of its greatest players, but rather celebrities doing their best to solve puzzles for charity:
The network has ordered a series of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, which will see the long-running game show make its primetime debut.
The spin-off will be hosted by Pat Sajak and Vanna White and will see celebrity contestants come spin the wheel and solve word puzzles for a chance to win up to $1M with all of the prize money going to a charity of their choice.
While the Jeopardy! GOAT Tournament created high drama and good ratings for ABC, the wave of game shows hitting networks in 2020 is less about following that lead and more to do with the coronavirus pandemic, as game shows are notably easier and, yes, cheaper to make than dramas and comedies in the PPE era. But for game show fans, the chance to see Millionaire return alongside reboots of Supermarket Sweep and now Wheel in prime time is a nice little bumper crop, for sure.
