'Jeopardy!' pop culture spinoff of quiz show to stream on Prime Video

A pop culture spinoff of “Jeopardy!” will launch on Prime Video, the streaming service announced Tuesday. No host was named nor launch date offered (although fall 2024 is a good bet). Not counting the various (and popular) prime-time special editions, this is just the fourth time “Jeopardy!” has cloned itself, with other versions dedicated to sports, rock and roll, and kid viewers.

In a news release, Prime called the newcomer “a brand-new twist on the classic quiz show’s 'answer-and-question' format,” where “contestants, playing in teams of three, will need to be experts in categories from Alternative Rock to The Avengers; Broadway to MMA; Gen Z to Zendaya as they compete in a tournament-style event for the grand prize and ultimate bragging rights.”

Prime also insisted this would be the first time Sony has expanded the franchise into streaming — except, as an answer to a clue, that would likely be ruled incorrect on “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” In fact, as Variety noted, this will be the second “Jeopardy!” spinoff on a streaming service. The first, “Sports Jeopardy!,” launched on Crackle in 2014.

The other spinoffs were “Rock & Roll Jeopardy!,” which aired from 1998 to 2001; and “Jep!,” a kids variant that first aired on Game Show Network briefly in the late '90s, then later on Discovery Kids.

Even with all sorts of offshoot TV possibilities — why not a “Word Play Jeopardy!” or a “History Jeopardy!” or a “Bible Jeopardy!"? — Sony has almost certainly limited them to maintain the dominance of the cash cow, which launched in 1964 but has been a syndication colossus since 1984. Of course, there are exceptions to some rules and the proliferation of the lucrative prime-time specials over the decades is one of them here. They include the “Tournament of Champions,” “Jeopardy! Masters,” and editions devoted to “The Greatest of All Time,” the National College Championship and celebrities.

Michael Davies, who runs the weeknight show, will also oversee “Pop Culture Jeopardy!”