Famed actor and TV personality, LeVar Burton, has been selected to host a new game show adaptation of the highly successful Trivial Pursuit board game. Though his career has been an extensive one to date, Burton is arguably best known as the host of Reading Rainbow, a somewhat iconic American TV series that ran for 155 episodes, from 1983 all the way to 2006. Burton’s hosting duties on the series remain a point of nostalgia for many today.
The Trivial Pursuit board game was first released in 1981, and since then, it has become one of the most popular and widely available trivia games in the world. Gameplay consists of players answering a series of questions on a wide range of topics, while making their way around a circular board. The first player to collect six colored wedges by correctly answering a question relevant to each color wins. Since it was first introduced, the game has not only gone through a variety of editions ranging from the original Genus and Junior, but it has also taken on popular film and television IPs such as Friends, Star Wars, and Harry Potter. With such an extensive and long-running fan base, the decision to turn the game into a TV game show could prove to be a very successful one for the game’s maker, Hasbro.
Aside from the well-established popularity of Trivial Pursuit, the upcoming gameshow has just received an additional boost of familiarity by hiring Burton as host. Though the series has yet to attract the attention of a network, it is believed that the acquisition of Burton will quickly result in a sale. The series will be executive produced by Burton, via his LeVar Burton Entertainment company, as well as Entertainment One and Hasbro. The news comes courtesy of THR, with president of Global Unscripted Television at EOne, Tara Long, announcing Burton’s arrival via an unofficial statement:
“LeVar Burton has been an iconic member of American pop culture for decades from Roots to Reading Rainbow to Star Trek and beyond. His love for intellectual curiosity paired with his ability to connect with audiences worldwide make him the perfect partner to bring Hasbro’s beloved trivia game to households in a new and exciting way.”
Fans of Burton will no doubt be delighted that he’s going to be regularly seen as a television series host once again, but some might feel a tinge of disappointment. Shortly after the death of beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek last November, the search for a new host was overwhelmed by demands that Burton be given the job. The devoted campaign resulted in an online petition that drew a quarter of a million supporters, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to land Burton the job. Nonetheless, when it became obvious that Burton was being passed over for the job, he reacted with his signature humility and optimism, revealing that he knew it wasn’t the job for him while “trying to figure out what the right game show for LeVar Burton would be."
Now, it appears that the right game show for Burton is Trivial Pursuit, and the opportunity of bringing the board game to life as a game show is one that arguably found Burton, thanks to the Jeopardy! campaign. There is always a risk when a popular concept is tried in another medium, but in the case of Trivial Pursuit, it’s hard to imagine how something as successful as the board game alongside Burton’s charm and appeal can miss.
Source: THR