Pop Culture Jeopardy!

Last updated
Pop Culture Jeopardy!
Genre Game show
Created by Merv Griffin
Directed by
  • Lucinda Owens Margolis
Presented by
Narrated by Johnny Gilbert
Ending theme"Think!"
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes40
Production
Executive producer Michael Davies
Producers
  • Sarah Whitcomb Foss
  • Sabrina Hybel Snow
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseDecember 3, 2024 (2024-12-03) 
March 5, 2025 (2025-03-05)
Network Netflix [1]
Related
Jeopardy!

Pop Culture Jeopardy! is an American game show spin-off of Jeopardy! that consists of a 40-episode single-elimination tournament contested by 81 teams of three contestants each. [2] This spinoff focuses on pop cultural rather than general knowledge. It premiered on Amazon Prime Video on December 3, 2024. In October 2025, the series was renewed for a second season, with the show moving to Netflix. [1]

Contents

Format

The series consists of a bracket tournament with four rounds. Eighty-one teams compete in twenty-seven knockout round games, the winners of which advance to the quarterfinals. The winning teams in these nine quarterfinal games advance to three semifinal games. The winners of each semifinal game advance to the finals, whose winner receives a $300,000 grand prize. Third place in the finals earns $50,000, while second place earns $100,000.

Gameplay

The structure of each episode is similar to the regular Jeopardy! show. The "Jeopardy!" round is played with clues ranging from 200 to 1000, with one Daily Double hidden among them, allowing whoever selects it to wager some or all of their score on the clue. It is followed by the "Double Jeopardy!" round, where clue values are doubled and there are two hidden Daily Double clues. On regular clues, contestants ring in individually and may not confer with each other. An incorrect response by a contestant locks out that contestant's teammates for the remainder of the clue. On Daily Doubles, teammates are allowed to confer on both the wager and the response, with the contestant selecting the Daily Double announcing both.

Unlike traditional Jeopardy!, which is scored in dollars, all of the games in this tournament are scored in points, just like in Jep! , Super Jeopardy!, the first two seasons of Rock & Roll Jeopardy! , Sports Jeopardy!, Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time , and Jeopardy! Masters.

Pop Culture Jeopardy! games include a unique game element called the Triple Play. [3] The board contains one Triple Play clue in each of the "Jeopardy!" and "Double Jeopardy!" round. Each Triple Play clue has three correct responses and begins as a toss-up for all players. When a contestant rings in and provides a correct response, their next teammate (in a preset order) has the opportunity to provide another correct response, rotating through the team until all correct responses are given or an incorrect response is given. When an incorrect response is given, the remaining teams have the opportunity to ring in and begin their own rotation of giving responses. Each correct response is worth the face value of the clue and each incorrect response is worth minus the face value of the clue, so a team can score up to triple the clue's face value.

"Final Jeopardy!" is played after the third round. Teams will first receive the category, then wager any amount from 0 to their current score. They then receive the clue and must write their response in 30 seconds. Teams' wagers are added to their score if they were correct, and subtracted if they were incorrect. The team with the highest score at the end of "Final Jeopardy!" wins the game.

Production

In May 2024, Amazon ordered a spinoff of Jeopardy that would become the first series in the franchise to debut for a streaming service. The series would be produced by both format-owner Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, with regular series executive producer Michael Davies once again serving as the executive producer for this series. [4] In August 2024, it was announced that longtime Saturday Night Live member Colin Jost would host the spinoff. [5] A trailer for the series was released in November 2024, which also announced that the series premiere was set for December 3 of that year. 40 episodes were confirmed to air for season 1. [6]

In October 2025, it was announced that the show was renewed for a second season and would move to Netflix. The second season is set to premiere in 2026. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 Ethan Shanfield (October 16, 2025). "'Pop Culture Jeopardy!' Renewed for Season 2, Moves From Amazon to Netflix". Variety . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  2. "Pop Culture Jeopardy!". popculturejeopardy.com. Jeopardy Productions, Inc. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  3. Devon Ivie (December 5, 2024). "Pop Culture Jeopardy!'s New Clue Is a Strategy Nightmare". Vulture . Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  4. Porter, Rick (2024-05-14). "'Jeopardy!' Expands to Streaming With Pop Culture Edition on Amazon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  5. Jensen, Erin. "Who will host 'Pop Culture Jeopardy!' spinoff? The answer is..." USA TODAY. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  6. Jacobs, Meredith (2024-11-20). "'Pop Culture Jeopardy!' Trailer: See Colin Jost Tease Players, New Categories Revealed & More (VIDEO)". TV Insider. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  7. Sims, Brittany (2025-10-16). "'Pop Culture Jeopardy!' Returns on a New Streamer For Season 2". TV Insider. Retrieved 2025-10-21.