WSJ editorial 11/10
Alex Trebek
For 37 years, the “Jeopardy” host offered a 30-minute intellectual reprieve from the consternation of daily life.
By
The Editorial Board
Nov. 9, 2020 6:01 pm ET
Alex Trebek speaks during a rehearsal before a taping of Jeopardy!
Power Players Week at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., April 21, 2012.
PHOTO: KRIS CONNOR/GETTY IMAGES
Game show hosts aren’t usually the subject of editorials, but we’ll make an exception for Alex Trebek, the longtime “Jeopardy” host who died Sunday at age 80 after a bout with pancreatic cancer. Millions of Americans will miss the man who presided over a 30-minute cerebral diversion from life’s daily consternation.
Born in Ontario, Trebek was a journalist before he began hosting game shows. In 1984 the producer Merv Griffin gave him the chance to host a revival of “Jeopardy,” and Trebek’s run in that role lasted 37 years and more than 8,200 episodes. He had an authoritative manner that was also reassuring. He didn’t condescend like a know-it-all but he also didn’t patronize wrong answers.
This fit a show in which success is based on merit. You either know the answer in a split second or you don’t. Not everyone gets a trophy, and there are no equal outcomes. The winner knows the most and is quicker on the button. Millions of viewers liked to test their own knowledge by playing along, and thousands who did so went on to be contestants on the show.
In a media world that is increasingly splintered into niche shows and markets, “Jeopardy” stands out for its long run and continuing national popularity. Much of that success owes to Trebek, who also gave viewers a lesson in fortitude as he confronted his cancer diagnosis with grace and good humor. A philanthropist in private life, he offered viewers updates on his treatment and taped his last show as recently as Oct. 29.
Appeared in the November 10, 2020, print edition. |
