Two years ago, Friedman recalls, a “Wheel” audience member who there with her 11-year-old daughter asked a page if she could speak to the executive producer. Total viewer ratings for weekday showings of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel” between mid-March and mid-April increased 27% and 23%, respectively, from those same weeks a year ago on the weekends, those figures surged 67% and 59%.Įven prior to times of national crisis, TV viewers have found great relief in watching Sajak and Alex Trebek do their thing. He is simply the best.”Īmid a public health crisis that has everyone anxious about the future, Friedman’s last day comes as millions of viewers, confined to their homes, turn to the shows he helmed for comfort.įor the week of April 6, “Jeopardy!” averaged 11.6 million viewers each weeknight, while “Wheel” averaged 11.3 million, according to national syndication data - outperforming nearly all the nightly news shows across networks and all primetime programs on both network and cable, including Fox’s popular Wednesday night competition series “The Masked Singer” (7.9 million viewers) and CBS’ Sunday night newsmagazine “60 Minutes” (9.7 million).Īnd for the first four weeks since stay-at-home directives were beginning to roll out, starting in mid-March, “Jeopardy!” ratings grew 18% in total viewers, while “Wheel” ratings rose 15% compared to the four weeks before that. “I will miss his tremendous talent, his unerring instincts and his genuine kindness. “There’s no one in this business I respect more,” said Sajak. The well-respected television veteran holds a Guinness World Record for having produced 12,540 game show episodes, more than any other individual, and is the only producer to have won two Emmys in the same category in a tie with himself.

Today, Friedman is closing out a 25-year run at Sony Pictures Television, the studio behind both game shows, as he opts to move on after the end of his contract. “Harry quite literally saved the show when it desperately needed a strong dose of creativity,” Sajak told Variety.

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