LeVar Burton Moves Past 'Jeopardy!' To Land A New Game Show Gig

LeVar Burton has landed a new television gig just months after Jeopardy! passed him over.

On Wednesday, Hasbros content studio Entertainment One confirmed that Burton had signed on to host a show based on the classic board game Trivial Pursuit. The actor and longtime Reading Rainbow host will also serve as one of the shows executive producers.

Speaking to Variety , Burton called Trivial Pursuit one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe, adding that he was thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television.

Tara Long, president of global unscripted television at eOne, said in a statement that her company was excited to collaborate with an iconic member of American pop culture like Burton on the project.

Hey yall, this is happening! https://t.co/c1oGz8cMib

LeVar Burton (@levarburton) November 17, 2021","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"LeVar Burton","author_url":"https://twitter.com/levarburton","cache_age":86400,"description":"Hey yall, this is happening! https://t.co/c1oGz8cMib LeVar Burton (@levarburton) November 17, 2021\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"LeVar Burton on Twitter","type":"rich","url":"https://twitter.com/levarburton/status/1460763511705849856","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"61950a44e4b0451e54f32bb2","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/levar-burton-trivial-pursuit-game-show-host_n_61950a44e4b0451e54f32bb2","entryTagsList":"jeopardy,levar-burton,hasbro,trivial-pursuit","sectionSlug":"entertainment","deptSlug":"entertainment","sectionRedirectUrl":"https://action.news/entertainment","subcategories":"black-voices,tv,comedy","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.entertainment","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":11},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"61950a44e4b0451e54f32bb2","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"jeopardy","slug":"jeopardy","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/jeopardy","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/jeopardy","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/jeopardy"},"department":{"name":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment"},"section":{"title":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment"},"topic":{"title":"Jeopardy","slug":"jeopardy","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/entertainment/topic/jeopardy"},{"name":"levar burton ","slug":"levar-burton","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/levar-burton","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/levar-burton","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/levar-burton"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/levar-burton"},{"name":"hasbro","slug":"hasbro","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/hasbro","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/hasbro","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/hasbro"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/hasbro"},{"name":"Trivial Pursuit","slug":"trivial-pursuit","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/trivial-pursuit","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/trivial-pursuit","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/trivial-pursuit"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/trivial-pursuit"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}">

Hey yall, this is happening! https://t.co/c1oGz8cMib
LeVar Burton (@levarburton) November 17, 2021

His love for intellectual curiosity paired with his ability to connect with audiences worldwide make him the perfect partner to bring Hasbros beloved trivia game to households in a new and exciting way, she added.

A release date and a network for the series were not announced.

This summer, Burton was among several stars to guest-host Jeopardy! as the shows producers sought a replacement for Alex Trebek , who died last year.

Burton had once described hosting Jeopardy! as his dream job, and his guest stint was well received by fans. Still, Mike Richards eventually won the gig.

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.

Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

A slew of controversies from Richards past including discrimination and harassment lawsuits from his time as an executive producer of The Price Is Right resurfaced in the media shortly afterward. After just one day on the set, Richards stepped down .

Some fans expressed hope that Burton might get a second chance at hosting Jeopardy! full time following Richards ignominious departure. Appearing on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah in September, however, Burton said he had moved on.

The crazy thing is that when you set your sights on something, you know, they say be careful of what you wish for, because what I found out is that it wasnt the thing that I wanted after all, he said. What I wanted was to compete. I mean, I wanted the job, but then when I didnt get it, it was like, Well, OK, whats next?