Review: 'Pop Culture Jeopardy!' gives the regular people a fighting chance
From TikTok trends to movie quotes and rap lyrics, the new twist on the classic quiz show sets the stage for a fun, lighthearted competition
Picture the average “Jeopardy!” viewer.
What is bookish, well-informed, and likely not particularly social?
To quote the late, great Alex Trebek, “Losers, in other words.”
No, Trebek wasn’t talking about his own audience, but the point still stands – and this is coming from a 28-year-old “Jeopardy!”-lover who schedules dinner time around the quiz show. If “Jeopardy!” fans are anything, they’re self-aware.
The other defining characteristic of the J! audience? Old.
After all, the 2024 “Jeopardy! Masters” tournament earned a rare distinction earlier this year as the primetime network show with the oldest median viewer age at a spry 71.6 years old.
Safe to say we can rename that “Ancient History” category and just call it “History.”
Over the course of its 41 seasons, “Jeopardy!” has tried to expand its audience to varying degrees of success. “Celebrity Jeopardy!” is a current hit with two seasons under its belt and a third on the way. “Sports Jeopardy!” back in the mid-2010s, not so much.
Now, “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” is here for another chance to liven things up, target a whole new demographic, and give the regular dummies who live for the “Movies” categories a fighting chance.
First off, let’s talk logistics.
Hosted by SNL’s Colin Jost, “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” follows closely to its namesake. Two rounds – a Jeopardy! Round and a Double Jeopardy! Round – each with six categories containing five clues, plus a single Daily Double in the first round and two in the second.
Where the new game differentiates is in its contestants. Rather than three players competing one-on-one-on-one, “Pop Culture” has three teams of three players. Each player can buzz in to respond, but they must do so on their own – no collaborating. The team can come together to answer Daily Doubles, Final Jeopardy, and a new clue, the Triple Play. With one Triple Play in each round, the question has three correct responses, and each team member must provide one answer. If a team misses, another team can steal “Family Feud”-style and deliver the remaining responses to win all the points.
When it comes to subject matter, that’s obviously the biggest twist. So long “The Bible,” “Bodies of Water” and other classic “Jeopardy!” categories. Get ready to answer clues about trending TikTok audios, movie quotes, rap lyrics and more. With a set number of episodes all premiering at once, it’ll be interesting to see just how topical the questions can get – and if any feel outdated – as time passes between the tape date and premiere date. As the brother of a “Jeopardy!” contestant, I like to think I’m pretty competitive when it comes to the real deal, but I’ll always rejoice when there’s any sort of pop culture category on the board.
So, “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” is made for folks like me, and while buzzing along at home, let’s just say my signaling device was active. For the regular, every day viewers – and especially a younger Gen-Z and Millennial audience – these clues will make you feel extra smart. But with that being said, it’s still not easy, which is key. “Pop Culture” wouldn’t be a success if they just dumbed the game down for normies. The clues are still challenging, just imagine a regular “Jeopardy!” board was made exclusively of the fun categories.
Jost brings a sense of levity to the game, providing the same quips and one-liners he does on “Weekend Update,” while never doing too much to make the show about himself. Overall, through the first three games, the competition seems lower stakes than regular “Jeopardy!” with the contestants joking right back with Jost between questions. Again, this light-heartedness all comes back to the contestants being pop culture-obsessed rather than the typical introverts on the normal program.
You won’t be able to catch “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” every night at 7 p.m. once it premieres. Instead the series, streaming on Prime Video, is opting for a binge release – another preference of the younger audience. Plus, it’s taking a page out of the “Jeopardy!” post-season playbook with a tournament-style format. Over the course of the season, we’ll see 81 teams narrowed down to one team of champions through a series of knockout qualifiers, quarterfinals, semis and the title game.
As Jost addresses in the first episode, they’re figuring it out as they go, and the show will surely fall into a better flow the more episodes they record, but “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” is a welcome refresh of the classic quiz show. By swapping “Potent Potables” for TikTok trends and adding a team dynamic, the game shows its leaning into a modern vibe without losing the challenge fans expect. Jost’s relaxed hosting style and the lighter, banter-filled atmosphere make it feel like a friendly game night, but still with the signature competitiveness.
The same way “Jeopardy!” has taught me plenty of nuggets of wisdom, maybe “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” will enlighten those older viewers on the difference between Baby Gronk and The Rizzler.
“Pop Culture Jeopardy!” is now streaming on Prime Video.