Jeopardy! Season 40 In Peril Amid Writers' Strike

Questions are swirling around the viability of Jeopardy! Season 40 amid the ongoing writers' strike, with a delay looking increasingly likely.

Amid talk that the game show's producer, Sony Pictures Television, is mulling a number of strike workarounds — including recycling old questions — several Tournament of Champions contestants say they will not appear on Jeopardy! until the work stoppage is resolved. Production on Season 40 is set to get underway in mid-August, with the annual TOC typically among the first episodes to be shot. The final episode of Season 39, meanwhile, airs this Friday.

In announcing his decision to decline his TOC invitation, Toronto-based Ray Lalonde — who won 13 games last season — explained via the Jeopardy! Reddit forum, "I am and will always be grateful for the experience I had on the show and the opportunity to participate in the TOC is beyond a dream come true for me. That being said, I believe that the show's writers are a vital part of the show and they are justified in taking their job action to secure a fair contract for themselves and their fellow WGA members. As a supporter of the trade union movement, a union member's son and a proud union member myself I have informed the show's producers that if the strike remains unresolved I will not cross a picket line to play in the tournament of champions."

As noted by our sister pub The Hollywood Reporter, a number of other big winners from Season 39 — including Chris Pannullo, Hannah Wilson, Ben Chan, Troy Meyer, Ben Goldstein, Luigi de Guzman and Suresh Krishnan — have expressed solidarity with Lalonde on social media.

Of course, Sony could forge ahead with regular episodes (albeit with old questions) throughout fall, pushing the TOC until winter or spring. But that still leaves at least one outstanding issue: Who will host the potential strike-proof installments? Mayim Bialik has already bowed out of her hosting duties until the strike is resolved. And there is increasing pressure on co-emcee Ken Jennings to take a similar stand.

A Sony rep has not responded to TVLine's request for comment.

As of now, Jeopardy! Season 40 is slated to premiere on Monday, Sept. 11.