‘Wheel of Fortune’ spins up set, music and graphics updates

It’s not immediately clear if “Wheel” is switching away from the practice of changing out scenic pieces for select weeks.

In the past, seasonal and holidays episodes would often feature festive scenery, including unique scenic pieces and the removal of some of the more “generic” ones.

The same could be done for other themed or sponsored weeks, such as tributes to cities, countries and more.

Some themed weeks, however, have always been taped in front of a more generic set with elements such as the columns, frosted panels and more used while the on set graphics and open are customized for the theme in question.

“Teachers Week” is arguably generic enough that it might not qualify for a complete set redo. The show uses a similar look for weeks dubbed with the “theme-less” “America’s Game” banner as well. 

Because “Wheel” does not rely on continuity between games (there’s no returning champion type arrangement), the show has the advantage of being able to tape shows out of order if needed and, at least in previous seasons, would often use this to its advantage in terms of studio decor.

For example, for both Halloween and Christmas themed episodes in the past, the show would erect a large “house” facade in the center of the studio and redress it between production days to be either spooky or full of holiday cheer, likely allowing the show to save on the cost of putting the scenery up for shows slated for October, take it down and then have put it back up for shows planned for December.

Because “Wheel,” like many other game shows, typically tapes about a week’s worth of episodes in a single day, the actual time between shows scheduled to air in October and December is rather short. If the show was always taped in order, crews would likely have to change out the set after just a few weeks in this example. 

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