‘Jeopardy!’ prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary

Venerable quiz show “Jeopardy!” is preparing for its 60th anniversary with a series of special events and broadcasts.

The fun kicks off March 30, 2024, which the show has dubbed “JeoparDAY!” 

The first edition of the show aired March 30, 1964, on NBC. 

The show is calling its year-long celebration its “Diamond Celebration” and the show is planning a variety of events and activations across the country until the end of 2024.

“Jeopardy” is planning a fan experience — what it calls its first — at Edge at Hudson Yards in New York City. The event will include a live taping of the “Inside Jeopardy!” podcast and a live play-along game. Past super-champs Matt Amodio, Mattea Roach and Austin Rogers will be on hand. 

Admission to the event starts at $40 (in honor of the show’s 40th syndicated season this year). A premium option for $60 is a nod to the 60th anniversary and includes a signed Ken Jennings photo and tote bag. A “VIP admission” package for $196.40, meant to play homage to the year 1964, will add a merch bag and post-event cocktail party. 

Plans also call for a bar trivia game version of the show to be available in major cities in the fall of 2024. 

The show is also launching a ““Why Not You?” recruitment campaign to help seek out new and exciting contestants for the show. 

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“Jeopardy” began its first run NBC on March 30, 1964. It ended in January 1975. A weekly syndicated version ran from 1974 to 1975 and the show returned to NBC from October 1978 to March 1979.

It rose to popularity after a daily syndicated version launched Sept. 10, 1984. The current version show counts 1984 as the anniversary of its launch, but considers March 1964 as the date the format first appeared on television.

Since its beginning, the show has been known for providing the “answer” to a trivia question to contestants, with contestants having to word their response in the form of a question. 

According to lore, the idea came about when the late Merv Griffin and his wife were discussing the quiz show scandals of the 1960s and, somewhat jokingly suggested a show where contestants “got” the answers upfront.