LeVar Burton doesn’t need Jeopardy! after landing new tv show gig

Star Trek’s LeVar Burton has moved on from Jeopardy!

It was the summer of LeVar Burton‘s quest to become the next host of Jeopardy! For what felt like forever, fans and celebrities alike were trying to get the former Star Trek: The Next Generation actor to land the coveted host of the hit game show Jeopardy! Everyone was seemingly pulling for the man who brought Geordi La Forge to life, but ultimately, the show’s producers went with Ken Jennings (former winner) and Mayim Bialik (Blossom, The Big Bang Theory).

Burton’s quest seemed renewed momentarily when the original replacement for the dearly departed Alex Trebek, Mike Richards, ended up being involved in some controversies. Richards was replaced by Jennings, arguably the most well-known Jeopardy! contestant in show history.

So that was it, Burton’s quest for the answer to the question “Who is the new host of Jeopardy!?” fell short. Enter Trivial Pursuit.

Star Trek’s LeVar Burton to host Trivial Pursuit television show

According to Variety, the Canadian television channel, Entertainment One (eOne) is creating a Trivial Pursuit television series and has tapped Star Trek’s very own Burton to host the series. The deal not only includes Burton getting hosting duties but his development company, LeVar Burton’s Entertainment is going to develop the show.

Burton released a quote, talking about how excited he is to be working on the project.

"’Trivial Pursuit’ is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe. I am thrilled to have partnered with Hasbro and eOne to bring this beloved game to market as a premium show for television."

Burton’s not too broken up about how things shook out, he has more creative control and can establish himself as the face of a brand, while everyone following Trebek on Jeopardy! would be doing just that; following the former face.

For Burton, the quest for Jeopardy! ended after he lost out on the hirings the first time around. He talked to The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah in September, where he was very candid about no longer wanting the gig.

"The crazy thing is that when you set your sights on something…they say be careful of what you wish for, because what I found out is that it wasn’t the thing that I wanted after all. What I wanted was to compete. I mean, I wanted the job, right, but then, when I didn’t get it, it was, like ‘Well, okay, what’s next?’"

Well by the sounds of things, it seems like Burton ended up getting a pretty sweet gig out of the whole thing. It’s arguable that Burton doesn’t even land the deal with eOne if he never put his name in the hat in the first place. Even though he ultimately lost out, by just trying to land the job, it led him here.

Not a bad answer to the question “What’s next?”