LeVar Burton, best known for his roles in Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: The Next Generation, took over hosting duties for Jeopardy! this week and he has fans rooting for him to host permanently.
According to a recent OnePoll survey, which asked 1,003 Americans to weigh in on how the game show was doing since the loss of Alex Trebek in 2020, four out of five (79%) respondents described Burton’s performance as either “good” or “great,” with less than 2% calling it “bad” or “terrible.”
While a viral campaign helped the Reading Rainbow star get the try-out spot, viewers seem split on who the successor to the beloved Alex Trebek should be. Only one in 10 (10%) chose Burton as their pick for permanent host despite the rave reviews. That puts him behind “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings (23%) and executive producer Mike Richards (14%) and makes him the third most popular choice.
Of course, this doesn't account for Burton's online popularity, which got him the spot in the first place. Over 260,000 people have signed an online petition requesting Burton be the new host, which may also be taken into consideration while Sony makes its decision. According to executive producer Mike Richards, a decision will be made before filming begins on the 38th season in August.