By and large it was a workmanlike effort hosted by the workmanlike Michael Strahan. There were plenty of interviews with notables on the show and lots of video clips. Of course, the harsh truth hanging over the production was Alex Trebek's battle with pancreatic cancer. The show by no means ignored the subject but didn't wallow in it, either.
There were backstage glimpses of contestant auditions, writer conferences - they color-code the clues, pink is pop culture - and even Alex arriving very early in the morning for a day of tapings. The special didn't scruple about plugging the upcoming face-off between James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. This is the real world of commercial TV, and ABC wants to generate some buzz for the showdown.
It was fun to see clips from the first episodes of both the original Art Fleming version and the current syndie with Alex. Jeopardy has been around for a long time, almost as long as your humble blogger. In his interview Alex said that he has prepared a thirty-second farewell when the time comes. It will be a tough half-minute.
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