Pat Sajak is leaving, but ‘Wheel of Fortune’ should just keep R_LLING AL_NG

Pat Sajak will host “Wheel of Fortune” for the final time on June 7, ending a run of more than 40 years and 8,000 episodes. Yet unlike its companion “Jeopardy!,” which went through a long process replacing the late Alex Trebek, “Wheel” figures to keep rolling along without much of a hitch, a sign of how the two long-running game shows differ.

Pat Sajak will host “Wheel of Fortune” for the final time on June 7, ending a run of more than 40 years and 8,000 episodes. Yet unlike its companion “Jeopardy!,” which went through a long process replacing the late Alex Trebek, “Wheel” figures to keep rolling along without much of a hitch, a sign of how the two long-running game shows differ. Both programs were created by Merv Griffin, who became fabulously wealthy thanks to their command of the hour leading into prime time on TV stations across the country. They thrived, however, for fundamentally different reasons, as anybody who ever watched “Wheel” with an elderly grandparent can probably attest. “Jeopardy!” was the smart show, the one where viewers might be able to answer some of the questions, but probably not as well as the winning contestants. Trebek captured that with a sly wit and suave demeanor, creating the impression that he knew all the answers – or rather, questions – even if that wasn’t necessarily so. “Wheel,” by contrast, caught on because of its simplicity, and like a lot of TV game shows, the rather smug sense of superiority the audience could hold toward many of the players. “Seriously, you couldn’t solve the puzzle with only three letters missing, all of them vowels? You deserve not to win that money!” Sajak reinforced that by hosting the show with what felt like an arched eyebrow, while engaging in interactions with contestants that were frequently playful, if occasionally, particularly in recent years, a trifle odd. The mini-controversies included moments where he crankily snapped at players, and in 2023, awkwardly tried to put one in a headlock after he said he was a wrestler. Sajak was working as a TV weatherman in Los Angeles when Griffin hired him to take over “Wheel,” replacing Chuck Woolery in 1981.