Programming

Judge Judy beat back a furious challenge from a surging Jeopardy and its most dominant player in years, James Holzhauer, for the overall No. 1 spot in syndication in May.

America’s Got Talent was fairly steady in its second week following a low season premiere, and it also pulled off the somewhat rare trick of building on its debut’s total audience.

Despite a video leaking online which revealed the result of Monday night’s dramatic Jeopardy episode, the game show still managed to post record ratings figures. The episode scored a 10.1 household rating in overnight metered markets, the highest rating its has achieved by that measurement in 14 years (a June 2005 episode drew a 10.3).

“Jussie [Smollett] will NOT be returning to Empire,” series co-creator Lee Daniels said Tuesday. Daniels was responding to a Variety report in which multiple production sources said that Empire’s writing staff was working on ideas for the show’s sixth and final season with the expectation that Smollett would appear in the back half of the 18-episode season. This is the first public acknowledgment that Smollett will not return for the final season of the Fox drama.

Viewership for the first two games of the series between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors was down sharply from last year’s finals — 28% for the first game and 29% for the second, Nielsen said.

Richard Borjas moves from Telemundo to identify and develop original programs and formats as well as overseeing the division’s Los Angeles-based shows, including The Kelly Clarkson Show, Access and Access Live.

Jeopardy Executive Producer Harry Friedman says that while he “can’t say at this point” who leaked the footage, “[w]e think we know where and who and how” it got out. And if that responsible party is in fact tracked down, the show will take “very, very, very appropriate” action.

A $9.5  billion industry hangs in the balance ahead of a potentially “crippling” boycott over an abortion law as California, Illinois and New  York entice producers to yank the state’s 455 productions for a less hostile environment.

Promoting Tyga’s new album, Legendary, iHeartMedia will host iHeartRadio Live with Tyga at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles on June 5 and a concert and interview will also be livestreamed on all Fox Television Stations websites.

NBC’s Stanley Cup Finals broadcast is also solid, improving slightly on the opener’s numbers a week ago.

The 27-year-old librarian from Chicago dethroned Holzhauer before he was able to beat Ken Jennings’s record.

ABC and Fox chiefs share fatigue with the early May crunch, while CBS and NBC execs seem more wed to the upfront schedule.

On Monday, the show’s most dominant player in years can surpass the $2.5 million Ken Jennings won during his famous streak. Read on if you want to learn what happened.

Early numbers for ABC’s coverage of the game are off about 20% versus the second game of the 2018 series.

A video clip appearing to show Jeopardy phenom James Holzhauer’s historic run come to an end made the rounds Sunday on social media. The minute-long snippet — believed to be a leaked clip from an episode expected to air on Monday — picks up as the contestants reveal their responses in the Final Jeopardy segment, and ends with the 34-year-old professional gambler in an unfamiliar position: Second place, trailing leader Emma Boettcher by $3,200.