A new game show based on Wordle, which will be filmed in Manchester and broadcast in the US starting next year, will be presented by heartbroken American TV host Savannah Guthrie.
It comes after the 54-year-old said that she and her mother Nancy, who disappeared earlier this year and is still missing, bonded over the “beloved” puzzle game.
The primetime series “brings Wordle to television in a fresh, fast-paced format,” according to an announcement made on Monday by The New York Times (NYT), which owns the rights to Wordle.
The program “brings that dynamic to life in a new, shared format, building on how people already experience the game, solving together, sharing results and comparing strategies.”
Ms. Guthrie will co-host the show with 51-year-old Jimmy Fallon. This is her first new presenting position since returning to US broadcaster NBC last month.
After her 84-year-old mother vanished in January, she had taken a vacation.
The well-known puzzle game was developed by Welsh software programmer Josh Wardle to amuse his fiancée during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was released in 2021 and quickly purchased by the New York Times a year later.
With the aid of color-coordinated boxes and six guesses, players attempt to identify a random five-letter word. In 2024, Wordle, the digital equivalent, had 5.3 billion plays.
The new Wordle game show was revealed on Monday’s Today show on NBC by Savannah Guthrie, 54, and Jimmy Fallon, 51.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, (right), vanished on January 31 and is still unaccounted for.
30-minute episodes will begin filming in Manchester in June and air in the US the following year.
On Monday’s “Today” show, Ms. Guthrie revealed that she and Mr. Fallon, 51, will co-host the TV adaptation.
As it was revealed that the show had been in production for two and a half years, a series of brief clips of Ms. Guthrie anchoring the program were shown.
“Savannah has that rare combination of intelligence, charm, and warmth that makes everyone feel instantly welcome,” Mr. Fallon remarked. “And she obviously knows how to host a show.” I am quite pleased and gratified, and I believe we created a strong game for prime time.
In 2022, Mr. Fallon performed the game live on television. Together with Universal Television Alternative Studio and the Times, he will produce.
After being allegedly removed against her will, Ms. Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother is still unaccounted for.
It is thought that she was kidnapped after being last seen on the evening of January 31 at her Tucson, Arizona, home.
Should a TV host’s ability to share happiness and pleasure on screen ever be impacted by personal grief?
When the show airs the next year, Guthrie will host. A number of snippets were shown to hint to the impending release.
After taking a break for the first few months of the hunt, Ms. Guthrie rejoined NBC in April.
According to her daughter, the elderly woman was “taken in the dark of night from her bed” that day. She wasn’t seen again after that.
However, investigators have reached a dead end due to possible hints including pictures of the alleged kidnapper and DNA tests on gloves that were discovered close to the crime.
Ms. Guthrie, “a passionate Wordle player” herself, told the New York Times that she had shared her scores with friends and that the game had strengthened her friendship with her mother.
She left NBC in the beginning of her mother’s quest, but she rejoined the Today set last month.
As she discussed her strategy for the new project, the presenter told the NYT that the situation has been “strange.”
“It’s strange to get up and do the Today show every day, and it’s strange to say that I’m going to do a game show when your heart is broken,” she remarked.
However, I’m committed to moving forward. And this is a happy thing.
The episode will mark the NYT’s debut appearance on a network television primetime show.
“A passionate Wordle player” herself, Ms. Guthrie told the NYT that she had bonded with her mother over the game and that she had shared her scores with others.
Players will be tasked with solving five-letter word puzzles that resemble the Times’ website and app.With the help of color-coordinated boxes and six guesses, players attempt to identify a random five-letter word.
Similar to the game it purchased for an undisclosed seven-figure sum in 2022, users will solve five-letter word puzzles through a series of trials.Teams of contestants will compete for money.
“Wordle has become a defining daily experience for millions and a meaningful part of how people engage with The New York Times,” stated Meredith Kopit Levien, president and CEO of The New York Times Company.
We deliberately sought out partners to work with who could both scale the experience and remain faithful to the cherished game in order to bring it to television.
Jimmy Fallon and his colleagues at NBC provide that knowledge, and Savannah Guthrie is a perfect host due to her skill and passion for the game.
“It reflects our broader approach of creating experiences that people share and return to on a daily basis.”
