How Alex Trebek's Recent Brain Surgery Will Affect Jeopardy

For trivia buffs, the best show on TV is obviously going to be Jeopardy!, and it's been that way for over 33 years now. And during that span, the one major constant has been its stalwart host Alex Trebek. (Even if his mustache situation didn't match those consistency levels.) Sadly, Trebek faced some troublesome medical issues during Jeopardy!'s latest hiatus, and had to undergo brain surgery. Fret not, though, because he's currently on the mend, and there should only be a slight hiccup in the production process moving forward.

Alex Trebek, currently 77 years old, is home and recuperating in the wake of his December surgery, in which surgeons removed a subdural hematoma from his brain. The longtime game show icon is expected to make a full recovery, with new Jeopardy! episodes going into production in the middle of January. Because the show tapes its episodes in bulk, and far in advance of TV airings, there will only be a minimal amount of reorganization on that front, and it won't even affect the standard episodes.

That slight reorganization, according to Deadline, will involve the annual-ish College Championship. The plan was to film that university-oriented tournament now, in early January, but obviously Alex Trebek's medical leave couldn't allow for that. So instead, the 2018 College Championship episodes will be filmed in March, and they'll air for audiences in April. And honestly, I'm not sure many people will notice the change, since the College Championships don't really have locked-in dates for when they air. For the past two years, the tournament aired in February, while previous years have seen it pop up in April, May and November.

Let's count our blessings that Alex Trebek's injuries weren't far more prohibitive to his Jeopardy! career. It was back in October when Trebek hit his head during a fall, and after experiencing complications, he was diagnosed with the subdural hematoma. Trebek was released from the hospital after only two days, And in the video below, which was officially released by the Jeopardy! team, it looks like he hasn't lost a step during his recovery.

While recent contestants like Austin Rogers and Tournament of Champions winner Buzzy Cohen are as entertaining as any contestant can be -- with Cohen not-so-subtly indicating he wanted to take over the hosting mantle in the future -- there's no denying that the constantly professional and precise Alex Trebek can never be dethroned as the best thing about Jeopardy! episodes. From reading musical clues to his dry response corrections to his hilarious reactions to contestants' stories, Trebek is TV royalty, and we're happy he'll be getting back to Jeopardy! basics soon, especially since he'd only recently renewed his show contract for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Godspeed, sir.

Jeopardy! airs weekdays in syndication, so check your local listings for times and channels. And to see when other new and returning shows will be back, you don't need more than a clue to hit up our midseason premiere schedule.