Wordle to become TV quiz show hosted by Savannah Guthrie
Wordle to become TV quiz show hosted by Savannah Guthrie
Albert TaitMon, May 11, 2026 at 9:19 PM UTC
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Half-hour episodes, hosted by NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, will begin filming in June - Brendan McDermid
Wordle, the popular puzzle game, is to be turned into a TV quiz show hosted by Savannah Guthrie.
NBC, the United States broadcaster, said it had approved to a prime-time game show based on the web-based puzzle, which challenges players to deduce the same five-letter word in six guesses or less.
It will be hosted by Savannah Guthrie, the host of NBC’s Today, in her first new on-screen venture since the disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, in January.
Half-hour episodes will be filmed in Manchester, beginning in June, and will be shown in both the UK and US.
Wordle was launched in 2021 by Josh Wardle, a British software engineer who designed the game to entertain his puzzle-loving girlfriend during the pandemic.
It quickly became a cultural phenomenon, reaching millions of players worldwide, and was bought by the New York Times for an undisclosed seven-figure sum in 2022.
In the new show, “the most-obsessed and competitive players will team up in squads and go head to head in the ‘Wordle’ arena,” an NBCUniversal statement said.
The web-based puzzle, which soared in popularity during lockdown, challenges players to deduce the same five-letter word in six guesses or less - Nick Ansell
Contestants will compete for a cash prize, and the series is expected to replicate the Wordle typeface and colour scheme.
The show will be produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio in partnership with Jimmy Fallon, the chat show host, and his Electric Hot Dog production company alongside the New York Times.
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Mr Fallon said: “Savannah has that rare combination of intelligence, charm, and warmth that makes everyone feel instantly welcome.
“And she obviously knows how to host a show.”
Filming was delayed after the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, who remains missing.
Nancy Guthrie is believed to have been taken against her will after she was last seen near her home in Tucson, Arizona, on the evening of Jan 31.
Police have not been able to verify two ransom notes sent to US media in the wake of her disappearance.
Savannah Guthrie told the New York Times that she and her mother enjoyed playing Wordle together.
She said she was an avid fan of the game who shared her scores with friends on multiple group texts.
“Everything is strange right now,” Savannah Guthrie said. “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.”
“Nothing about that has changed, and it’s not easy,” she added, “but I’m determined to put one foot in front of the other. And this is a joyous thing.”
Casting for the first season of the TV series is now open, NBC said. The show is scheduled to premiere in 2027.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
