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CW extends Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit and Police 24/7 early
Developed over time first seen 3 months ago
The CW has renewed three of its unscripted hits before their Season 2 episodes have even aired, ordering a Season 3 of both "Scrabble" and "Trivial Pursuit" and a Season 4 of ride-along series "Police 24/7". The early pickups reflect strong confidence in unscripted programming at the network, with all three titles ranking among its top five most-watched entertainment shows during the 2025-2026 season and now expanding further into daytime syndication.
"Scrabble", hosted by Craig Ferguson, and "Trivial Pursuit", hosted by LeVar Burton, return with their Season 2 premieres on Thursday, 1 October, with the newly ordered Season 3 episodes to follow later. The CW says the three shows have collectively drawn more than 31.4 million viewers since launching and generated over 1.2 million viewing hours on its digital platforms, with syndicated runs now cleared in more than 85% of US TV markets via distributor Wallach Media Ventures. "Scrabble" is produced by Hasbro Entertainment, The CW, Mattel Television Studios and Lionsgate Alternative Television, "Trivial Pursuit" by Hasbro, The CW, Lionsgate and Talpa Studios, and "Police 24/7" by SallyAnn Salsano's Mulholland Media.
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In short
- CW renews Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit and Police 24/7 early
- Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit get Season 3 before Season 2 airs
- Shows have drawn 31.4 million viewers, now in daytime syndication
How this story developed
- 3 months ago The account was tightened by dropping the earlier production-credit specifics for "Scrabble" and "Trivial Pursuit," reverting instead to noting only their hosts, Craig Ferguson and LeVar Burton, while keeping the confirmed Wallach Media Ventures syndication details intact.
- 3 months ago The report was updated to clarify that the renewals came before any Season 2 episodes of "Scrabble" and "Trivial Pursuit" had actually aired, while also adding new detail on the shows' syndication distributor, Wallach Media Ventures, and expanded production credits including Mattel Television Studios and Talpa Studios.
- 3 months ago The CW ordered early renewals for "Scrabble," "Trivial Pursuit" and "Police 24/7," citing viewership and syndication success, with Season 3 of the two game shows arriving ahead of their 1 October Season 2 premieres and Season 4 confirmed for "Police 24/7."
Explained simply
The CW is a US television network best known for entertainment programming aimed at a broad audience, and in recent years it has leaned increasingly on unscripted shows such as game shows and reality-style series to fill its schedule. "Scrabble" and "Trivial Pursuit" are television adaptations of the well-known board and quiz games, produced with games company Hasbro, while "Police 24/7" is a documentary-style series that follows police officers on duty.
The three shows matter to The CW because they have become some of its most-watched entertainment programmes, both on the network itself and when repeated in syndication, where local stations across the US air past episodes outside of primetime. Renewing them further ahead of new seasons even airing shows a network betting on cheaper, ready-made programming formats rather than more expensive scripted drama or comedy.
The people involved include familiar television faces fronting the game shows: Craig Ferguson, a former late-night chat show host, presents "Scrabble," while LeVar Burton, an actor and longtime host of the children's reading programme "Reading Rainbow," presents "Trivial Pursuit." "Police 24/7" comes from television producer SallyAnn Salsano, known for other unscripted formats.
Coverage · 3 sources
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Originally published by Variety as “The CW Picks Up Additional Seasons of ‘Scrabble,’ ‘Trivial Pursuit,’ ‘Police 24/7’”.