Key Takeaways
- NBC is developing a prime‑time game‑show adaptation of the popular Wordle puzzle, to be hosted by “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie.
- The New York Times will co‑produce the series alongside Jimmy Fallon, marking the Times’ first prime‑time entertainment partnership on a major broadcast network.
- Filming will take place in Manchester, England, with the show mirroring Wordle’s distinctive typeface and color scheme; financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
- The project reflects the Times’ broader strategy to monetize its Games app (which includes Wordle, Crossword and Spelling Bee) beyond digital subscriptions.
- Guthrie’s personal connection to Wordle—shared with her missing mother—adds an emotional layer to her involvement, even as she balances grief with her professional commitments.
- Although Wordle has appeared briefly on television before (e.g., a 2024 “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode), this will be the first full‑length, half‑hour game‑show format built around the puzzle.
NBC’s decision to turn the viral word‑puzzle Wordle into a televised game show underscores how digital pastimes are increasingly migrating to traditional broadcast platforms. Announced on Monday, the upcoming series will be hosted by Savannah Guthrie, the longtime anchor of NBC’s “Today” show, and will air in prime time beginning next year. The New York Times, which acquired Wordle in 2022 for a reported low‑seven‑figure sum, will serve as a production partner, teaming up with Jimmy Fallon, host of “The Tonight Show.” This collaboration marks a notable milestone: it is the first time the Times has lent its brand to a prime‑time entertainment program on a major broadcast network, having previously worked only with cable and streaming outlets on documentary series and adaptations of features such as Modern Love.
The show will be a half‑hour format in which contestants compete to guess a five‑letter word within six attempts, mirroring the core mechanics of the online game. Production will take place in Manchester, England, and the set is designed to replicate Wordle’s clean sans‑serif typeface and its signature green‑yellow‑gray color palette. While NBC and Times representatives have declined to disclose the financial specifics of the deal, the arrangement highlights the Times’ ongoing effort to diversify revenue streams beyond its core news subscription model. The Games app—home to Wordle, the Crossword, Spelling Bee, and other puzzles—has become one of the newspaper’s most popular digital products, driving engagement and subscriber retention.
Wordle’s cultural footprint has already brushed against television in minor ways; a 2024 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm featured a storyline about spoiling the daily answer out of spite, with Richard Lewis proudly declaring himself a “Wordle wizard.” Nonetheless, NBC’s forthcoming series will be the first sustained, fully‑produced game‑show built around the puzzle, offering contestants a chance to win cash prizes while viewers watch the tension of each guess unfold in real time.
Savannah Guthrie’s involvement adds a personal dimension to the project. An avid Wordle player, she routinely shares her scores with friends in a group chat dubbed “Wordle Nerdle,” which includes her co‑host Carson Daly and his wife. Guthrie revealed that the game had become a point of connection with her 84‑year‑old mother, Nancy, who disappeared in February and remains missing. Guthrie took an extended leave from the “Today” show to cope with the loss, returning in April. In December, before her mother’s disappearance, she showed Nancy the pilot episode of the Wordle game show, describing the experience as both surreal and comforting amid her grief. In a recent interview, Guthrie acknowledged the emotional turbulence of balancing her daily news duties, the new game‑show commitment, and her ongoing heartbreak, stating, “Everything is strange right now… I’m determined to put one foot in front of the other. And this is a joyous thing.”
The partnership between NBC, the Times, and Fallon illustrates how legacy media companies are leveraging intellectual property from digital games to create fresh television content. By translating a simple, addictive online puzzle into a structured, spectator‑friendly format, NBC hopes to capture the same mass appeal that made Wordle a daily ritual for millions. Meanwhile, the Times gains a high‑visibility platform to showcase its Games division to a broader audience, potentially driving further app downloads and subscriber growth. As the show moves toward production, its success will hinge on whether the solitary, introspective experience of solving a Wordle puzzle can translate into the excitement and camaraderie expected of a prime‑time game show—an experiment that could set a precedent for future adaptations of digital games to broadcast television.