NBC developing Wordle game show hosted by Savannah Guthrie

Wordle, the addictive integer puzzle crippled offered regular by the New York Times, could soon beryllium coming to television.

NBC has ordered a aviator based connected Wordle, according to radical acquainted with the task who were not authorized to remark publicly.

“Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, an obsessive subordinate of the crippled herself, serves arsenic the emcee successful the TV version.

The trial programme volition beryllium utilized to find whether the project, which is not yet officially titled, gets ordered for a series. A typical for NBC declined comment.

NBC’s Savannah Guthrie is seen astatine Rockefeller Center successful New York successful 2021.

(Jesse Dittmar / For The Times)

The Wordle task is being produced by “Tonight” big Jimmy Fallon’s institution Electric Hot Dog, which already has 2 prime-time crippled shows connected the aerial astatine the network, “That’s My Jam” and “On Brand.” Fallon is besides a shaper connected NBC’s mentation of the classical crippled amusement “Password,” which has been ordered for a 3rd season.

As galore millions of the game’s fans know, the regular Wordle asks players to conjecture a five-letter connection successful six chances done a process of eliminating letters. An idiosyncratic player’s show successful the crippled tin beryllium posted online without revealing the answer, arsenic the colored tiles are shown without the letters.

Wordle was created by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based bundle technologist Josh Wardle successful 2021. After it became an contiguous deed online, the New York Times purchased it for a terms reported to beryllium successful the low-seven-figure range.

Offered arsenic portion of a subscription to a bundle of puzzles connected the New York Times web tract and app, Wordle has been a large operator of integer gross for the company. The crippled was played 5.3 cardinal times successful 2024.

The Times is simply a accumulation spouse connected the TV mentation with Electric Hot Dog.

Jimmy Fallon, left, Keke Palmer and Jon Hamm successful “Password” connected NBC.

(Jordin Althaus / NBC)

The thought of a TV mentation had been explored by the Times for awhile, and the company’s timing is fortunate. Game shows person go a staple connected broadcast networks specified arsenic NBC successful caller years arsenic viewers person progressively made streaming platforms their archetypal halt for scripted comedies and dramas.

Game shows are cheaper to nutrient than scripted shows. They besides entreaty to accepted TV viewers with an appetite for programming they tin crook connected and bask without requiring immoderate binge-watching to drawback up connected crippled points.