Behind the big changes at ‘Wheel of Fortune’

The heavy, multicolored wheel is still there. The vowels still cost money. And, yes, Vanna White still controls the puzzle board.

But a lot is changing this season for “Wheel of Fortune,” one of the longest-running game shows on television. The biggest change: Ryan Seacrest takes over as host, beginning Monday, replacing Pat Sajak and his more than four-decade run on the show.

Seacrest, 49, is a familiar presence: He is the longtime host of “American Idol,” an emcee for New Year’s Eve, a prolific radio host and a former co-host of the morning mainstay “Live.”

“Honestly, if there’s a through line to all of the things that I do, I’m really not the center of attention,” he said. “At ‘American Idol,’ it’s about the contestant. On the radio, we’re playing songs. With New Year’s Eve, it’s the ball. On ‘Wheel,’ it’s the game.”

The transition from cable to streaming has endangered many television genres, but game shows continue to find success.

“Wheel of Fortune” draws 7.9 million viewers a night, according to Nielsen, making it one of the most-watched shows in entertainment — and a desirable target for advertisers.

“They love these shows because people watch it live and watch the commercials,” Tony Vinciquerra, chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which owns the show, said about advertisers.

There is a hypnotic quality to the show.

The studio audience chants “Wheel of Fortune” at the top of an episode. The wheel makes the familiar click-click-click-click sound. A new puzzle elicits a da-da-da-da chime.

Bellamie Blackstone, the show’s executive producer, said she likes to joke that “Wheel of Fortune” is the “most Pavlovian game show.”

“But it’s true,” she said.

The show also has a revamped set, which includes new lighting, additional space and a lot of gold metal laminate. The puzzle board got an update not long ago, too: Now all Vanna White has to do is move her fingers near a lit-up panel, and a letter will appear.

Touching a panel — let alone turning it — is no longer necessary.

“It was time for a change,” White said.

One thing has not changed: the wheel. The same wheel has been in use for more than 20 years.

“There is no other wheel,” said Suzanne Prete, the head of game shows at Sony.

Even when the show goes on the road, the wheel travels with it. “There were a lot of people sweating when it goes on a ship to go to Hawaii or whatever,” Blackstone said.

For some time, White, 67, figured that when Sajak retired, she’d hang it up too. They had been a team for more than four decades. But she ultimately decided she wasn’t ready to “play golf every day.”

“Fortunately, I’m healthy, I’m active and I can still walk in those 6-inch heels and I still wear those dresses,” she said.

“Well, they’re not necessarily 6 inches — they feel like they’re 6 inches,” she added.

White and her new partner, Seacrest, have some of the most coveted jobs in television.

The schedule is not grinding: “Wheel of Fortune” tends to tape just a few days a month. On the days it does tape, it shoots six episodes a day — three before lunch, and three after.

“They’re machines, they’re factories — production factories,” Seacrest said. “They’re cranking those out.”

But before the filming began, Seacrest had to bone up on the rules and prepare for any twists that may arise.

“I studied episodes of Pat and Vanna, I read the rule book, I made flashcards of the rules,” he said.

He has already brought a new energy to the set. He can break into a salsa dance. He moves easily around the stage. And he does not require index cards — one of Sajak’s hallmarks — when he introduces each new contestant.

Vinciquerra said that one reason he signed Seacrest through the early 2030s was to help the show transition to the streaming world. “Wheel of Fortune” has almost no presence on streaming services today.

“We want to have the continuity of the host, someone who is well known, and who will travel with the show through that transition,” Vinciquerra said. “I can’t think of a better person to do that with than Ryan.”

When Seacrest took the stage for the first few episodes, he was struck by the nostalgic elements to the show. That includes how the announcer introduced him and White when they came onstage: “And here are the stars of our show …”

“It’s such an old school thing,” Seacrest said. “No one says that anymore.”

“Those classic, vintage, old-school things about this show,” he added, “are what make this show.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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