Weakest Link (American game show)

Weakest Link
Created by
  • Fintan Coyle
  • Cathy Dunning
Directed by
  • Bob Levy
  • Lenn Goodside
  • Ashley S. Gorman
  • Tony McCuin
Presented by
Narrated by
Theme music composerPaul Farrer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons
  • 5 (NBC, 2001–02, 2020–)
  • 2 (syndication, 2002–03)
No. of episodes
  • 127 (10 unaired: NBC)
  • 324 (syndication)
Production
Executive producers
  • Phil Gurin (2001–03)
  • Stuart Krasnow
  • Ruth Davis
  • Colin Jarvis
  • Ryan O'Dowd (2020–)
  • Jane Lynch (2020–)
ProducerJavier Winnik
Production locations
Running time
  • 60 minutes (primetime)
  • 30 minutes (syndication)
Production companiesOriginal:
Laurelwood Entertainment (NBC season 1)
The Gurin Company (NBC seasons 1-2)
Weakest Link Productions Ltd.
BBC Worldwide
NBC Studios
NBC Enterprises
Revival:
BBC Studios Los Angeles
Universal Television Alternative Studio
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseApril 16, 2001 (2001-04-16) –
July 14, 2002 (2002-07-14)
NetworkSyndicated
ReleaseJanuary 7, 2002 (2002-01-07) –
May 23, 2003 (2003-05-23)
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 29, 2020 (2020-09-29) –
present
Related
The Weakest Link
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Weakest Link is an American television game show that made its debut in 2001. It is an adaptation of the British television series of the same name.

The series made its debut on NBC on April 16, 2001, and with the exception of the first 3 episodes which all aired the same week, the series aired once a week for an hour as part of the network's primetime schedule. The network cancelled Weakest Link in 2002 and its final episode aired on July 14, 2002, with ten episodes left unaired. These were eventually shown on PAX and GSN years later.

While the primetime series was still being produced, NBC began developing a daily half-hour edition that would be syndicated to local stations. This version premiered on January 7, 2002, and aired for a season and a half with the last new episode airing on May 23, 2003.

In July 2020, a revival with Jane Lynch as host and executive producer was announced.[1] The revival premiered on NBC on September 29, 2020.[2] A second season of the revival was announced in January 2021 and premiered on March 13, 2022.[3][4][5] A third season of the revival was announced in August 2022, and premiered on April 11, 2023.[6]

  1. ^ Josef Adalian (July 8, 2020). "Jane Lynch Is Hosting a Weakest Link Revival for NBC". Vulture. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Revival premiere date was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Joe Otterson (January 25, 2021). "'Weakest Link' Renewed for Season 2 at NBC". Variety. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  4. ^ Nellie Andreeva (January 31, 2022). "NBC Slots 'Transplant' & 'Weakest Link' On Sundays Post-Olympics". Variety. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  5. ^ "NBC News Exclusive: Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr Breaks His Silence to Lester Holt in First TV Interview Since His Resignation" (Press release). NBC News. February 24, 2022 – via The Futon Critic.
  6. ^ Selome Hailu (August 1, 2022). "'Weakest Link' Quiz Show Renewed for Season 3 at NBC". Variety. Retrieved August 1, 2022.