Wheel of Fortune gets record-breaking numbers with Ryan Seacrest's debut beating Jeopardy!'s rating

Ryan Seacrest had fans tuning in to watch his official debut on Wheel of Fortune.

The TV host made his debut on season 42 of the puzzle game show on September 9 , and it was quite an introduction based on ratings. Although there were divided opinions about the former host Pat Sajak's replacement, people were curious about Ryan. According to Nielsen results per Deadline, the show had an average of 8.31 million viewers during its premiere week and was the No.. 1 show in syndication with a 4.88 HH rating

Ryan's first episode drew 9.63 million total viewers which was the highest-rated season premiere audience since 2015. Compared to last year's premiere episode of 5.68 million, there was a 70 percent increase among viewers. There was also a 67% jump among households.

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Wheel and Ryan did better than Jeopardy, which is interesting considering some people feel see the two ABC game shows as rivals. But the per The U.S Sun , Jeopardy! had 7,113,000 viewer-count for the same premiere week that ended on September 15. The trivia game show also came back on September to its new season 41.

The former American Idol host took over for Pat who announced his retirement on June 2023. Fans didn't have to worry long about the next potential host as Ryan was also announced that same month to be replacing the 77-year old former host. Season 41 was Pat's last season and his last episode was June 7. 11 million viewers watched Pat one last time with letter turner Vanna White.

It was the most watched of Wheel of Fortune since April 2020. Per Variety , it was the most-watched telecast that week and all five of Pat's final episodes made the Top 15 broadcasts of the week. While Pat has officially retired from the show, he will continue to serve as a consultant on the show for three years. He will also be hosting this season on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune for his final spin on October 14.

As Ryan continues hosting, and he's nearing a almost to a month now, viewers will be able to see what future ratings look like in comparison to his premiere week. People can watch Ryan's take on Wheel of Fortune on ABC on weekdays at 7 p.m EST.