Savannah Guthrie to Host ‘Wordle’ Game Show on NBC

Savannah Guthrie is taking her daily Wordle obsession to primetime. NBC has officially greenlit a game show based on the beloved New York Times word puzzle, with Guthrie set to host and Tonight Show star Jimmy Fallon on board as executive producer. The show is expected to premiere in 2027.

Fallon made the announcement in person on Monday’s broadcast of Today, stopping by the studio to share the news alongside Guthrie — who, by all accounts, was already one of the game’s most devoted fans long before any cameras were involved. She plays daily, shares her scores across multiple group texts (one, called “Wordle Nerdle,” includes co-host Carson Daly and his wife), and in March 2025, she solved a mega-sized Wordle on Times Square’s Mega-Zilla screen — a moment she called “every word nerd’s dream and possible nightmare.”

“I feel very honored to be working with Savannah Guthrie on this show,” Fallon said in a statement. “Savannah has that rare combination of intelligence, charm and warmth that makes everyone feel instantly welcome. And she obviously knows how to host a show. I am SUPERPROUD and HAPPY and I think we developed a SOLID GAMER for PRIME-time.”

Yes, he typed it in Wordle colors. Of course he did.

How the Show Will Work

The TV version of Wordle will go bigger than your morning phone ritual. Per NBC, “the most-obsessed and competitive players will team up in squads and go head-to-head in the ‘Wordle’ arena, playing for an incredible cash prize” — though NBC hasn’t disclosed exactly how incredible that prize is just yet. The format challenges players to solve five-letter word puzzles in what the network calls “a supersized battle of smarts, speed and fun,” built around the community spirit that’s made Wordle a daily ritual for millions: solving together, debating strategies, and sharing that little grid of green and gold squares.

The series comes from Universal Television Alternative Studio in partnership with Fallon’s Electric Hot Dog company and The New York Times, which will serve as a production partner — a first for the paper on a primetime broadcast series. Wes Kauble will serve as showrunner and executive producer, alongside Fallon and Jim Juvonen for Electric Hot Dog, and Caitlin Roper and Jonathan Knight for the Times. The show will be filmed in Manchester, England, and is expected to replicate Wordle’s iconic typeface and color scheme.

“‘Wordle’ is one of the most successful and culturally resonant games of the past decade,” said Sharon Vuong, EVP of unscripted programming at NBC. “This series is a natural extension of NBC’s legacy in the game show space.”

For the Times, the deal marks a meaningful new chapter. The company acquired Wordle in 2022 for a low seven-figure sum after creator Josh Wardle — a Welsh software engineer who built the game in 2021 — sold it to the paper. Since then, it’s become one of the most-played games on the internet: 4.8 billion plays in 2023, 5.3 billion in 2024. “Several years ago, The New York Times began developing a ‘Wordle’ game show,” said Roper, the Times’ executive editorial director of film and TV. “Teaming up with Jimmy Fallon to develop the game for NBC was a perfect fit. Like Jimmy, Savannah is a passionate Wordle player — she even solved on TV in Times Square. No one gets what our contestants will go through like she does.”

It’s also worth knowing that this isn’t Fallon’s first game show rodeo at NBC. He already produces the Password reboot hosted by Keke Palmer, and hosts both That’s My Jam and On Brand in addition to The Tonight Show. The man has a type — and that type is games.

“Everything Is Strange Right Now”

The greenlight is genuinely joyful news, but it arrives in the middle of an extraordinarily difficult period for Guthrie. Her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was taken from her Tucson, Arizona home in the early morning hours of February 1st. No suspects have been identified, and there has been no proof of life since. Guthrie took an extended leave from Today before returning to her anchor seat on April 6th, and filming on Wordle was delayed in the wake of the disappearance.

In an interview, Guthrie revealed that Wordle had actually been a point of connection between her and her mother — and that in December, she had shown Nancy the show’s pilot.

“Everything is strange right now,” Guthrie said. “It’s strange to get up and do the ‘Today’ show every day, and it’s strange to say that I’m going to do a game show when your heart is broken.”

“Nothing about that has changed, and it’s not easy,” she added, “but I’m determined to put one foot in front of the other. And this is a joyous thing.”

Production is set to begin later this year. If you think you’ve got what it takes to compete in the Wordle arena, casting is open now through May 29 at 5 p.m. PT.