Ken Jennings to guest-host 'Jeopardy!' as production resumes

LOS ANGELES -- "Jeopardy!" will resume production at the end of November with a series of interim guest hosts including Ken Jennings, producers announced Monday.

Jennings is a familiar face to "Jeopardy!" viewers, having been dubbed the show's "Greatest of All Time" earlier this year. He also holds show records for most consecutive games won and highest winnings in regular-season play.

The show has yet to announce a permanent replacement for longtime host Alex Trebek, who died earlier this month following a battle with cancer. Additional guest hosts will be announced at a later date.

"Alex believed in the importance of 'Jeopardy!' and always said that he wanted the show to go on after him," Mike Richards, the show's executive producer, said Monday in a news release. "We will honor Alex's legacy by continuing to produce the game he loved with smart contestants and challenging clues. By bringing in familiar guest hosts for the foreseeable future, our goal is to create a sense of community and continuity for our viewers."

Trebek's final episode is slated to air on the first week of January. The show said it will re-air 10 of his "best episodes" over the Christmas holiday, when his final episode was originally slated to air.

He was a master of the "Jeopardy!" format, engaging in banter with contestants and appearing genuinely pleased when they answered correctly.