Popular game Wordle confirmed for TV adaptation

NBC confirmed that the popular online game Wordle is set to become a primetime TV show. Filmed in Manchester, England, the episodes are expected to run for 30 minutes, while the iconic Wordle typeface and colour scheme will remain unchanged.

The show will be co-produced by Jimmy Fallon through his production company, Electric Hot Dog. Today host Savannah Guthrie is also set to star in the programme,

Fallon said, “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 super proud and happy and I think we developed a solid gamer for primetime”.

“It’s a big announcement! Wordle is coming to TV!”, they both announced.

The game show is also expected to feature a cash prize. The production company wrote: “We are casting teams of THREE PLAYERS to compete for a chance to win a HUGE CASH PRIZE!”. It asked contestants to submit videos showing their love for the word game.

Filming delays were reportedly caused in February due to the disappearance of Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother. Guthrie has said the word game became a point of connection between her and her mother.

Wordle is a popular daily web-based word game, inspired by the 1970s board game Mastermind, in which players have six attempts to guess a hidden five-letter word. The game also draws inspiration from crosswords and spelling games common in newspapers. The game was originally created by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle in 2021 before being acquired by The New York Times in 2022, the same year it became one of Google’s most searched words.

Wardle later told The Sunday Times: “I haven’t played since the day I sold it.”

With filming expected to begin later this year, the adaptation marks Wordle’s latest step to progress from online phenomenon to mainstream entertainment.