On November 25, 2002, almost three months into Season 19, Jeopardy! introduced another new set, also designed by art director Naomi Slodki. It featured hanging panels with stone fixtures and metallic finishes as well as translucent light blue, the 9 feet Jeopardy! logo was removed from the set and the small logo was placed on the panel between the champion's podium and Alex's podium. During tournaments, the tournament's name was placed throughout these hanging panels. The set also featured trapezoid-shaped podiums, and the score displays were changed from incandescent seven-segment display to blue and red video displays with dynamic scoring. It meant that positive scores were displayed in blue while negative scores were shown in red. During the first week with this set, the background changed from blue to red when the lights dimmed during Final Jeopardy!, a somewhat revived practice from the 80s and 90s when the Double Jeopardy! round was in play. But from the second week until the end of Season 21, the set stayed blue throughout the whole show. However, starting in Season 22 and continuing to today, the set turning red when the lights dim during Final Jeopardy! became permanent. Also, when the set debuted, there were no outer lights on the podium; those debuted starting in Season 20.
In the fall of 2006, Jeopardy! and its sister show Wheel of Fortune became the first game shows to broadcast in high definition when they premiered their 23rd and 24th seasons respectively. As part of the transition to HD, the set received minor face-lifts. The game board now consists of a nearly seamless projection wall, which was part of the show's traveling sets from 1997 to 2008 – a similar or perhaps the same one was used for Rock & Roll Jeopardy!. The contestant podiums were revised, and are now spaced wider apart so that a camera shot could be trained on a single contestant within a 16:9 ratio frame without showing the other contestants on the sides of the screen. Alex's podium received a similar treatment. Also, the contestant podiums originally had red ring-in lights, but from the third week of Season 23 until the end of this set's run, they were changed back to white due to visibility issues.
During Season 25 only, the dollar figures didn't pop in on the Jeopardy! round board; they were already present following the introductions. Since the Season 25 premiere and continuing today, contestants who were eliminated at the end of Double Jeopardy! due to zero or negative scores return to the studio for the post-game chats, if they choose (one instance of this was the last Kids Week event in 2014, when Gabby Fusco did not return after still being in tears over her elimination from Final Jeopardy!).
The host's podium and contestant podiums from this set are now in the Jeopardy! Hall of fame, which opened in mid-September 2011.
Time-lapse transition (from November 25, 2002)[]
The old 1996-2002 set, as seen during Season 16.
The old 1996-2002 set prior to its dismantling, being lit up and working.
The old 1996-2002 set starts to become dismantled during the transition.
The final moments of the dismantling, with the backdrop, some studio lighting, contestant and host podiums, and the monitors on the game board being removed from the 1996-2002 set.
The rest of the 1996-2002 set has been completely dismantled, leaving behind an empty studio space.
The first pieces of the new 2002-2009 set starts to come in place, with the set's flooring present.
The game board of the 2002-2009 set (sans monitors) is present.
The 2002-2009 set in the final stages of completion, with the backdrop, hanging panels, contestant and host podiums, and the game board monitors present.
The 2002-2009 set when the transition completed, now lit up and working.
The 2002-2009 set as seen on November 25, 2002.
Gallery[]
Early version of the 2002-2009 set. The sides on the game board have small white circles.
Early podiums from November 25-December 6, 2002.
Early podiums from December 9-20, 2002.
For the first few weeks of this set, the set turned red for Final Jeopardy!
The sides on the game board has 4 rectangles with a light blue border around them.
2002-2009 set from the show's 19th season.
The 2002-2009 set during the 2004 Teen Tournament. Whenever a tournament occurs, the tournament's name is placed throughout the hanging panels.
The Jeopardy! set from 2002 to 2009 before the HD upgrades, as seen in 2004.
The contestant podiums were trapezoid-shaped.
The game board
The white lights surrounding the game board, taken from Eddie Timanus' game during the Ultimate Tournament of Champions in 2005. In addition to the Braille category card and a Braille keyboard for Final Jeopardy!, they used an audible tone in sync with the lights which indicated that he was allowed to ring in.
A shot of the 2002-2009 set before the HD upgrades when the lights dim for Final Jeopardy! as seen on February 20, 2004. Note the usage of the "Optima" font in the Final Jeopardy! text, which would be replaced with "Korinna" in later episodes of Season 20.
During the first three seasons with this set, it stays blue throughout the whole show...
...but turns red when the lights dim during Final Jeopardy! in Season 22.
A shot of the set, as shown from the contestants' points of view. To the left of the game board, there is a small monitor for video clues. There are also 3 digital read-outs for the players' scores to help them with their wagering on Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy! clues; they're ordered from their point of view, meaning the champion is at the far-right. To the right of the game board is where Alex enters the stage.
2002-2009 set with the HD upgrades, as seen on May 20, 2008. The sides of the game board have 4 squares with a white border around them.
The updated contestant lecterns.
The contestant podiums after the HD upgrade, as seen during Season 23.
This set was used on the PSN PlayStation 3 edition of Jeopardy!.
2002-2009 set again, as seen during Season 25.
With the HD upgrades, the game board became a nearly seamless projection wall.
The set turns red when the lights dim during Final Jeopardy!
The 2002-2009 set with HD upgrades, during the 2007 Tournament of Champions. Again, whenever a tournament occurs, the tournament's name is placed throughout the hanging panels.
The contestant lecterns from the set, now in the Jeopardy! Hall of Fame.
Full shot of the Jeopardy! 2002-2009 set, during Season 25. When not in use, the video clue monitor on the left is covered with a brown slab to keep the monitor clean and free of dust. The 3 digital readouts on top (usually not seen by the viewers) are for the players' scores so they can determine their wagers on Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy! clues. Below that is a Sony HDTV monitor to view those clues in HD. There is also the judge's table, where the producers and writers follow to play the game, and if necessary, review players' responses.
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