(NBC)

Jane Lynch will be saying “Goodbye” to a lot more contestants. NBC has renewed the revival of the Weakest Link TV show for a third season of 20 episodes, the revival’s biggest order to date.

A game show revival, the Weakest Link TV series pits contestants against one another while also forcing them to work together in a trivia contest. In each episode, eight contestants enter the studio as total strangers but must work together to bank the maximum amount of prize money available in each round. At the end of each round, contestants vote to eliminate the fellow contestant they consider to be the “Weakest Link” in the chain. The contestant who receives the highest number of votes leaves the game as host Jane Lynch utters the iconic phrase, “You are the Weakest Link. Goodbye.” By the end of the episode, a single player can win up to $1,000,000.

The second season of Weakest Link averaged a 0.24 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 1.83 million viewers in the live+same day ratings (includes all DVR playback through 3:00 AM). Compared to season one, that’s down by 59% in the demo and down by 51% in viewership.  Despite the season-to-season declines in the traditional ratings, the peacock network is pleased about how the game show has performed compared to previous residents of the Monday night timeslot.

Here’s the official renewal announcement:

NBC RENEWS GLOBAL GAME SHOW SENSATION “WEAKEST LINK” FOR THIRD SEASON, HOSTED BY JANE LYNCH

Hit Reboot From BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions and Universal Television Alternative Studio Continues Its Strong Stateside Momentum

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – August, 1, 2022 – NBC has renewed the international smash hit game show “Weakest Link” for a third season, co-produced by BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions and Universal Television Alternative Studio, a division of Universal Studio Group. The network has greenlit 20 episodes of the lightning fast, quick-witted series hosted by Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch (“Hollywood Game Night,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), who continues to executive produce. The fan-favorite show is a British import based on the iconic quiz show format distributed by BBC Studios. Production on the new season is set to begin this fall.

“Weakest Link” won over U.S. audiences on NBC by delivering on all of the hallmarks that have earned the quiz show a place in pop culture, from the fast-faced game play testing general knowledge and trivia to its signature send off, memorably conveyed by Lynch as only she could, “You are the weakest link. Goodbye.”

The series has reached more than 17 million viewers this season across linear and digital platforms. Its current summer run has improved NBC’s Monday 10 p.m. timeslot by double-digit percentages across the board, including an increase of 30% in the 18-49 demo and up 26% in total viewers.

Regarding the renewal, host and executive producer Jane Lynch remarked, “I’m very much looking forward to a third season of mocking contestants and encouraging discord.”

The massively successful “Weakest Link” format distributed by BBC Studios has been produced in 46 territories around the globe over the past two decades, with more than 1,500 episodes having aired in the U.K. alone.

In each episode, eight contestants enter the studio as total strangers but must work together to bank the maximum amount of prize money available in each round. The contestants take turns to answer general knowledge questions to build chains of correct answers. Consecutive correct answers greatly increase the value of the chain, while incorrect answers break the chain and force the contestants to start over on the lowest rung with the smallest amount money. At the end of each round, contestants vote to eliminate the fellow contestant they consider to be the “Weakest Link” in the chain. The contestant who receives the highest number of votes leaves the game as the host declares the iconic phrase, “You are the Weakest Link. Goodbye.”

“Weakest Link” is casting now for its third season. Put your trivia skills and pop culture knowledge to the test. If you have the speed and smarts to win the grand prize, apply at theweakestlinkcasting.com. You must be 18 years or older, and other terms and conditions may apply.

Lynch is a five-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner who received back-to-back Emmys for her role as host of NBC’s “Hollywood Game Night.” Her last Emmy win came in 2019 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”

“Weakest Link” is produced by BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio, a division of Universal Studio Group. Ryan O’Dowd serves as executive producer for BBC Studios. Stuart Krasnow, who executive produced the original NBC run, serves in the same role and is also showrunner. Lynch also executive produces, along with Aaron Solomon.

ABOUT BBC STUDIOS
BBC Studios, a global content company with bold British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, its activities span content financing, development, production, sales, branded services, and ancillaries across both its own productions and programs and formats made by high-quality UK independents. Award-winning British programs made by the business are internationally recognized across a broad range of genres and specializations, with brands like Dancing with the Stars/Strictly Come Dancing, Top Gear, and Doctor Who. BBC.com, BBC Studios’ global digital news platform, provides up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis and features to more than 139 million unique browsers each month. BBC Studios has offices in 20 markets globally, including ten production bases in the UK and production bases or partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which ordinarily makes around 2,000 hours of content a year for both the BBC and third parties including Apple, Netflix, and Migu, is a champion for British creativity around the world. It is also a committed partner for the UK’s independent sector through a mix of equity partnerships, content investment, and international distribution for program titles.

In the U.S, BBC Studios operates both a distribution business and one of its major production units. The production unit, based in Los Angeles, creates and produces adaptations of UK programs, as well as all new original programs, for linear and digital platforms in the U.S. This production unit is responsible for the phenomenally successful, Emmy(R)-winning Dancing with the Stars, the multi-award-winning Life Below Zero franchise, the revved up Top Gear America, and the popular reboot of the classic quiz show Weakest Link, among others. In scripted, the team has achieved success adapting British hits, including Call Me Kat (based on the UK format Miranda), Welcome to Flatch (This Country in the UK), and Ghosts for top U.S. broadcast networks.

ABOUT UNIVERSAL TELEVISION ALTERNATIVE STUDIO
Universal Television Alternative Studio (UTAS), a division of Universal Studio Group, is a global supplier of premium unscripted content and formats. Led by President Toby Gorman, the studio develops and produces game shows, competition programs and is expanding into documentaries and docuseries. The studio is known for series with A-list talent including “Making It,” starring three-time-Emmy(R)-nominated hosts Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman; comedy variety event series “That’s My Jam,” hosted by Jimmy Fallon; “Dancing With Myself,” hosted by Shakira, Nick Jonas and Liza Koshy; “Capital One College Bowl,” hosted by Peyton Manning; holiday baking competition series “Baking It,” hosted by Maya Rudolph and Andy Samberg; and the Emmy-nominated music event series “American Song Contest,” hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson. Additionally, the studio creates hit formats that are replicated worldwide: longtime NBC favorite “Hollywood Game Night,” for which Jane Lynch has won two Emmy Awards as host, has been remade in 22 territories; and “The Wall” has been sold into 27 territories internationally. Upcoming series include “The Americas,” a 10-part natural history show and Dick Wolf’s first unscripted show, “LA Fire and Rescue.”

What do you think? Have you been enjoying the revival of the Weakest Link TV show? Are you glad to hear that it will be back for a third season?