NBC Is Making a TV Show Out of Wordle. Here's What That Means

NBC has decided to turn Wordle, the popular online word puzzle game, into a television game show. Savannah Guthrie from the Today show will host it. Jimmy Fallon, who runs his own production company, is helping to create it. The New York Times announced this in May 2026, since the company owns Wordle.

This is a big move because it shows how online games are now becoming traditional television entertainment.

Who Is Making This Show

The show is being made by three teams working together. NBC's production studio is handling the television side. Jimmy Fallon's production company is involved. And The New York Times — which bought Wordle from its creator in 2022 — is overseeing it to make sure the show stays true to the game.

Caitlin Roper and Jonathan Knight, who run The New York Times' Games department, are in charge of making sure the show feels like Wordle.

What Makes This Tricky

Wordle, in its original form, is simple. You get one puzzle per day. Everyone around the world solves the same puzzle. People enjoy sharing their results and talking about strategies online.

A television show works differently. TV needs to fit into time slots and schedules. TV shows have contests and winners.

The real challenge is keeping what people love about Wordle — the shared puzzle, the thinking time, the feeling of solving something with millions of other people — while turning it into something you watch on television.

Why NBC and The New York Times Are Doing This

The New York Times has built a whole section of games on their website, including crosswords and other daily puzzles. Many people pay money to access these games.

By making a TV show, The New York Times can make money from Wordle without having to run a television network themselves. NBC handles the broadcasting. The Times keeps control over how the game works. Both companies benefit.

For NBC, game shows are a safe bet. They cost less to produce than drama shows or comedies, and they usually get steady viewership.

The Bigger Picture

This is not the first time an internet trend has moved to television. We have seen social media get mixed into talk shows. We have seen video game tournaments broadcast as sports. Digital games and apps moving to TV is becoming normal.

What is interesting in this particular case is how well the move can work. Wordle's appeal comes from it being tied to a specific moment in time — one puzzle shared by everyone on the same day. Television will have to find a way to capture that shared feeling but in a very different format.

The television version will probably be faster-paced than solving one puzzle on your phone. Players might compete against each other or work together. The show might use social media or audience participation to keep some of the collaborative spirit alive. NBC has not yet shared the exact rules.

What This Means Going Forward

Companies that create online games and digital content now see themselves as entertainment companies with multiple income streams. A successful game can become a book, a TV show, a movie, a podcast — each one bringing in money and reaching different audiences.

The Wordle television show is betting that people like the game enough to watch it on TV. If this works out, you can expect to see more digital games and apps adapted for television. Publishers and networks will look at what works online and ask: "Can we turn this into a broadcast show."

The success of this partnership will likely shape how digital creators and television networks work together in the future.