Jeopardy! Tonight (Monday, Sept. 14, 2026): Season 43 Premiere Players, Air Time, and Where to Watch
Fifty-two days after his last game aired, Matthew Riggle finally gets his third on TV. Jeopardy! Season 43 opens tonight, Monday, Sept. 14, and it's a regular first-run game in your station's usual slot — the first new syndicated board since July 24. If you only want the week's new-or-repeat answer, our running “Is Jeopardy! new tonight?” page has all five nights.
Jeopardy.com posted the lineup this morning. Riggle, a community college math instructor from Madison, Alabama, faces Emily Mayo and Bryan Lee. Ken Jennings hosts.
Who is playing on the Season 43 premiere?
| Player | From | Job, as listed |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Riggle (champion) | Madison, Alabama | Community college math instructor |
| Emily Mayo | Brooklyn, New York | Broadway ads project manager |
| Bryan Lee | Originally Falls Church, Virginia | Climate financial strategist |
The show lists Lee by where he grew up rather than where he lives now. That's all the official page says about either challenger, so that's all we'll say.
How good is Riggle, really?
Two wins, $64,400. He took the July 23 game with $48,001, then held on for $16,399 in the season finale the next night.
That averages out to $32,200 a game. Keep that pace through two more wins and he'd be a four-day champ sitting near $129,000; a fifth would push him past $160,000. Those are straight-line projections, not predictions — one bad Daily Double wager wrecks the math.
One thing the 52-day gap isn't: a layoff for him. Jeopardy! tapes weeks ahead, so that wait belonged to the audience, and the studio calendar was its own thing.
👉 Watch his first two Daily Double wagers. They'll tell you fast whether he's playing to protect a lead or to build a run.
What time does Jeopardy! air tonight in your city?
Your local station sets it, and big markets don't agree. This is where they stood at the July 2026 station check:
Chicago is the outlier at 3:30 in the afternoon. Premiere weeks are also when stations quietly move things, so check your listings if you're outside these six. The station-by-ZIP guide walks through it.
Is there anything special about this week?
Not in format. It's five straight regular games, no tournament and no ABC primetime hour; our Sept. 14–18 week-ahead lays out each night.
What's changed is the calendar around it. The summer was all encores, ending with Andrew He's Invitational final win on Friday, so tonight is the first result since July that actually moves the record book.
Where can you stream it if you miss the broadcast?
Hulu and Peacock carry the episode the next day. Wheel of Fortune also starts its new season tonight in the neighboring half hour — this week's Wheel episode guide covers the new Fortune Frenzy opener.
FAQ
Is Jeopardy! new tonight? Yes. It's Season 43, Episode 1, and every weeknight through Sept. 18 is new.
Who is the current Jeopardy! champion? Matthew Riggle, with two wins and $64,400 going in.
How long a streak would put him on the all-time list? A long one — the top ten on our longest Jeopardy! streaks list starts at 19 wins. Tonight's winner and the Final Jeopardy! response go up under results.
Sources · Jeopardy.com — Sept. 14 contestants · TV Insider — Season 43 premiere date · 256 Today — Riggle profile · Jeopardy! station table by market
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