Ryan Seacrest earned a plum gig this week, replacing the retiring Pat Sajak as host of “Wheel of Fortune.” Producers went with a dependable big name, a reminder that the days of game show hosts primarily being known as game show hosts are over. Sajak, with a thin resume before he began at “Wheel of Fortune,” may be the last of a breed. Once seen as unhip, game shows are much more attractive now to actors, comics and other celebrities with dollar signs in their eyes. Television producers can get known commodities to attract audiences to new shows or, as in the case of “Wheel,” keep a franchise humming.
