Alex Trebek's final 'Jeopardy!' episodes top weekly ratings with 14 million viewers

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Alex Trebek's fans proved the late "Jeopardy!" icon is sorely missed as the airing of his final episodes sent the long-running game show to the top spot of TV ratings for the week.

Trebek's friendly face and kind words of encouragement were displayed during the week of Jan. 4 when the show aired his last episodes, which were taped prior to this November death.

According to Deadline, the episodes resulted in this season's most-watched week of "Jeopardy!" Overall, the show received a 6.6 household rating, a 29% boost from the week prior.

The outlet also reported it was "Jeopardy!"s highest rated week since April 27, 2020.

ALEX TREBEK FANS PETITION TO SEE 'JEOPARDY!' STAGE DEDICATED TO THE LATE HOST

Alex Trebek's final episode of 'Jeopardy!' aired on Jan. 8 that featured a touching tribute to the late icon. He died in November at the age of 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. (Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)

Trebek's very last episode aired on Jan. 8 featuring a touching tribute to the iconic host. Deadline reports that the episode attracted its largest audience with an average 14 million viewers. The episode also received an 8.8 household rating, the show's largest since the episode that aired the finale of contestant James Holzhauer's incredible streak in June 2019.

Trebek passed away at 80 years old in November after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The final episode concluded with a touching montage of some of his greatest "Jeopardy!" moments over the course of 36 years to the song "Once Before I Go" from the 2003 Broadway musical "The Boy From Oz." 

"So long," Trebek told viewers before being seen walking away. A graphic then read: "Dedicated to Alex Trebek, Forever in our Hearts, Always our Inspiration."

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Alex Trebek's final episodes of 'Jeopardy!' aired during the first week of January. They were taped prior to his November death. (Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty Images)

The Canadian-born TV star hosted the popular game show since 1984, presiding over more than 8,000 episodes. Trebek is survived by his wife of 30 years, Jean, and children Matthew, Emily, and Nicky.

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Several names have been floated to replace Trebek, including all-star "Jeopardy!" contestant Ken Jennings. Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times reported that Katie Couric would fill in as one of several potential guest hosts until a permanent replacement is announced. 

Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.