Wheel of Fortune - Wheel of Fortune From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show originally devised by Merv Griffin, who also created Jeopardy!. The show debuted as a daytime program on NBC on January 6, 1975. Three contestants compete against each other to solve a word puzzle similar to those seen in the game Hangman. The name of the show comes from the large wheel that determines the dollar amounts and prizes won (or lost) by the contestants.