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A new era has dawned for one of the best game shows of all timewhen Ryan Seacrest made his official debut as the new host of Wheel of Fortune on September 9. Season 42 premiered on the TV Schedule 2024 on Monday as the first without Pat Sajak, who retired at the end of last season. As expected, Wheel Viewers had strong opinions about the major changes since June, but surprisingly the new host was not the biggest point of contention among viewers.

Ever since Ryan Seacrest was announced as the successor to one of the best game show hosts once in Pat Sajak, fans have not been able to suppress their strong opinions — whether it was enthusiasm for what the American Idol host would bring to Wheel of Fortune or fear of the inevitable changes. That didn’t change on September 9, but when people took to social media to share their thoughts about Seacrest’s debut, it wasn’t the host who was the target of their complaints — it was the new set. As one fan wrote on X (Twitter):

In fact, many fans had similar thoughts and posted positive messages about Ryan Seacrest during his first appearance. Wheel of Fortunebut expressed frustration with the bright, overstimulating set. Other posts included:

• I like that Ryan hosts Wheel of Fortune, but I find the other changes they’ve made to the show annoying. – Megz_Friedos

• I get that Wheel of Fortune replaced Pat Sajak because he was retiring, but why did they have to change the whole set?! – SimchaG

• Well Wheel of Fortune is fucking DONE. The new set sucks… I thought I was going to hate Ryan Seacrest, but he’s actually the least offensive thing about this show. – Syd_Lexia

• The show starts off great, but the set is very reminiscent of ‘Early Test Pilot’. – hbsacramento

• I LOVED Pat so much, he was perfect‼️ I am so relieved to say that Ryan is doing great on his first night! I don’t like the new set and the graphics of putting the contestants’ faces under the puzzle at all. I do love that Vanna is still there of course‼️ – keep the truth

• Okay love Ryan Seacrest… I HATE the new set 🤦🏻‍♀️😢 Wheel of Fortune bring back the old set because this ain’t it. – sherryjohnston

There were rumors during Wheel of Fortune‘s offseason that Ryan Seacrest’s height caused problems with the new set design, as he is 2 inches shorter than Pat Sajak. However, that did not appear to be the reason for fans’ concerns on Monday. Some wished that small changes had been made over time following the hosting switch, rather than shocking viewers with sensory issues.

Of course, Ryan Seacrest couldn’t convince everyone, but overall it seemed like fans could finally breathe a sigh of relief after seeing what Wheel of Fortune‘s future looks like. While set design may be here to stay, I imagine things will only get better for Seacrest from here as he becomes more comfortable. And so will fans.