THE BIG DOOR PRIZE plays like a comedic version of LOST, aka it has THE GOOD PLACE vibes, but it’s nowhere near as good. The series premieres with three episodes, each telling the story of a character interacting with the mysterious Morpho Machine to learn their potential.
And that plot propels the story in the small town of Deerfield. The idea of learning your potential has huge ramifications for the town, and the show wisely spends each thirty-minute episode exploring what a person will get.
Yet, for a show about characters learning their potential, we are stuck with a protagonist that’s too whiny. Chris O’Dowd is a fantastic character actor. However, he’s playing Dusty – an envious schoolteacher with story beats that hit on repeat. I’d much rather spend more time with the high school principal, his wife, or students. But alas – that’s for future episodes… hopefully.
THE BIG DOOR PRIZE has the potential to be something special and is available on Apple TV+.