Apple TV Plus has renewed The Big Door Prize for season two, a week after the comedy premiered. David West Read created the show. Chris O’Dowd stars.
Season one premiered March 29 and has ten episodes. Produced by Skydance Television, season two is in production.
“We are so grateful to the audiences around the world who have already embraced the weird little hopes and dreams of our Deerfield residents, and we could not be more excited about where we plan to take them in season two,” said Read. “Thanks to our partners at Apple TV Plus and Skydance, we have an incredible opportunity to keep building the magic and mysteries of The Big Door Prize with this truly remarkable ensemble cast.”
Read was an executive producer on Schitt’s Creek.
Based on M.O. Walsh’s novel, The Big Door Prize tells the story of a small town that is forever changed when a mysterious machine appears in the general store, promising to reveal each resident’s true life potential. Dusty Hubbard (O’Dowd), a cheerful family man and high school teacher, watches everyone around him reevaluate their life choices and ambitions, based on the Morpho machine’s printouts, and is forced to question whether he is truly as happy as he thought. His wife, Cass (Gabrielle Dennis), indulges in the dream that there’s something bigger out there for her.
Many in Deerfield are content with their lives. “However, all of that is about to change when the community is forced to reconcile with their unfulfilled achievements in pursuit of a better future,” Apple TV Plus said.
Ally Maki, Josh Segarra, Damon Gupton, Crystal Fox, Djouliet Amara and Sammy Fourlas are also in the cast.
CJ ENM/Studio Dragon produces with Skydance. Read is showrunner and executive producer. David Ellison and Dana Goldberg executive produce for Skydance Television; Miky Lee, Young Kyu Kim and Hyun Park executive produce for CJ ENM/Studio Dragon. Bill Bost and Sarah Walker executive produce too.
A review in NPR said, “But in showing characters attempting to shake themselves out of their unexamined lives, The Big Door Prize never contents itself with ridiculing their previous complacency. Instead, it spends its time (and thus, our time) delighting in their newfound curiosity and drive, their willingness, their openness, their sense of purpose.”
