With Ted Lasso coming to an end after this season, Apple is in need of another comedy that gives us all the warm fuzzies. Could that be The Big Door Prize? The new trailer sorta looks like it might be. The series hails from Schitt’s Creek creator David West Read and is based on M.O. Walsh’s novel about a small town that is changed by the sudden emergence of a machine that can offer true happiness.
The ensemble cast is led by Chris O’Dowd, along with Gabrielle Dennis, Ally Maki, Josh Segarra, Damon Gupton, Crystal Fox, Djouliet Amara, and Sammy Fourlas.
Here’s the official synopsis: Based on M.O. Walsh’s novel of the same name, “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 seemingly content, cheerful family man and high school teacher, watches everyone around him reevaluate their life choices and ambitions — based on the machine’s printouts — and is forced to question whether he is truly as happy as he once thought. While he remains skeptical of the machine, his wife, Cass (Gabrielle Dennis), indulges in the dream that there’s something bigger out there for her. Like many of Deerfield’s residents, the couple has lived a relatively safe, uncomplicated life until the arrival of the Morpho machine. 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.
The Big Door Prize will have its world premiere at SXSW. The first three episodes of the ten-episode series will then hit Apple TV+ on March 29th.