‘The Big Door Prize’: Critics call Apple TV+ series ‘one of the best comedy debuts in years’

Ronald Meyer
·4 min read
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At first glance, Apple TV+’s “The Big Door Prize” may resemble Adam Sandler’s “Click” or even the streamer’s own “Severance,” but this soft sci-fi comedy from “Schitt’s Creek” writer and producer David West Read is far less entrenched in the practical mysteries of its novum than either of those titles. 

History teacher Dusty Hubbard (Chris O’Dowd) is perfectly content with his existence, but  everyone around him, including his wife and highschool sweetheart, Cass (Gabrielle Dennis), can’t resist looking toward broader horizons. While stopping for coffee on the morning of his 40th birthday, Dusty notices something strange in Mr. Johnson’s (Peter Kerr) general store: a glowing cubicle of unknown origin that will reveal your life’s potential for a few quarters. His initial reaction is one of passive annoyance, but when friends, family, and neighbors begin altering their lives in dramatic ways, Dusty desperately tries to dissuade the people of Deerfield from delegating their fates to what he essentially considers a fancy fortune cookie. 

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Viewers are encouraged to concern themselves less with whether or not the Morpho is actually omniscient and focus instead on what the machine means to those who believe it is. The question of how is far less interesting than the larger epistemic quandaries the Morpho inspires in Deerfield’s citizens. In that way, the show is reminiscent of “The Leftovers.” Like the HBO drama about an event that vanishes two percent of the global population, “The Big Door Prize” forgoes investigation of its fantastical elements in favor of phenomenologically surveying how we individually and collectively respond to the unknown. 

Tim Surette (TV Guide) proclaims the series “one of the best comedy debuts in years” and writes, “The show is so good that it doesn’t need anything from the Morpho…is it a high-tech data-mining flash in the pan? Was it dropped from the cosmos by higher life forms? Is it a mouthpiece for a divine figure? Is it just a meaningless scam? Is it just a plot device? And really, does it matter?” Emma Fraser (The Playlist) concurs, writing, “Whether the Morpho is magic or not, this series spreads its wings to reach its potential.” 

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Coleman Spilde (The Daily Beast) says “The Big Door Prize” is “the ‘Ted Lasso’ antidote we deserve” and credits it for avoiding “certain cutesy mustachioed maxims while delivering humor about humanity.” “Despite its heady premise,” he writes, “‘The Big Door Prize’ balances the weight of philosophical reflection with keen, intelligently crafted humor surprisingly well.” Similarly, Surette says, “It isn’t all navel-gazing self-reflection in the new comedy from Apple TV+ that has as much heart as humor and takes a fresh spin on the neverending free will versus destiny conversation.” 

Fans of the show are also complimenting Chris O’Dowd, known for “Bridesmaids” and “The IT Crowd,” and “Luke Cage’s” Gabrielle Dennis. Lucy Mangan (The Guardian) praises O’Dowd’s  “immaculate” comic timing, and Surette says the actor “embodies the yearning of the forever average man, nailing Dusty’s comedic reactions while also impressing in the show’s more dramatic moments.” Also calling Dennis “perfect,” he adds, “The unlikely pair ooze chemistry and become one of TV’s most endearing couples.” Spilde also feels they have “perfect chemistry” and argues that Dusty and Cass’ marriage is among the show’s central draws: “The couple is written with such a dextrous combination of affection and wit that they keep things perfectly paced.”

Gold Derby’s Emmy odds show that the series and its actors are being counted out of the race. Will strong reviews give “The Big Door Prize” an exposure boost and help the freshman comedy break through with voters?

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