Even though there are a lot of streaming services now, books are still a major source for TV and movie adaptations. They already have characters, stories, and worlds set up, so all the filmmakers have to do is turn them into movies. But, of course, we never really know what these adaptations will give us. They might do a page-by-page and scene-by-scene translation of the original text. In other works, the source material might be used as a general guide to tell a new and different story. But if a movie or TV show is based on a well-known book, it is likely to be a hit with audiences, no matter how the story is told.
Apple TV+ is a good place to look for a new book-to-TV story. For the new comedy show The Big Door Prize, they are looking to the world of books. The show is based on the same-named novel by M.O. Walsh. It’s about a mysterious machine that shows up in a small town and tells each person there what will happen to them in the end. David West Read, who is best known for his work on Schitt’s Creek as a writer and producer, is behind the project. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, right?
Will The Big Door Prize follow Walsh’s book closely? Or will it go its own way and tell a different story? Let’s look at what we know so far.
The Big Door Prize: The Plot
Let’s take a quick look at the plot of Walsh’s book to get an idea of what the TV show might be like. The Big Door Prize is about the people who live in the small Louisiana town of Deerfield. When the DNAMIX machine mysteriously shows up in the town’s grocery store, it changes their lives. Residents can take a DNA swab for just $2, and the DNAMIX machine will use that swab to tell them what they could do with their lives. As word gets around, people in the town start to change their jobs to match what the machine says they should do. Douglas Hubbard, the main character of the book, thought he was happy with his life until the machine made him question everything.
From what we know about the plot of the TV show, it seems to be very close to the book. The show will take place in a small town in Louisiana called Deerfield. When a mysterious machine that can change people’s futures shows up, it changes the lives of everyone in the town. The main character of Dusty, whose name in the book was changed from Douglas to Dusty, is a teacher and family man who lives a normal, unremarkable life. Dusty starts to question everything in his life, including if he is really happy, when the machine shows up out of the blue and says it can tell a person’s fate.
The fact that The Big Door Prize is a TV show is one thing that works in its favor. Usually, when a book is turned into a movie, some plot points have to be left out or shortened to make the movie run faster. A TV series gives you more time to get to know the characters and explore the story. This is one possible way to go, but we won’t know how closely the show sticks to the book until it comes out. If it works, it could lead to more well-known book series being turned into TV shows.
The Big Door Prize: The Cast
Chris O’Dowd is the lead actor in the series. He plays Dusty Hubbard, a “everyman” who starts to question everything he has done in his life after the machine shows up. Cass, Dusty’s wife, is played by Gabrielle Dennis of A Black Lady Sketch Show. Cass seems happy with her home life, just like her high school sweetheart Dusty, until the machine sends her on a journey to find out more about herself.
Father Rueben, the high school’s chaplain, is played by Damon Gupton. Even though everyone looks to him for spiritual advice, he’s going through his own crisis. Josh Segarra, who plays Giorgio on Arrow, is the most eligible bachelor in Deerfield. He owns a restaurant and used to play hockey, and he is played by Josh Segarra. Sammy Fourlas, who is new to the scene, plays Jacob, a worker at the general store who is having a hard time getting by since his twin brother died.
Djouliet Amara, who plays Lois in Superman and Lois, plays Trina, the smart and guilty daughter of Dusty and Cass. Ally Maki plays Hana, a bartender who doesn’t show much emotion but ends up in the middle of the town’s drama. Crystal Fox plays Izzy on Big Little Lies. Izzy is the mother of Cass and has been mayor of Deerfield for a long time.
Most likely, more cast members will be revealed as the movie’s release date gets closer.
Release Date
The first three episodes of the season of The Big Door Prize will be released on Apple TV+ on March 29. After this, a new episode of the show will come out every Wednesday until the season ends on May 10. In all, there will be nine episodes in the first season.
The Big Door Prize has already been picked up for a second season, so viewers don’t have to worry about the show ending on a possible cliffhanger.
