The Big Door Prize Episode 1 Review

The Big Door Prize starts of smoothly, with a first episode that introduces us to the main characters. The stage is set, and a couple of existential questions start to form.
The Big Door Prize is a TV Show on Apple TV+ ,starring Chris O’Dowd and Gabrielle Dennis. It is based on a book by the same name written by M.O. Walsh. The first season of The Big Door Prize looks to be 10 episodes, 3 of which are already released.
I really enjoyed the first episode in this series, although it is short. With a runtime of 35 minutes, not a lot happens, but a few doors are opened. The basis for the show is developed, and our characters are introduced. Other than that, it is a pretty simple half an hour.
Who Starts in The Big Door Prize?
Based on the titles of the first 4 episodes, each of the first four episodes will follow one of our main characters. Episode 1 is titled Dusty. Dusty Hubbard is a teacher, a whistler, and a family man. His life has been fairly straight forward since coming to the United States from Ireland as a child. He has a wife and a daughter, and he rides a scooter to work. Dusty is played by Chris O’Dowd and looks to be the protagonist of the entire show. Our other main characters include Cass, played by Gabrielle Dennis, Jacob, played by Sammy Fourlas, and Father Reuben, played by Damon Gupton. These three characters will be covered in further detail in upcoming reviews.
The Big Door Prize Episode 1 Review
As the episode name suggests, this episode follows Dusty. Dusty is the kind of character that is going to resonate with a ton of people, and I really enjoyed Chris O’Dowd’s performance in episode 1. He is portraying a simple man, who is more complicated than he appears. No this isn’t a secret spy TV show or anything like that. Gabrielle Dennis is also good in the episode, although her screen time is minimal.
The episode itself flies by, and the pacing was well done. The episode doesn’t overload the audience with character information, nor does it try to open the plot up too much. It feeds you information at a reasonable pace, and then starts to move a bit faster near the end of the episode.
I really like the idea behind the show, a world where everyone has their life potential spelled out for them. The potential for everything to go so wrong for this town makes for a curious watch, as you wait for the seams of reality to eventually tear away. The show contains a machine that tells you your future, pretty much, so I assume things are going to get weird in a hurry.
While judging a TV show after the first episode is almost impossible, I have a good feeling about The Big Door Prize. The work Apple has done in that past, pair with a very good episode 1, has me excited for the next one.
The Big Door Prize: Episode 1 – 8.5/10