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The Big Door Prizehas returned for its second season on Apple TV+, and it doesn’t disappoint. The show expands the potential of Deerfield as its citizens begin to color outside the lines of their lives and imaginations. Chris O’Dowd and Gabrielle Dennis form one of the most realistic marriages on television, and Josh Segarra and Marry Holland are hilarious together. Ally Maki’s Hana gets a huge development after last season’s finale, and so do Jacob and Trina. The second season is a generous, funny, and authentic hug of a show, and the addition of Justine Lupe is phenomenal.
The Big Door Prizefollowsthe lifestyle changes of people in a small town after a bizarre arcade game-like machine arrives in town, revealing all of their potential in small enveloped cards (for some quarters). The second season has the machine ascending to the next level, introducing 8-bit animations specific to each person in the town. Do they reveal the future? Are they allegorical? What’s up with this existential and beautiful show developed byDavid West Read? Read, an Emmy Award-winning writer and producerforSchitt’s Creek, discussed the show with MovieWeb.
What Does The Big Door Prize Title Mean?
The Big Door Prize
“Well, the title comes from the novel,” explained Read, “and the [M.O. Walsh] novel took the title from a John Prine song called “In Spite of Ourselves.” And for me,it’s a song about humanity and the things that bring us together and the things that unite us. And so I’ve taken that as a bit of a guiding principle for the show, that there is a warmth to this show and a compassion, because it’s a show about the quest for happiness.” He added:
To me, there’s a universal appeal to that, because we all ask ourselves those questions about what it means to be happy and if, and how, we could be happier.
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A series about a mysterious machine coming to town and revealing everyone’s secret desires and potential could easily become a Stephen King,Needful Thingskind of show where everyone is torn apart and at each other’s throats. But likeSchitt’s Creek,The Big Door Prizehas a much more positive outlook on life and the human condition, one that still loves its characters despite any supposed flaws.
“I think it’s probably my personal sensibility, thatI am drawn to more openhearted comedy,” said Read. “I think, for me, this is a show about going deeper into the inner lives of people in a small town. And there are versions of shows where you’re kind of making fun of people in a small town, or, you know, the Stephen King version, where you’re murdering all the people in the small town. For me, it’s like peeling back the layers of these people and realizing that they’re all much more complex than they might seem on the surface. And I just love those stories.”
“I learned a lot from working onSchitt’s Creek, added Read. “I think I learned a lot about the slow evolution of characters. That part of what was so successful on that show is that people didn’t fundamentally change immediately, that it took, you know, 80 episodes and six seasons of living inSchitt’s Creekfor David and Alexis and Margaret and Johnny to really evolve to the place where they ended up. And I think I also learned the value in investment, in the audience just falling in love with your characters.” Read continued:
Schitt’s Creek is really all about the warmth and the affection that people had for the Roses. And it is also a show where you might judge people one way on the surface, and then you realize there’s a lot more going on over time. So there’s a lot that I kind of paid forward on this show.
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The Cliffhanger Season Finales of The Big Door Prize
Like the first season, the second season ofThe Big Door Prizeends with another cliffhanger that leaves you on the edge of your seat. It’s a bold move, considering Read isn’t sure that the show will be picked up for another season to resolve things. That’s perfectly fine with him. He explained:
I think you’re always trying to build to the messiest finale, no matter. It gives you the most runway for the show, but also leaves the audience wanting more in a really great way. And I think it feels climactic.
“You know, when you’re shaping the season, and you’re putting up the stories on a board of cue cards, how are you trying to make it feel like it’s all building to something that rewards the audience for being on that journey with you?Because there’s a lot of TV out there right now. And if someone is invested in your show and your characters, you want them to feel like this has been worth it, because we got to this at the end of the season.”
The second season is certainly worth it. Season two premieres globally with three episodes on Wednesday, June 03, 2025, followed by one new episode weekly through August 14, 2025 on Apple TV+.The Big Prize Dooris currently streaming on Apple TV+ and you can watch it through the link below:
