‘The Big Door Prize’ Cancelled after Two Seasons!!

It is always disappointing to learn that a show that we’ve just become invested in has been canceled, but it gets even worse when that cancelation leaves fans without answers, as is the situation for Apple TV+‘s drama series The Big Door Prize. According to reports via Variety, the streamer has axed the show after it ran for two seasons. This will bring much disappointment to fans as the Season 2 finale left audiences on a cliffhanger.

The Big Door Prize was a unique show that introduced a bizarre but innovative idea of what life would be like if we could have access to some technological equipment capable of predicting our true potential. In the show, this innovation is known as Morpho, a vending machine look-alike that tells people what they would be better fulfilled at by a simple seamless biometric entry. The show is set in a small town called Deerfield whose residents overhaul their lives following the machine’s mysterious arrival at a grocery store. At the center of the story is high school teacher, Dusty (Chris O’Dowd), a seemingly content man who is skeptical of the machine and does not seem to understand why everyone around him is enamored by it. However, Dusty considers trying out the machine himself after his wife asks him if he’s truly happy and fulfilled with his life.

The series started off on a strong foot, receiving an early Season 2 renewal just four episodes into the first season. The decision reflected Apple TV+‘s fate in the series and this abrupt cancelation will no doubt come as a surprise to fans. Season 1 was certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and was well-received by audiences and critics alike. However, Collider‘s Chase Hutchinson critiqued that the show had not explored its full potential, writing that the first season merely created room for more to be done.

Who Was Behind The Big Door Prize?

The Big Door Prize was an adaptation of a novel of the same name by M.O. Walsh who himself drew inspiration from a John Prine song titled “In Spite of Ourselves.” The series was created by Schitt’s Creek‘s David West Read who shared in an earlier interview that he was simply drawn to the idea of an openhearted comedy that dives deep into the seemingly simple yet complex lives of small-town folks. Apart from O’Dowd, the show starred Gabrielle Dennis as Cass, as well as Sammy Fourlas, Djouliet Amara (Devil in Ohio), Josh Segarra (The Other Two), Patrick Kerr (Curb Your Enthusiasm), among others.