The Big Door Prize Trailer: What Is Your Potential?

What would you do if you could find out your life's true potential? That's the question plaguing the residents of a small town when a mysterious machine appears in the local general store, with the ability to reveal each person's true destiny. Based on the M.O. Walsh novel of the same name, "The Big Door Prize" sees the small town shaken up by the life-changing predictions of the strange 'Morpho Machine,' which scans their fingerprints and DNA before spitting out a tiny card that encapsulates their life purpose.

I'm not gonna lie — this sounds like a unilaterally terrible idea. First off, the concept of true potential is frighteningly vague all on its own. Is it a goal that each person can achieve but won't necessarily? Don't we already put enough pressure on ourselves without the universe weighing in? Also, the idea of everyone in the town being able to access their own potential adds even more terror to this: what if one person's purpose seems grander and more meaningful than your own? What if in pursuit of your purpose, you end up ruining your chance at success? What if the machine is simply lying? Or what if everyone does as I so obviously would and spends the rest of their lives anxiously contemplating all the worst possibilities to come?

All this bleak speculation aside, things can't be too horrific in "The Big Door Prize," because Apple TV+ has described the series as a heartwarming character driven-comedy! There's nothing quite so fascinating as a premise that could slot into a horror movie as easily as it could an uplifting comedy! As part of the Television Critics Association's 2023 Winter Press Tour, Apple TV+ has unveiled a first look a "The Big Door Prize," with a teaser trailer that you can check out below.

As far as plot details, this first-look teaser doesn't give much away, but it does revel in the sense of wonder that the Morpho Machine inspires. "This machine is reminding people our lives have more than one possible path," one resident notes, as Chris O' Dowd's Dusty turns over his card for the first time, grinning at whatever it reveals. A good-natured teacher and dedicated family man, Dusty has lived what he fears is a deeply average life, following a predictable path that he finds hopelessly mundane. In fact, many residents of Deerfield share his fear: that their lives were average and nothing more. And that's where the mystifying Morpho Machine comes in. It promises that their lives can be so much more. And with that belief, what more do they need?

The 10-episode comedy comes from writer David West Read ("Schitt's Creek") and stars O'Dowd, Gabrielle Dennis ("A Black Lady Sketch Show"), Ally Maki ("Wrecked"), Josh Segarra ("The Other Two," "She-Hulk: Attorney At Law"), Damon Gupton (Super Pumped), Crystal Fox ("Big Little Lies"), Sammy Fourlas (of TikTok fame), and Djouliet Amara ("Riverdale"). Between the fascinating premise, humor-inclined cast, the Schitt's Creek alum, and the fact that Apple TV+ has an impeccable track record with comedies (see: "Ted Lasso," Schmigadoon!" or "The Afterparty"), this series is off to a very promising start.

"The Big Door Prize" has yet to receive an official release date, but is slated to debut globally in Spring 2023 on Apple TV+.

Based on M.O. Walsh's novel of the same name, "The Big Door Prize" tells the story of a small town that is forever changed when a mysterious machine appears in the general store, promising to reveal each resident's true life potential.