‘The Big Door Prize’ Team Discuss How A Town Is Upended By A Machine

Section: TV Premieres

Logline: 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

Panelists: Chris O’Dowd, Gabrielle Dennis, Josh Segarra, Djouliet Amara, and David West Read.

Premiered: March 11, 2023

Key Quotes: Read: “The Big Door Prize is about a small town where a machine appears in the general store promising to tell each resident’s true life potential. The first season follows the townspeople of Deerfield as they go through this collective mid-life crisis.”

O’Dowd: “Dusty Hubbard is a high school history teacher, married with a beautiful young daughter but she’s trouble. When we meet him, it’s his 40th birthday and he thinks he couldn’t be happier. Then this machine suddenly being thrust in front of him made him reevaluate everything.”

Dennis: “Cass is with [her husband] Dusty figuring out his midlife crisis and being supportive but also figuring out where she fits in her world and her space. As women, we find ourselves—especially as mothers—wondering how we identify. Am I just a mom? Am I just a wife? And what are those other ways we identify ourselves and find ourselves in our space? Cass is going on that journey of self-discovery alongside her husband.”

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