Chris O’Dowd explains how The Big Door Prize could divide viewers

Popping up in the town's general store one day, the residents are almost immediately drawn to the machine's ability to reveal every person's "true life potential" via a printable card. It's an unguessable premise that immediately struck a chord with series stars Chris O'Dowd and Gabrielle Dennis upon reading the script for the new comedy.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com about The Big Door Prize, O'Dowd said: "I was really drawn to the premise. I thought the idea that we could be given a second chance at fulfilling some kind of potential that we may be interested in is fascinating to me.

"As a kind of an emigrant living in America, the idea of an oracle telling everybody what to do and suddenly everybody following it, struck a real chord with me because I kind of watched society just falling apart over five or six years. And I'm like, 'Oh yeah, people will kind of do some mad s**t if somebody tells them that they have all the answers.'"

O'Dowd and Dennis star as Dusty and Cass, high school sweethearts who have been married since they were young and who have differing approaches to the Morpho machine and its revelations.

When talking about whether audiences may side with O'Dowd's more sceptical character, the actor agrees that a British audience could very well take things in the series with a similar pinch of salt.

He explained: "I think it's interesting because I've been talking to a couple of British people who've seen the show and I'm going to be fascinated.

"I like that it's an Apple show, it's going to be around the world, because I think there's going to be an element of it that I'm definitely going to pay attention to – to how different territories lean into different characters based on how cynical they are."

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He added, speaking about the Morpho's appeal: "100 per cent [Brits are cynical] – I think it's one of its charms, you know, but there's only so much romance in the logic. So it'll be interesting how different places take it."

But for Dennis, her character goes on an exciting journey of self-discovery after spending much of her life as a devoted housewife and mother. She said: "For Cass, I feel like it's a very exciting thing for her because she's trying to find a new identity that maybe she felt got lost along the way, somewhere of being a mum and a wife.

"Although there's that beauty of fulfilling the purpose as a wife and a mother, sometimes there's that question mark of 'What else can I do for me?' So I think for Cass it's a different experience, for sure. And that she's just excited to go on the journey."

There's no denying that the new 10-parter is a unique watch, mixing humour and more profound moments together with ease.

When talking about what makes this show so unique, Dennis added it's "the blend of the comedy, the mystery, the thought provoking subject matter". She explained: "I think the show was cast very well. I think everyone just kind of fits right in the niche of those roles and the chemistry that we all have works really well together as well. It's a fun watch."

O'Dowd similarly commented: "I don't think you see a lot of even basic philosophy in comedy, so it's nice to have even those things – just big questions being asked I think is fun on a premium looking show like this."

The Big Door Prize premieres globally on Wednesday 29th March on Apple TV+ – you can sign up to Apple TV+ here. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.

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