Exclusive: Chris O’Dowd, Gabrielle Dennis & Creator David West Read talk Apple TV+ series The Big Door Prize
Coming out this week on Apple TV+ is The Big Door Prize, a heartwarming and character-driven comedy created by Emmy-Award winner David West Read (“Schitt’s Creek”), starring an ensemble cast led by Chris O’Dowd, Gabrielle Dennis, Ally Maki, Josh Segarra, Damon Gupton, Crystal Fox, Sammy Fourlas and Djouliet Amara.
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. Dusty Hubbard (O’Dowd), a seemingly content, cheerful family man and high school teacher, watches everyone around him reevaluate their life choices and ambitions — based on the machine’s printouts — and is forced to question whether he is truly as happy as he once thought. While he remains skeptical of the machine, his wife, Cass (Dennis), indulges in the dream that there’s something bigger out there for her. Like many of Deerfield's residents, the couple has lived a relatively safe, uncomplicated life, until the arrival of the Morpho machine. However, all of that is about to change when the community is forced to reconcile with their unfulfilled achievements in pursuit of a better future.
O’Dowd’s recent TV starring credits include the Get Shorty series at Epix and the short form series State of the Union, the latter of which earned him an Emmy in 2019. His other TV roles include “The IT Crowd,” “Moone Boy,” and “Girls.” On the film side, he is known for his roles in features like “Bridesmaids,” “The Starling,” “This Is 40,” and “St. Vincent.”
Dennis plays Cass. She has been with Dusty (O’Dowd) since high school and has maintained a veneer of contentedness in her quiet domestic life, but her pleasant persona is about to crack and fissure in an earthquake of self-discovery. Dennis can also be seen in HBO’s The Black Lady Sketch Show and Netflix sitcom The Upshaws. Her other credits include Rosewood, Luke Cage, The Bobby Brown Story and .
Read is best known for his stint on Schitt’s Creek, where he joined the series as a writer in Season 2 and then rising to executive producer in Season 5.
Blackfilmandtv.com's Wilson Morales spoke with Chris O’Dowd, Gabrielle Dennis & showrunner/ executive producer David West Read about the Apple TV+ series.