Nice to meet you today, David, because
Schitt's Creek was such lovely television.
It's like a warm cuddle of a show and The Big Door Prize has something
kind of similarly, kind of tonally quite kind of tender and quite
sort of like warm about it.
Do you think there's just a real place for, like, nice people, nice television?
I mean, I think there are parallels for sure, these two small town stories
where hopefully it's, you know, people you like and want to spend time with.
And in a world you want to spend time in.
I think the big door prize has something slightly unsettling under the surface.
You know, it is it's a warm hug, but it's it is a slight pull back from that hug
where you're wondering, like, is it going to stay nice and cozy forever
or is there a creeping anxiety that's going to set into this world as well?
What is it about these kind of fictional, quirky, small towns that appeals to you
as a as a storyteller?
I mean, I like escapism is a word that sometimes used with like reality
TV or mindless television, But I like escaping into a world
that's slightly different from our own that makes us think about our own world.
And so this geographically ambiguous town that almost has a bubble around it
where we're not really referencing anything happening outside of this town.
There aren't a lot of pop culture references, and the ones that we have
are kind of timeless or slightly dated.
So you're really focusing on these characters in this world
and investing in these stories in this place.
That's just something that appeals to me as a as a creator.
You mentioned about there being kind of a slightly unsettling tone.
I mean, the show's thoughts of the 40th birthday, are you are you 40 yet?
And how do you feel about that particular milestone?
I've just turned 40. Has.
So the timing of the series is is hitting home in a very real way.
I think, you know, it's the kind of prototypical midlife
crisis is supposed to happen around this time.
And I think I love the idea of our first character.
Our way into this area is being summoned right at that midpoint
who feels like he is happy, He feels like he is content,
and then he's told, But what if this is all there is?
But if this is the peak, what if it's just more of this and
the kind of chasm of self-doubt and anxiety
that that might open up felt very funny and painful at the same time.
Do you think that you've reached your full potential?
Was there more to come?
I hope I hope there's more to come
because otherwise what am I doing here?
But I think, you know, I'm very happy with what I'm doing right now.
I feel like I've always wanted to write and and make movies, and I'm doing that.
So I feel very fortunate
because, I mean,
Chris O'Dowd's character seems quite hesitant to kind of find out his fate.
Would you hesitate or would you be would you be right?
I think, you know, there's a frenzy in small towns
when something new arrives and everyone's trying.
And but I'm I'm not really a contrarian, and I would probably take my turn.
I think I'd be interested to see what it would do to me
if I was told something other than what I'm doing,
because I feel like this is all I'm capable of.
So maybe it would spin me off in a different direction,
but I would definitely want to try.
So it all goes back to sort of mentioned sort of the beginning of Schitt's Creek,
which sort of lasted a kind of a few a few years is kind of several seasons.
Is that something you've got maybe in mind with The Big Door Prize
that when you do write a first season,
you have to start thinking about potential of things
that could happen further down the line.
Even when you're writing now, would you just treat it now
as a kind of standalone piece and hope for the best?
Yeah, I think you're always thinking ahead.
Schitt's Creek was more of a standard sitcom that, you know, didn't
change fundamentally from season to season,
but we have a big mystery element in this show.
And so there is an impetus on on building that mystery and spinning it forward.
And and we're thinking about where we can go all the time.
And you try to end it the season
on a cliffhanger with some idea of where you're going.
But not every idea.
So you get into that writer's room
and can spend the first couple of weeks just blue skying, everything.
Well, I'm hoping there is more to come
and hopefully will catch up again in future seasons, that is.
Thank you so much for that, David.
Thank you. Appreciate it.