I’m here to talk about a show that no one watched. But this is Tumblr, so I feel good about that choice. Please join me.
The show The Big Door Prize is based on a book (of the same name) which is based on the John Prine song “In Spite of Ourselves.” The lyrics are about how the best you can hope for in life is to find someone whose weirdness matches your own. You become family: “Honey, we’re the big door prize.” It’s full of plays on southern colloquialisms, and the book takes place in Louisiana. Both are supremely mundane, and that’s part of the point; our greatest potential is to love one another, whatever that means.
Much of this is lost in the show. Deerfield is Anywhere, USA, and the end of season 2 leaves our central family divided (forever, now, due to the show’s cancellation). I enjoyed the show, but I wanted to see Dusty and Cass realize that the life they had built was already beautiful, if not perfect. I also yearn for a show that takes place in a town like mine. The Deerfield of the show does not feel real, and I don’t think it’s supposed to. The whole show leans into unreality in a way that is interesting, but surprising in light of the source material.
There were a few easter eggs, but I also wanted to hear just ONE John Prine song. Just one.
Rant over.
