Television in 2022 was run by liars. traitors. Deceivers. moles. But none of it was hosted by the inimitable Alan Cumming. That changes now.
Peacock is riding the popularity bandwagon that was BBC's The Traitors, a "murder mystery" reality competition TV series that will instantly make you go "oh, so it's like Mafia shopping mode." The setup is simple: 20 contestants gather in a castle, completing elaborate quests to add to the prize pool that various winners will split at the end of the game. But among the players there are three perfidious "Traitors" whose job it is to deceive their opponents, known as "The Faithful". Each night, the Traitors decide which player to "murder", just like the Mafia or Werewolf shopping mode party games, and are out of the game. The traitors must then trick their fellow players into voting out or "banishing" those they suspect of committing a crime, whether they are guilty or not.
Stars: Kate Chastain, Brandi Glanville, Rachel Reilly
Like Peacock, the BBC's The Traitors is set in a spectacular Knives Out-y castle in the Scottish Highlands, filled with colossal chandeliers, haunting taxidermy, deep Chesterfields and, yes, hidden dungeon rooms. The series set is identical to the cult "banishment" giant round table. While the UK version featured members of the public, the US version is a mix of reality TV celebrities and civilians. And instead of the BBC's Claudia Winkleman directing the show, Peacock's presenter is none other than the resplendent and theatrical Alan Cumming.
From his first appearance as host of The Traitors, Cumming has been all-in. "I'm like a less masculine Agatha Christie in a fabulous outfit," he says in episode 2, and wow, yeah, wow! Purring promises of "murder" (not actual murder, it's a TV game) and deception as cunning as his one-man show Macbeth Broadway, Cumming quotes the Scottish play verbatim as he explains the rules of the game. The series consistently shows Cumming slowly, dramatically descending several large wooden and stone stairs as he provides commentary, decked out in boldly colored berets, impeccably tailored tartan suits, and sparkling cloak pins. Looking up at a darkening, darkening sky, Cumming ponders the proceedings with all the combined intelligence of a Shakespearean anti-hero serving that piping hot tea. "As Robert the Bruce said: 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try to find out who has been talking down to you in the billiard room.'" mission, Cumming gleefully calls out to the estate's gardener in an effervescent tune: “Fergus! He Grabs the Tombola! If he used ringtones after 2001, this phrase would be every message received.
The Traitors needs a constant effervescent and atmospheric host like Cumming, as the viewer knows the identities of the deceivers from the start, which means there isn't a big reveal for the audience like we get on The Mole. Beyond the missions, the series spends a lot of time just watching the competitors sit around eating cakes and trading suspicions, which can be your thing, but it feels a bit bland at times. The Rancid Survivor Reveal, in which those who weren't "killed" by the Traitors in the night's line one by one for breakfast to see who put it out, are constantly being rescued as Cumming walks in to take the fallen competitor's portrait. the wall, throwing it aside mercilessly. "It's me again! Your bed and breakfast host from hell," he sings himself in episode 1.
During missions, Cumming's disdain for ineptitude is glorious to behold, barking orders from behind his golden pocket watch at players, doing his best to set a wooden beast on fire beside a sprawling Scottish loch. And during nightly banishments, Cumming dominates the room, delivering the fatal blow with all the finesse of a Game of Thrones villain. If Cumming ever said the words "Shannon, you've been FIRED" to me, he'd die on the spot. Dead.
The Traitors is a fun enough reality show to watch, but without the big reveal at the end, it heads into repetitive finger-pointing territory that's more interesting to players than audiences. Luckily, they chose an excellent host in Cumming, our "bed-and-breakfast host from hell," who leans into Poirot's openly goofy party vibe with every last bit of lauded acting skill he has. It's rare for the host to outshine the players, but in this case, it's the perfect crime.
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