‘Whodunnit?’: Why ABC’s new murder-mystery competition could be amazing
To this day, we continue to miss “The Mole.” It was one of the only reality shows out there that added mystery to the competition format, and forced the contestants to think beyond just completing physical tasks or forming alliances to take you far into the game. ABC, sadly, canceled the show years ago, and despite a loyal audience, it looks like it may not be coming back.
Luckily, the same network is returning Sunday night with “Whodunnit?”, which in theory has to be the most-promising show of its kind we have seen all year. It takes one element of “The Mole,” having a nefarious figure hidden within the ranks of the contestants, and combines it with the classic murder-in-a-mansion trope found in “Clue.” It’s basically combining two of our favorites things, adding a creepy butler, and making it into a new show. We appreciate the idea of the eliminated contestants being “killed” in dramatic ways, and there being some real effort taken into making them look interesting.
You can watch the first ten minutes of the series at MSN TV (thanks to Reality Blurred for bringing this clip to our attention), and start to make up your own mind about what works with this show. The opening and the strategic component of it (some folks already lying about their jobs) suggests that promising TV could be on the way. There are still some elements, sadly, that could derail the show depending on how they work?
1. What is the elimination like, and how is the “victim” chosen?
2. Will there be a variety of tasks all season?
3. What happens if someone figures out the killer early on? Do they get killed or is the show over?
The only thing we don’t like about the show is that it comes on Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, a beast of a time slot occupied by “True Blood” on HBO, “The Killing” on AMC, and soon “Dexter” on Showtime. That’s a lot of shows about death crammed into one spot. We’re looking forward to giving this show a chance, and hopefully, you will do the same (or at least set your DVRs). We know that summer TV can be insufferable, but it feels like there is promise here for something great.
Photo: ABC