As Mattel’s arcade classic gets a televisual makeover, the depths producers will sink to show no limit
Ideas for television programmes can come from the most unlikely sources. David Chase created The Sopranos in part because he was in therapy to deal with his strained relationship with his mother. Lost came to be because the head of ABC wanted a dramatic version of the CBS reality show Survivor. And the forthcoming Whac-a-Mole series was created when someone looked at a Whac-a-Mole game and decided to make a TV programme about it.
Which is to say that there is going to be a Whac-a-Mole TV show. Based on the popular 45-year-old arcade game, the show will feature people hitting moles with a mallet and that’s probably about it. Although it doesn’t yet have a home, the Whac-a-Mole show is being developed by Mattel Television and Fremantle. According to the
Hollywood Reporter, it will take the form of “an elimination competition in which opposing teams face challenges that include a life-sized Whac-a-Mole, races and obstacle courses with a surprising twist”. I’m no expert, but at a guess the surprising twist will involve some nightmarish combination of moles and hammers.