‘The Mole’ Burrows Back Into the U.S. TV Landscape
Mention “The Mole” to virtually anyone who works in reality TV, and their eyes light up. For a show that hasn’t been seen on U.S. television since 2008, it has nonetheless achieved near-mythical status.
“It combines a sense of adventure with a sort of ‘Ocean’s 11’/ ‘Mission Impossible’-style caper,” says Eureka Prods. CEO Chris Culvenor of the format. “People love a mystery. I think that is what was the appeal of the original.”
In the competition, contestants win money that goes into a communal pot that the victor ultimately claims. But one of them is a mole trying to sabotage the game.
With the true-crime genre continuing to grow in popularity, Culvenor believes the time is right to reintroduce “The Mole” to the U.S., where it aired for five editions: two with Anderson Cooper as host from 2001-02, followed by celebrity editions in 2003 and 2004, and a brief return in 2008. Netflix execs quickly expressed interest in the revival after Eureka grabbed the rights from Belgium-based Primitives.
“It’s a game of trust; you’re not quite sure who’s telling the truth and who’s not,” says Netflix unscripted series VP Nathaniel Grouille. “We live in that world now, where truth is harder to come by. So it’s zeitgeisty.”
Casting was key, especially for the person hired to play the “Mole.” For host, Eureka turned to another TV journalist: MSNBC’S Alex Wagner.
“The only thing that was more exhaustive for the hunt for the Mole was the hunt for ‘The Mole’s’ host,” Culvenor says. “We looked at everything from movie stars to people with that adventure background, but we came to Alex and her journalistic background because journalists are always on the hunt to get to the bottom of a story.”
“The Mole” was shot in Australia, where Eureka maintains an office. “We wanted a location that would offer us a big city in one episode, a jungle in the other, a tropical island in the next, snowfields in another,” says Culvenor.
Given the show’s big reveal, “The Mole” was tricky for Netflix to schedule. The streamer will release five episodes on Oct. 7, followed by batches of additional episodes the following two weeks. Says Grouille: “Obviously you want to leave the audience something to play for at the end.”
FIRST I ASKED FOR PLASTIC ON THE LAMPSHADES, BUT PEOPLE MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND THAT.” —LISA ANN WALTER