Quiz Show

Right now you can watch Quiz Show in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the US on Hoopla — and it holds up to as much attention as you give it. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. John Turturro's performance alone is worth the time investment. Start it on Disney Plus whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Quiz Show arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Character-driven storytelling at its most effective — Quiz Show earns every emotional beat it goes for. Herbert Stempel's transformation into an unexpected television personality unfolds as he secures victory on the cherished American game show, 'Twenty-One.' However, when the show introduces the highly skilled contestant Charles Van Doren to replace Stempel, it compels Stempel to let out his frustrations and call out the show as rigged. Lawyer Richard Goodwin steps in and attempts to uncover the orchestrated deception behind the scenes. John Turturro and Rob Morrow lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1994. The performances in Quiz Show do a lot of work in the silences between the dialogue. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Quiz Show is what you recommend to people who say they do not really watch much. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. John Turturro is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.