It’s far from a secret that escape rooms are getting more
and more popular and landing on more and more people’s lists of things to try.
So, it’s not really all that surprising that television networks are getting in
on the escape room action.
At last count, there are three currently airing TV shows
that not just feature escape rooms—like Big
Bang Theory, Conan, and Two Broke
Girls have done—but completely focus on them. But like escape games
themselves, this sort of puzzle-rific television has deeper roots.
To help escape game fans catch up on this essential TV
viewing, we’ve rounded up the best escape room–themed TV out there.
1. The Crystal Maze
(1990–95)
One cannot talk of today’s puzzle- and escape-themed TV
shows without first mentioning The
Crystal Maze. Hosted by Richard O’Brien (aka Riff Raff from Rocky Horror Picture Show), The Crystal Maze was one of the biggest
and most beloved UK game shows ever to air.
Many Canadians may have missed out on the craze, so luckily
there’s quite a few episodes on YouTube to catch you up. And, if you’re heading
to London any time soon, it’s even coming back as a “live and immersiveinteractive experience” (aka, a sort of escape game).
2. Takeshi’s Castle
(2002–04)
From the other side of the world—Japan—comes Takeshi’s Castle. The premise is that
contestants are trying to make it through a trap-filled castle in order to
reach the count, aka actor Takeshi Kitano. More physical than puzzley, Takeshi’s Castle is nevertheless a
forebear to today’s escape room–themed television shows. Plus, it’s by far the
zaniest—what else would we expect from Japanese TV?
3. Race to Escape
(2015–)
Race to Escape is
the brainchild of the folks at the Science Channel. Their inspiration comes
directly from real-world escape games, with contestants trying to solve clues
and bust out of the various themed rooms. Though perhaps not as exciting as
actually playing a game yourself, it’s definitely some useful viewing for
anyone preparing to take on the Asylum room at our Vancouver escape game—the
hardest room we have.
4. Hellevator
(2015–)
Another new addition to the genre is Game Show Network’s Hellevator—but this one comes with a
twist. Like our own Krakit team, the people behind Hellevator know a good scare when they see one—or make one, rather.
This is unsurprising, as the show’s hosts are Vancouver’s own Soska sisters,
the directors behind American Mary.
Contestants of Hellevator
are challenged to escape an abandoned warehouse, which just happens to have a
haunted elevator. Unsurprisingly, screams abound.
5. Code (2016–)
This show has literally just hit the airwaves, broadcast by
Korean network JTBC beginning this month. To spice up the format, Code has celebrities as contestants (it
was only a matter of time!). The group starts eight floors underground, with
the winners advancing one floor per week by solving puzzles and unlocking doors.
