Summary
Netflix’s US remake of a UK reality-TV hit retains the clever, vaguely dystopian premise, and it remains a fascinating social experiment.
Some of the fictions are more elaborate and obvious than others, but the theme of how much is real and how much is a front remains, and remains endlessly engaging. Keeping the contestants separate also limits the kind of despicably performative behavior you see in such shows when there’s an audience to impress. The peeping-Tom vibe of Big Brother as it once was, when contestants were normal people plucked from normal lives and not fame-hungry maniacs fervently pursuing magazine deals, is more prevalent here than it has been in virtually any version of that show which has aired in the last decade at least.
While the premise mandates less explosive confrontation and silly shenanigans than you’d typically find in a reality show, The Circle goes out of its way to contrive competitions and such, and clever editing prevents the various hopefuls from feeling too distinct and isolated. Thanks to toned-down personalities vying for the enticing cash prize, this is the rarest thing: Reality TV that is tolerable and doesn’t encourage you to actively wish ill on the participants. Not all of them, anyway. With The Circle, Netflix undoubtedly has a hit, and for once it seems to have earned it.
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