It’s a ballsy move to make a show with a title connecting it to one of the most beloved franchises of the past 60 years. In fact, with how protective Ian Fleming’s family has been over the James Bond franchise, it’s a bit surprising this was allowed at all. That aside, should you watch it? Does it have anything to do with 007? Who is Brian Cox and why is he the best Bond villain the franchise never had? Time to answer all of your burning questions.
What’s the Game, and How is It Connected With 007?
007: Road to a Million centers around nine pairs of people, connected in various ways (siblings, couples, friends), who are sent around the world on Bond-inspired challenges, all for a shot at a million-dollar prize.
And what makes these challenges Bond-inspired? Well … marketing, we guess. There’s nothing particularly spy-like about any of the challenges aside from the fact that they’re being told to do them by a mysterious villain character (brilliantly played by Cox), and there are some sort of spy-looking suitcases they have to plug answers into.
The show’s title is just a ploy to get people to watch something that probably wouldn’t have gotten as much traction otherwise. And frankly, it worked – we were curious enough to check it out. But ultimately, was the show worth watching beyond the pretty package?
‘007: Road to a Million’ Has Its Bright Spots
A quick answer? It has some captivating moments, but ultimately it just made us wish Fear Factor would return. The long answer? 007: Road to a Million genuinely has some intriguing ideas. We’re suckers for a globe-trotting adventure, and the addition of a mysterious villain character adds a fun element and some humor when the contestants are looking for a scapegoat for their upsetting plight of the moment. (Seriously, someone please make Cox a villain in an actual Bond film.)
Contestants in ‘007: Road to a Million’
The issue comes in when analyzing the construction of the show’s game aspect. The contestants are sent to find a location with a briefcase they must open. The briefcase contains a question they must answer to secure the next level of cash prize. It’s strange to make the contestants do so much just to get the question, which they still have to answer correctly. This is well-executed in cases where the contestants can only know the answer to the question once they complete a related task (for example, measuring a very large and threatening snake to answer a question on its length in centimeters), but that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes the question is just a question that’s vaguely related to the location.
Though it’s not really a spy show, 007: Road to a Million has some entertaining elements. Watch it for the good bits if they sound exciting to you. We hope this show gets a second season – just a few adjustments could make it so much better.
007: Road to a Million is streaming now on Prime Video.