Per an early synopsis of the series, the general concept is pretty much the same as the board game. To win, Clue players will have to “outwit opponents and answer three big questions: who, where, and with what. If the contestants guess correctly, they’ll add money to the prize pot, but if their suspicions are wrong, they could face elimination. They’ll also cross paths with familiar suspects like from the original board game. Viewers can expect suspense, surprises, and plenty of red herrings.”
(“Familiar suspects like from the original board game” is an interesting way to put it—like from the board game, but maybe not exactly from the board game? Will there be new suspects in the killing of Mr. Boddy, in addition to the typical Clue cast of Mrs. White, Miss Scarlet, Mrs. Peacock, Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, and Mr. Green? Maybe the show will have a Traitors-like twist where the contestants themselves are among the suspects? Or maybe it’s just quirky copywriting.)
The Clue series comes after Sony picked up the film and TV rights to the game last year. Before that, Hollywood had toyed for years with rebooting the Clue movie, with names like Ryan Reynolds (to write and star) and Jason Bateman (to direct and star) attached at various points. Netflix, meanwhile, is carving a strange new niche for itself as the home of board game competition shows, having announced a Monopoly game show earlier this year.
“Like so many families and friends over the years, we’ve gathered around the table trying to figure out who did it—making CLUE a source of nostalgia that everyone shares,” Netflix’s V.P. of Unscripted Series Jeff Gaspin said in a statement. “Thanks to the incredible vision of our partners at Hasbro, IPC, and B17, we’re delivering a fresh, imaginative whodunit competition that will invite today’s audiences into that iconic world.”
