Trap Door's Favorite TV Shows
By: Frank Giglia
Television plays a big part in our lives. It influences the way we see the world and the ways we interact with it. In this modern digital era, TV can come in many forms, and we have more variety and control over what we watch than we ever did before. So we decided to sit down and make a list of our Favorite TV Shows.
Speaking of the creators of Trap Door, we grew up in an era of Saturday morning cartoons and “Must See TV.” As a result, most of our favorites are reflective of this.
Without further ado and in no particular order, here are some of our favorite TV shows of all time.
Batman: the Animated Series (1992-1995) (Frank & Tone)
I’ve said it before, no list of our favorites is complete without a Batman reference. This series perfectly captured what “Batman” was while maintaining a (mostly) kid-friendly tone while being loads of fun for the adults as well. Most of DC’s animated series and movies have taken their cue from “Batman” and have been all the more successful for doing so. You can make the argument that all of them are a spin-off of “Batman.”
Why It's One of Our Favorite TV Shows
It reintroduced all the A-List Batman villains we already knew well (Joker, Penguin), while shining a spotlight on Batman’s B-List (Scarecrow, Poison Ivy), and introducing us to one of the most popular characters of the past two decades: Harley Quinn
Arrow (2012 - Present) (Frank & Tone)
This series that launched the “Arrowverse” represents what a comic book television series should be. Though it’s had its share of uneven seasons, “Arrow” remains the flagship of the Arrowverse for good reason. Despite being a superhero show, it has down to earth characters that feel real and have real problems and flaws.
Why It's One of Our Favorite TV Shows
Oliver tries to do good, but as a result often alienates those closest to him out of a desire to “protect” them and makes more bad things happen. It’s really more a drama than a “superhero” show though of course it’s delved into those areas as well, particularly with the always brilliant annual crossovers with it’s sister shows, “Flash and “Supergirl.”
Shark Tank (2009 - Present) (Tone)
“Shark Tank” takes a seemingly simple premise, four wealthy entrepreneurs listen to pitches from would-be inventors, and elevates it into a master-class on business and how to pitch and market your ideas. The longer you watch it, the more you can gleam about the “sharks” and how they came to be as successful as they are.
Why It's One of Our Favorite TV Shows
As a business owner himself, our co-owner Tone has gotten some really good advice from listening to the hows and whys behind the sharks’ philosophies.
The Conners (2018 - Present) (Tone)
I personally was never really a fan of “Roseanne,” but I always acknowledged and respected the fact that there’s a large amount of people who can identify with the Conner clan and the show did really well catering to what mattered to them and presenting it in a funny way. It seems like the revival is doing a good job of that as well, so it’s definitely worthy of recognition.
As for Roseanne the person, I was never much a fan of hers either, and now neither are most people. Hopefully that doesn’t effect the revival’s audience.
Fuller House (2016 - Present) (Tone, definitely just Tone)
Yes, that “Fuller House.” “Full House” made people long for the perfect extended family, somehow existing harmoniously in one big house, where every situation was wrapped up neatly in half-hour blocks.
Why It's One of Our Favorite TV Shows
The revival attempts to recapture this for the modern day. It provides a sense of nostalgia for a time where everything, except maybe bathroom and hot water sharing, was less complicated and we could always rely on our family to be there, at least in the case of the show, literally in the next room.
Haunting of Hill House (2018 - Present) (Tone, but only because I haven’t seen it)
The haunted house scenario has been done to death on TV and in movies, but the “Haunting of Hill House” puts a new spin on the genre. The mystery behind the haunting is deep and multi-layered, and the characters are not one-dimensional tropes of the horror genre.
Why It's One of Our Favorite TV Shows
When they come, the revelations are gut-wrenching, the scares are earned and the deaths are emotional. It’s been a long time since a haunted house drama has been able to boast the kind of heft that resonates long after the final episode ends.
Dexter (2006 - 2013) (Tone mostly, but I liked it too)
Dexter was an anti-hero before anti-heroes were cool on TV. How many other shows could pull off making you root for a serial killer to get away with it? This show was so well-acted and written that even though you didn’t want the “good guys” to win, you felt bad for them when they didn’t.
Why It's One of Our Favorite TV Shows
The key to this dynamic was the actor that embodied Dexter, Michael C. Hall. He gave the serial killer a relatability and vulnerability that was crucial to the audience being able to sympathize with him and stay on his side. The writing, especially in the first four seasons, was top notch, walking the precarious balance between Dexter’s job and family life and his nocturnal activities.
Towards the end the stories got increasingly absurd and the ending was “meh” at best. However, Dexter still stands out as a great example of morally grey television.
Game of Thrones (2011-2019) (Frank)
*spoiler alert*
It almost seems like that phrase was invented for “Game of Thrones,” one of the most popular television series of all time. This show is about political intrigue and backstabbing that happens to be set in a fantastical world populated by dragons and zombies. “Thrones” is not afraid to kill of it’s most well-recognized actors to advance the plot(s). The acting and production are top-notch, and it’s won the awards and accolades to confirm this.
Why It's One of Our Favorite TV Shows
The rabid fanbase, including myself, salivates for every new scrap of information on where the show is going next, from changes in the actor’s hairstyle to every Instagram post of mud on someone’s shoes or a tattoo that person recently got.
Sadly, as I write this we are gearing up for the last season of the show. Who will live? Who will die? Vegas is taking odds on who will be crowned king at the end of the show. If I were a betting man, I would answer those questions as no one, everyone, and no one again.
Firefly (2002 - 2003 + the movie “Serenity”) (Frank)
A series ahead of its time, in my humble opinion. Set in the future, “Firefly” features the crew of a spaceship jumping from planet to planet, taking on shady jobs just to make ends meet and stay one step ahead of the authoritarian regime that runs the “civilized” worlds.
What Firefly is About
“Firefly” is a western in space, that’s what it boils down to and probably why it didn’t catch on with the masses at the time it aired, but it’s so much more. The captain is basically a Han Solo type, gruff outlaw on the outside, but with a heart of gold on the inside. His crew includes everything ranging from a preacher, to a call girl, to a hardened mercenary and more, but in the end they are a family and would do anything for each other.
Why It's One of Our Favorite TV Shows
What could have been a hokie genre show remains grounded by the superb cast and interaction and humor between the characters. Created by Joss Whedon, a master of group dynamics who would earlier bring us “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and later direct “The Avengers,” it only got one short season before being cancelled due to low ratings (and supposed mismanagement by the Fox Network).
A Revival?
After people started discovering it on DVD, a revival was attempted in the form of a feature film, which provided fans with some closure, but didn’t quite do well enough to launch a franchise. I myself actually started with the feature film on the recommendation of a friend and worked backwards. It’s an easy binge at only 14 episodes plus the movie.
Though dearly departed as a TV and (probably) movie series for twelve years already, the “Firefly” world still lives on in comic books.
Stranger Things (2016 - Present) (Tone)
It’s funny, a lot of people comment on how a particular part of our “Bogeyman” game is like this Netlfix drama about kids in the ‘80s battling weird goings on in their small town, but “Bogeyman” was designed and built before we even saw an episode (I still haven’t, that’s my bad).
Why It's One of Our Favorite TV Shows
A true cultural phenomenon, “Stranger Things” has swept the world by combining modern angst and story-telling with 80s nostalgia and filtering it through the lens of childhood.
Young Justice (2010 - 2013, Revived in 2019) (Frank)
Remember above when I said every DC animated show was a spin-off of “Batman?” I liked all of those, but this is my favorite of the bunch. Even though it dealt with the younger members of the DCU, it maintained a decidedly adult tone. In other words, the show did not shy away from the struggles young people face in the real world, while painting it in the colors of the superhero world.
Why It's One of Our Favorite TV Shows
A lot of teenagers rage at their parents, but what if your father was Batman? How do you get out of that shadow? What if your father was a super-villain, how do you make people trust you? This series featured twists and turns that any primetime series would love to be able to pull off.
When it was canceled, supposedly because it wasn’t selling enough toys to girls, there was a public outcry loud enough that the series has now been revived on DC’s app
Trap Door Escape Company
Trap Door Escape Room has 4 locations: 3180 Route 611 in Bartonsville, PA in the Poconos; 60 White St. in Red Bank, NJ; 34A Speedwell Ave. in Morristown, NJ: and 77 Wind Creek Blvd in Bethlehem, PA. The Red Bank location was the first of the 4 locations, opening in the fall of 2015. Morristown followed in the summer of 2017, and Bartonsville opened during the holiday season of 2018. Wind Creek is currently undergoing construction and will be opening in September 2022.
History
The idea came to Tone Purzycki back in 2011 after he wrote a screenplay that developed into a live-streaming game. The game revolved around an actor trapped in a situation and the audience had to solve puzzles to figure out where he was trapped. The “Find Me Event” had more than 1,000 people playing over the course of several hours. After the success of several other streaming events, the idea of an escape room was born.
Location
Each location has different rooms from which to choose. Our Morristown location is home to Day of the Dead, Witch Hunt, and The Greatest Freakshow. In Bartonsville, you’ll find Cure Z, F5 Tornado Escape, Fear the Bogeyman, Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, We’re All Mad Here, and Prisoner Z. In Red Bank we currently have Everest – our first 2 story escape room. Ripper of London is also available at this location. Our pirate themed games will soon be open at Wind Creek.
Trap Door Escape Room also offers team building, streaming events, and birthday parties. For more information on any of our games, prices, and locations, explore our website or call 570-234-3366