A Review of ‘The Anonymous’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THE ANONYMOUS -- "Welcome to The Anonymous" Episode 101 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jack Usher, Andy King, Lilly Jenkins, Tyrenna Tolbert -- (Photo by: Rico Torres/USA Network)

It really is quite the amazing time to be a fan of reality competition shows. Simply because, this era of peak television has pushed producers of such shows… to try new concepts and ideas and offer up competitions that are unique and refreshing and well, the end result of this push to offer something new to viewers, has been quite amazing. For we are now privy to battles that we’ve never seen before, the kind that entice us to watch and engage us on a deep level, and well, it just so happens that USA Network is about to be home to another fascinating competition, one that blends digital elements into this type of show in a supremely unique manner.
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For Monday will bring forth the debut of The Anonymous. A series that truly is unlike anything else on the airwaves right now. For this is a competition series that exists in both the real and digital world, wherein twelve competitors come together in a village, and work together to raise a prize pot via challenges, worth $100,000. But in between those little real-world exercises, is the real competition. Wherein the competitors seal themselves into a personal underground bunker and take part in strategic group chats. The kind where they can say what they wish to try and expose who is hiding behind secret handles, with the help of their Digital Anonymous Network Interface, or DANI for short, in the hopes of becoming The Anonymous. For the person who holds that title via these provocative chats, yields great power.

For that is the person who can decide who goes home and arrange the proverbial chess board to their advantage to be the last contestant standing, and this really is quite the amazing competition to say the least, for several reasons. First because, this writer is hard pressed to think of another show that makes use of the digital world in his manner, much less at all. But technology is the name of the game, and it really is quite the strategic competition because the competitors have to think deeply at how best to hide their identity and throw people off the trail to enjoy that anonymity and that leads to the other reason this show is so fascinating and so unique. In that, this really is the first time in a game setting that we’ve seen handles and social media elements be used to help someone compete for a grand prize.

But it works here and… it is handled with class. For we all know that social media can be used for very negative things because of anonymity. But here, it’s used for productivity, it’s the digital chess board in question and that leads… to some fascinating moments. The kind where we get to see how one can use social media elements to truly elicit a fascinating response and of course, move the chess pieces about to best benefit the player and help them obtain the title of the Anonymous. But what’s fascinating is that the competition doesn’t end with the digital side of things. After all, these twelve competitors are living together in DANI’s village, and competing for prize money, and have to interact on a regular basis.

Which leads to more compelling moments and all these elements bring forth… one amazing show. One that truly engages the viewer since you must know what comes next and we get to meet competitors that are dynamic and entertaining and come from a broad swath of backgrounds. From big events and other shows to everyday people we simply do not know and the best news of all, is that you only have to wait a few more days to immerse yourself in this fun new series and all the new ideas it has to offer. For The Anonymous debuts on Monday, August 19, 2024, at 11pm EST/PST on USA Network with a three-episode premiere, and we cannot wait for you to see this refreshing and inventive new series, one that truly reinforces the power of social media in a fun new way.

To learn more about the creation of ‘The Anonymous’ visit our interview with Executive Producer Stephen Yemoh.

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