The Titan Games

What you might want to watch, though, is the tune-in for The Titan Games, not only as a gauge of the gladiator format appeal but as an indicator of Johnson’s magnetism. ... Titan show what can happen when a person is willing to strain, strive and put in the work. Maybe it won’t pound its way to ratings dominance, but that probably doesn’t matter. The message is in the focus on regular people climbing manufactured mountains, side players in a tale of a celebrated hero who has already won, and may have his sights set on obstacle course with higher stakes.

The show’s infusive reliance on Johnson, a polymathic performer whose legendary charisma seems always to be in beast mode, makes The Titan Games compelling almost in spite of itself. ... The athletic competition, with all its pomp and camp and spectacle, does the thing so many other entertainments will not, or cannot, do: It offers viewers an escape into certainty.