“Floor is Lava,” a clearly absurd gameshow that, uncannily and yet sensibly, created an instant success with its house-bound audience, debuted on Netflix a few months into the Covid-19 outbreak. On the show, which is two parts “American Ninja Warrior” and three parts childhood memory, teams of three compete in an obstacle course modeled after a Dali-meets-Tim Burton-esque apartment filled with furniture and décor floating in “lava.” The aim is to leap, climb, flop, swing, or flail from the safety of one item to the next while avoiding falling into the pit of bright red boiling lava on the opposite side of the room.
The show’s inventive, absurdist reworking of a game that the pre-and early-internet generation grew up playing in their own homes is part of the show’s appeal (the same nostalgic appeal that made “True American” from “New Girl” so comically familiar, despite the fact that its rules were never fully explained). Rutledge Wood (“Top Gear USA,” “Southern and Hungry”), an Alabama native whose improvisation abilities, ability to banter, and willingness to lean into a few Dad Jokes made him an immediate sensation with viewers, is an even bigger part of the show’s success. It’s a program that’s both family-friendly and addicting, and unlike other obstacle course gameshows (think “American Ninja Warrior”), it doesn’t need players to practice in their own Cross Fit studios all year.
The creative design teams behind “Floor is Lava’s” obstacle course “rooms” are responsible for a large part of the game’s popularity. Season 1 brought viewers on a tour of unusual interiors, including basements, bedrooms, kitchens, studies, and planetariums, none of which resembled the ones you would have played in as a kid. The show’s executive producers and creators, Irad Eyal and Megan McGrath, spoke with Clint Worthington of Vulture about their set designs and what goes into bringing them to life.
Eyal and McGrath imagined something akin to a natural history museum, but in a no-holds-barred environment where players could “do everything that you couldn’t do in a real museum.” They drew inspiration from “theme parks and adventure films,” as well as computer games.
This turned into “a home with widely themed rooms all bathed in lava.”
Despite the fact that the producers haven’t released anything about Season 2’s room design, those who attended Netflix’s international fan event, Tudum, were exposed to a whole new set, which Wood compared to filmmaker Mike Flanagan’s “The Haunting of Hill House.” Season 2 will boost the ante in terms of theme curation, if Tudum’s scary set is any indicator.
Executive producers include Arthur Smith, Anthony Carbone, Frank Sinton, Anthony Storm, Brian Smith, and Caroline Baumgard. Haymaker’s executive producers are Irad Eyal and Megan McGrath (West).
Is “Floor is Lava: Season 2” on Hulu?
“Floor is Lava: Season 2” will not be shown on Hulu. Best flicks: The Deep End, Who Do You Believe?
Is “Floor is Lava: Season 2” on Prime Video?
“Floor is Lava: Season 2” will not be releasing on Prime Video. Best choices: Gleason, Lucy & Desi.
Is “Floor is Lava: Season 2” on HBO Max?
“Floor is Lava: Season 2” won’t be seen on HBO Max. Best options: Julia, Gentleman Jack.
Is “Floor is Lava: Season 2” on Netflix?
Season 2 of Floor Is Lava premieres on Netflix on June 3rd.
The first is the $9.99 per month “Basic” plan, which allows you to watch on a single device at a maximum resolution of 480p, or standard definition.
Then there’s the $15.49 a month “Standard” plan, which lets you to view on two devices at once with a maximum resolution of 1080p, or full high definition.
Then there’s the $19.99 per month “Premium” plan, which allows you to watch on up to four devices (ideal for families) at a maximum visual quality of 4K super high definition.