The Mole is still my #1 in this space, specifically the original seasons on ABC. Celebrity Mole, as well as the recent Netflix reboot, don't have the same level of gamesmanship, imo.
In the OG Mole, when the players pass their notebooks to someone else, it felt TECTONIC akin to a Survivor merge.
The Traitors is a fun watch, especially seasons from other territories, which easily supercede the US seasons imo.
Having Real Housewives in the mix is fun, I guess, if you're a fan of those, but they are absolute ass at actually playing the game in most cases. Other versions have fewer celebs.
An off-shoot answer is the movie “It’s What’s Inside” on Netflix, where experimental tech snuck out of a lab basically let’s old college friends play a game of Mafia where they actually switch bodies. It’s trippy, engaging, and I haven’t really heard anyone talk about it.
Not a lot of shows/games in this space get the lifespan to iterate, evolve and explore.
Both the production constantly getting to tweak things, and lifelong fans coming in with preexisting awareness of how the game is played is what keeps me watching season to season.
Shadow Hunters is one of my favourites! Team of Shadows vs Team of Hunters have to take each other out, but you don’t know who’s an ally or enemy, the art and theme are so sick 👌🏼
For deception it has to be The Traitors, I'd push for the UK version moreso than the US but both are solid. If you want social strategy I'd say Survivor
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In the OG Mole, when the players pass their notebooks to someone else, it felt TECTONIC akin to a Survivor merge.
Then there's good ol' Survivor
Having Real Housewives in the mix is fun, I guess, if you're a fan of those, but they are absolute ass at actually playing the game in most cases. Other versions have fewer celebs.
https://youtu.be/RJBNi0CjX5I?si=xKlO9l58gF4EZ5wa
The Anonymous
Devils Plan is not so much deception but it’s very good
Yes, there's also the endurance and physical aspects of the game, but deception plays a huge part, plus the jury always keeps things interesting.
If you can gain an appreciation of the game from earlier seasons, the Survivor played now is comparatively at lightspeed.
Both the production constantly getting to tweak things, and lifelong fans coming in with preexisting awareness of how the game is played is what keeps me watching season to season.
Nothing quite like it.
Not exactly a gameshow but these videos by NRB are a joy to watch! https://youtu.be/m14N28Lq-jM?si=tIifC0CidfzR30-Q
Nowhere near as big of a production, but still a fun game of playful deception