As The Traitors gets a second season, Alan Cumming compares reality TV to porn

Is that a knife in our back, or did The Traitors just get renewed for a second season? Peacock’s buzzy murder mystery reality competition series, hosted by the inimitable Alan Cumming, has secured a new set of episodes. Not only that, but fans of the first season will be delighted to hear that there will also be a bonus reunion special that will bring the cast back together “for the first time since the traitorous finale,” per a Peacock press release.

Stopping by The A.V. Club office today, Cumming told us that he expects the castle to be back for season two, nixing any idea of a White Lotus-type change in scenery. While the original British series focused solely on ordinary people, the American version of the show brought together existing reality stars and non-famous people under one roof. “Some of them were a little quiet, and that started to put suspicion on them. And some of the reality stars were a bit too slick, so that started to put suspicion on them,” he explains. “I think it really works, that combination.”

“I also think it’s a very hilarious thing, if you’re a reality star in a show with non-reality people—now, those non-reality people are also reality stars,” he mused. “It’s like porn. There’s no gradation, you just go straight to star. So I think the fields of porn and reality TV are quite similar.”

For the uninitiated, The Traitors brings twenty contestants (“a mix of reality icons and America’s best game-players”) to the Scottish Highlands to compete for a Big Cash Prize. But while everyone’s focused on winning challenges, three members of the group are actually “traitors” looking to undermine the rest (a.k.a. “the faithful”) and steal the winnings for themselves. Each night of the competition, the traitors choose one contestant to “murder,” while the larger group tries to determine who among them is a traitor and eliminate them before it’s too late.

Contestants from season one include Ryan Lochte, Arie Luyendyk Jr. (The Bachelor), and Brandi Glanville (The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills), among others (including a handful of non-celebs). The gang will all be getting back together for a “dramatic” reunion episode hosted by the genre’s best reuniter, Andy Cohen. The special is set to air on Peacock on February 28.

“The Traitors is an ambitious, highly addictive and spontaneous format that keeps contestants and viewers on their toes,” NBCUniversal’s EVP of Entertainment Unscripted Content Corie Henson said in a statement. “Alan Cumming is a well-dressed genius, the producers at Studio Lambert are brilliant storytellers and the show is the perfect mix of drama and suspense to keep our Traitors and Faithfuls craving more.”