The Titan Games succeeds because it is unapologetically derivative of the numerous shows just like it

The Atlantic

"What makes The Titan Games meaningfully different from its wide collection of predecessors and competitors," says Megan Garber, "is its central god-maker: The show is hosted by Dwayne Johnson, The Rock—'DJ,' the show’s co-hosts call him—who functions at once as a master of ceremonies, a mentor to the contestants, and a behind-the-scenes executive producer. The show’s Thursday premiere repeatedly emphasized the idea that Johnson designed the Titan challenges himself, based on his own intensive workouts: The path to Titanhood, here, is to follow in the footsteps of the original deity. 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."