The Crystal Maze
Created by Jacques Antoine
On Channel 4
A cheerful, imaginative British game show built on themed challenges and team camaraderie, where the maze itself is the star and the stakes are playful rather than serious.
The Crystal Maze was a British game show, produced by Chatsworth Television and shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom between 15 February 1990 and 10 August 1995. The series is set in "The Crystal Maze", which features four different "zones" set in various periods of time and space. A team of six contestants take part in a series of challenges in order to win "time crystals". Each crystal gives the team five seconds of time inside "The Crystal Dome", the centrepiece of the maze where the contestants take part in their final challenge.
Questions people ask
Is The Crystal Maze sad? No. Less sad than 100% of series.
Does The Crystal Maze leave you hopeful? Yes, very. More hopeful than 97% of series.
Is The Crystal Maze scary? No. Less frightening than 92% of series.
Is The Crystal Maze easy watching? Yes, very. More comforting than 91% of series.
Is The Crystal Maze violent? Barely. Less violent than 89% of series.
These describe how the series comes across across its whole run, compared with other well-known series. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked episode by episode, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.
Cinnamon Score
How much this series gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.
Familiar shape, done well.
How unlike any other series this one feels
How much more it delivers than it promises
How much audiences actually like it
Ensemble
Like The Crystal Maze
Nearest across the full emotional profile.
Same Mood as The Crystal Maze
Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.
Like The Crystal Maze, But Darker
Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.
Like The Crystal Maze, But Lighter
Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.
Like The Crystal Maze, But Less Popular
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
