The Mole 2
ABC

Mention the phrase "reality show" and even the most casual of TV viewers will smirk, frown or get downright nauseated. But there aren't any "bad" TV show genres. It's the shows themselves. Depending on the execution, any show can be good or bad.

Add "The Mole 2" to the "good" list. ABC's criminally neglected foray into the reality game show wars debuted last winter, when the reality show genre was taking a hit from reality. Awful programming and promotion choices by ABC added to the show's woes, and it was pulled from the schedule after only a few episodes. The network said it was "on hiatus," and that it would "be back." Promises like that usually mean nothing at the quick-to-cancel broadcast networks, so it was exciting when the show actually returned for a summer run, which concluded recently.

The rules? It's "Survivor," only with breathtaking European scenery, stylish editing and a great soundtrack (real soundtrack instrumentals, not Destiny's Child). Fourteen contestants vie for a prize of up to $1 million. The catch? One of them is the mole, a double agent hired by ABC to screw things up (by doing things such as sabotaging the games to make players lose money, lying to fellow contestants and forming an alliance with another player just to gum up the works). If the contestants are smart about it, they act suspiciously whether they're the mole or not, if only to throw enemies off the track.

At the end of each episode, a 10-question quiz tests what each contestant knows about the mole. The contestant who gets the most wrong answers is "executed" and sent packing. The whole thing plays like a mini-spy movie instead of just another game show.

Oh, and Anderson Cooper is God. Not God in a "wow, look at him control the universe and create life from nothing" sort of way. God in a "the guy just has it" way. What is "it?" Well, Jeff Probst doesn't have it. Julie Chen will never have it. Dick Clark had it once, then lost it somewhere. Bob Eubanks had too much of it, and it creeped everyone out. Chuck Barris ... well, who knows what the hell was going on there.

But Cooper is the perfect game show host. And if that sounds like a putdown, it's not meant to be (he's a solid, award-winning newsman as well). A former anchor of the overnight ABC cult-fave "World News Tonight," and currently an MVP over at CNN, he brings the right amount of amusement, class and, yes, empathy to a job that could have easily been just a quick paycheck.

He has something else going for him: he gets it. While the contestants are bungee-jumping off a bridge or running around in cow outfits, he'll relax and eat a sandwich or sip a glass of wine. He's a thoughtful host, whether he's sitting down to have dinner with the contestants or offering them a chance to escape execution and make it into the next round. No wonder most of the contestants, even when they're getting in the car that drives them away after they've been eliminated, shake his hand and offer to meet him some time for a drink. Let's hope he's under contract for the third installment, regardless of where he currently works. He's the show's real secret weapon.

Unlike "Big Brother" and "Temptation Island," you won't see pseudo-celebs taking off their shirts after every other commercial. The producers chose regular folks to go across the world and participate in a game for up to $1 million. This looks and feels like real reality, not "15 minutes of fame, everyone else gets to be on TV so why can't I?" reality.

The finale, unlike the finale of "Survivor," wasn't stretched out to three hours, wasn't filmed in front of a live audience and didn't feature a guest host out of nowhere like Rosie O'Donnell. It was filmed in an elegant living room, with all of the 11 executed players reunited to see the winner (Dorothy, the musician, who won $636,000), runner-up (Heather) and mole (Bill, the retired Admiral) revealed. Not only was it low-key — the three finalists stood behind closed doors that opened one at a time to reveal who was who — it was also lacking all those dirty looks and posturing you get by the losers of other shows. These players actually seem like they enjoyed playing the game, enjoyed meeting each other, and were happy to be a part of it. No creepy, "I wouldn't give you a drink if you were dying in the desert," speeches by the loser; if anyone hated another player, it certainly wasn't evident.

How good was it? Put it this way: ABC just about gave away the identity of the mole in an easy clue early on (a telegram whose phone number spelled out "The mole is Bill"), and the Web site's message board featured spoilers galore. Yet even if you saw these hints (and several others scattered throughout the show) and figured out who the mole was, it was still entertaining enough to return every week.

So you can either assume that all shows under the "reality show" title are worthless and silly, or you can actually get involved in a show that lives up to the genre's potential. It's so well done that in its own little way, it's sort of inspiring.

— Bob Sassone (bobsassone@yahoo.com)