The Mob: Hulu and Disney+ unveil trailer for new reality show from The Traitors makers

Bruno Tonioli to star in new celebrity reality series, The Mob

Hulu and Disney+ have released the trailer for The Mob, a brand-new celebrity reality competition from the makers of The Traitors, which will see 12 famous faces compete for a cash prize of up to $250,000 in an Italian villa.

Hosted by The White Lotus star Parker Posey, the series takes inspiration from classic mafia movies, bringing together celebrity contestants who must navigate challenges, shifting alliances and power struggles as they attempt to stay in the game.

Set against the backdrop of the Italian countryside, The Mob will see its contestants form a family and appoint a Don to lead them. However, the position comes with considerable responsibility, as the chosen leader will decide who receives money, who remains in the competition and who is eliminated.

Crucially, the Don’s authority is far from guaranteed. The other contestants can overthrow their leader, making loyalty, manipulation and relationships central to the competition.

According to Hulu, each episode will feature jobs that give the players opportunities to earn money while fighting to remain in the game. With up to $250,000 on the line, contestants will need to decide whether to support their leader or plot their downfall.

Who is in The Mob cast?

The celebrity line-up brings together personalities from reality television, acting and music, including several familiar faces from some of the biggest unscripted franchises.

The contestants are:

• Willam Belli (RuPaul’s Drag Race)
• Demi Engemann (The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives)
• Maria Georgas (Bachelor Nation)
• Joe Gorga (The Real Housewives of New Jersey)
• Harry Jowsey (Let’s Marry Harry)
• Chelsea Lazkani (Selling Sunset)
• Debi Mazar (Younger)
• Bella Palk (Love Overboard)
• Shane Parton (Bachelor Nation)
• Romeo, the rapper
• Bruno Tonioli (Dancing With the Stars)
• Aida Turturro (The Sopranos)

The inclusion of Aida Turturro, best known for playing Janice Soprano in the acclaimed HBO crime drama The Sopranos, feels particularly fitting for a competition built around the mythology of organised crime.

Meanwhile, the cast’s mix of reality television veterans and established screen personalities could make for an unpredictable contest, particularly when players must balance their own ambitions against the demands of their on-screen family.

The Traitors producers explain the inspiration behind The Mob

Primal Media, the production company behind the format, said its enthusiasm for mafia films and television helped inspire the concept, with the team keen to bring the genre into the reality competition space.

In a statement, a representative of Primal Media explained:

“As lifelong fans of the mafia genre (the Sopranos being the greatest show of all time – obviously!) we have always been keen to find a way of opening that world up but in the unscripted space.

What most appealed to us was the potential of a very different reality dynamic in which the game was about one person, the Don, trying to hold on to absolute power by keeping their “family” happy. This creates a perfect hotbed for a paranoia as, whilst omnipotent, they nevertheless must rely on the eyes and ears and above all the loyalty of all those very much beneath them. Does power always corrupt and if so how?

We worked up THE MOB and in Rob Mills (and his team) found someone who shared our love of this world – the humour, the colour, the decades of instantly understood visual, linguistic and musical references.

I often think when an idea just “works” it provides a great shorthand because everyone implicitly understands what it will feel and look like.

With an American celebrity cast being the route Hulu wanted to take we joined forces with our friends and ex-work colleagues at Studio Lambert USA and with whom, as we thought, were creatively on the same page as us.

To have such a varied cast from everything from Dancing With The Stars to The Sopranos via Mormon Wives is very exciting and again a testament to how this genre has a fan base in every corner.

The icing on the cake was getting Parker Posey to host, who brings glamour, quirky humour and gravitas.”

Studio Lambert, which is behind The Traitors, also highlighted the natural similarities between mafia stories and reality competition formats.

In a statement, the production company said:

“Mob movies and reality competitions are actually very similar – full of larger than life characters, backstabbing and big power plays – so this felt like a natural fit as soon as we heard the idea.

Set against the stunning Tuscan landscape and with the incomparable Parker Posey pulling the strings, The Mob was so much fun to make. The team brought this rich world to life in an exciting way that I hope the audience will instantly recognize from their favourite TV shows and movies.”

When does The Mob premiere?

The Mob premieres on Monday, October 26, on Hulu, with new episodes released weekly.

The series will also be available on Disney+, bringing the new competition to audiences beyond the US market.

Posey, who appeared in the third season of The White Lotus, will host the series, adding another recognisable screen presence to a format built around theatrical personalities, high-stakes decisions and shifting loyalties.

Could The Mob get a UK version?

With The Traitors becoming a major television success in the UK, the launch of The Mob could raise questions about whether the format might eventually make its way across the Atlantic.

Studio Lambert’s The Traitors has become one of Britain’s most-watched television shows, demonstrating the appeal of competition formats built around deception, alliances and the threat of betrayal.

While no UK version of The Mob has been announced, the premise could lend itself to a British celebrity edition, particularly given the popularity of mafia-themed dramas and reality competitions.

For now, the focus is on the American series, which combines the familiar ingredients of a celebrity reality show with the power struggles and backstabbing of the gangster genre.

With a Tuscan villa, a $250,000 prize and Parker Posey overseeing the action, The Mob will test just how far its contestants are willing to go to become the Don — and how long they can hold on to power once they get there.

The Mob premieres on Hulu on October 26, with new episodes dropping weekly.

What to read next:

Share this post with someone you think would like it…