Created in Belgium by production company Woestijnvis and first broadcast on VRT (then TV1) in December 1998 under the original title De Mol, the series changed unscripted storytelling forever. The mechanic was really innoivative: a group of contestants works together on high-stakes tasks to build a shared cash prize, unaware that one participant is a secret saboteur planted by production. Instead of relying on popularity votes, contestants face a computer quiz testing their detailed observations of fellow players, with the lowest scorer eliminated each week.
The format quickly traveled across the globe, generating over 50 international adaptations. In the United States, ABC debuted its hit adaptation in 2001 hosted by Anderson Cooper, while in the Netherlands, Wie is de Mol? grew into an enduring national institution with more than two decades of peak-time dominance.
Now, this iconic title is writing another chapter. Belgian distributor Primitives has secured a brand-new adaptation agreement with Hungarian broadcaster TV2. Titled locally as A Tégla, the new season is being co-produced alongside adventure reality powerhouse Eccholine (Peking Express) and is scheduled to premiere in the third quarter of 2027. Following its recent two-season streaming revival on Netflix, the format clearly retains remarkable vitality.
While The Traitors currently enjoys the global spotlight, The Mole remains the classic masterwork that started it all—a brilliant format slightly eclipsed by its newer successor, yet never truly matched in pure psychological craft.
Before you search for traitors in castles, remember to check who is digging beneath your feet…
To read about other 2 original formats (one on linear TV the other for digital platform), click here
To read about other 2 original formats (one on linear TV the other for digital platform), click here
