Netflix's AI Gene Wilder hosts 'Wonka's Golden Ticket' reality show to mixed reviews
Netflix debuted a Willy Wonka competition series on Wednesday using an AI-generated voice of the late actor to narrate.
What to know
- Netflix launched 'Wonka's Golden Ticket,' a reality competition show using an AI-generated voice of the late Gene Wilder as narrator, with Wilder's estate approval.
- Critics from Variety, NME, LA Times, and USA Today universally panned the AI voice as 'ghoulish,' 'lifeless,' and 'skin-crawling,' citing its inability to capture Wilder's presence.
- The show features contestants competing in a real-world Wonka factory set built in Australia with challenges based on the 1971 film rather than the original Roald Dahl novel.
- Early viewer reactions acknowledge the show's production appeal while noting the uncanny quality of the AI voice technology.
The dispute Whether estate approval legitimizes the use of AI-generated likenesses of deceased performers, or whether such use remains ethically and artistically problematic regardless of permission. · positions read across 3 posts and comments
The AI voice is fundamentally inappropriate and fails artistically, regardless of legal permission.
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“the effect is terrible, a lifeless voice not so much from beyond the grave as buried in it.”
Robert Lloyd · LA Times ↗
The show has merit in its production design and format appeal, but the AI voice is an awkward distraction.
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“The voice is fucking weird and the show seems overly staged/produced.”
retiredchildsoldier · Reddit ↗
“this version of the deceased actor 'blatantly cruel.'”
NME, Publication · Mashable ↗ · Sep 22
Gene Wilder Actor, AI-resurrected narratorNetflix Streaming service and show producerRobert Lloyd LA Times television critic
How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments
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Viewer finds AI voice 'weird' but acknowledges show's appeal
A Reddit commenter watching with their child noted the AI voice quality issue while acknowledging the show's competition format appeal.
“The voice is fucking weird and the show seems overly staged/produced.”
— retiredchildsoldier -
Netflix 'Wonka' show recreates Gene Wilder's voice with AI. It's skin-crawling. https://www. usatoday.com/story/entertainme nt/tv-streaming/2026/09/23/willy-wonka-golden-ticket-netflix-show-gene-wilder-ai/91903805007/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub Posted into Entertainment @ entertainment-USAToday
1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch
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My kid loves these kinds of competitions and we watched episode 1 first thing this morning. The voice is fucking weird and the show seems overly staged/produced.
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background
Wilder's estate approved the AI usage despite public controversy — Despite negative reviews and online reactions, Mashable reported that Gene Wilder's estate gave permission for Netflix to use the AI-generated voice, though this approval has not softened public criticism.
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Critics pan the AI Gene Wilder voice as 'ghoulish' and 'lifeless'
Variety, NME, LA Times, and USA Today published reviews criticizing the AI-generated Wilder voice. Variety called it 'ghoulish,' NME called it 'blatantly cruel,' and LA Times critic Robert Lloyd described the effect as 'terrible, a lifeless voice not so much from beyond the grave as buried in it.'
“the effect is terrible, a lifeless voice not so much from beyond the grave as buried in it.”
— Robert Lloyd -
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Netflix debuts 'Wonka's Golden Ticket' with AI Gene Wilder voice
Netflix released episodes of the new reality competition show 'Wonka's Golden Ticket' on Wednesday. The show features an AI-generated voice of the late Gene Wilder narrating the competition, which is based on the 1971 'Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory' film and filmed at a converted factory set in Australia.
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3 outlets first by Variety, 14h ago · also Mashable, LA Times · read ↗
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first by NY Post, 7h ago
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In reviewing "Wonka's Golden Ticket," a competition series from Netflix loosely (and I mean loosely) based on Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," it's tempting to simply copy and paste… # culture # television # ai https:// variety.com/2026/tv/reviews/wo…
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