Shaq to Star in Hide-and-Seek Competition Series ‘Can You Hide… Shaq?’ at ABC (EXCLUSIVE)

ABC has ordered a hide-and-seek competition series starring Shaquille O'Neal, titled "Can You Hide… Shaq?" according to Variety's exclusive report. The format places the former basketball star at the center of a game show in which players have to conceal him from view. IGN describes the premise directly as a game show where participants must hide Shaq in plain sight, while A.V. Club characterizes the network's move with the challenge "ABC bets you can't Hide… Shaq." The announcement is being covered as a new television competition built around the physical presence and visibility of O'Neal.

The coverage spans entertainment and local outlets, with Variety presenting the ABC series as an exclusive and IGN leading with the game's central task. A.V. Club frames the show as a bet on viewers' ability to succeed at hiding the star, and Yahoo's headline says the program has drawn ridicule over its "absurd premise." WFAA brings a local angle with the question "Is the Big D big enough to hide Shaq?" and presents the new competition show as an attempt to find out.

The premise itself is the hook: instead of asking contestants to find a hidden person, the show asks them to hide a famously tall and recognizable athlete. That reversal is what IGN, A.V. Club, Yahoo and WFAA each foreground in their own framing. The reports do not yet specify how contestants are judged, what the rounds involve, who appears alongside O'Neal, or how the show fits into ABC's broader programming lineup. Coverage also does not establish a premiere schedule, production timeline, or network order for the series.

What to watch next is the fuller shape of the competition as additional details emerge, including the rules for concealment, the role of the other players, and any announced start date. The range of reactions already reported also suggests that the concept itself is driving attention: Yahoo points to ridicule over the premise, while A.V. Club and WFAA frame the show as a test or challenge. Any further coverage that names a premiere date, expands the format, or adds presenters and contestants would clarify how ABC intends to turn the hide-and-seek concept into a full competition series.