The Curse of Oak Island is a hit TV show on the History Channel that brings to life the search for long-lost treasure. This show is part of the current trend for treasure hunting in popular culture so what does it show and where else can we see this theme appear now and in the future?
Treasure Hunting in Popular Culture
The idea of hunting for treasure has always been popular in movies, with the Indiana Jones franchise about to get a fifth and final film called The Dial of Destiny. 2004’s National Treasure starring Nicholas Cage was another big hit, leading to a second movie, a book and a TV series. A long-awaited third National Treasure film has been in development for close to a decade but no release details have yet been revealed
This theme is also seen when you look at online slots for real cash. Titles such as Bonanza Megapays and Gold Cash Big Spins evoke this idea, while games like Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead introduce us to globe-trotting characters searching for ancient treasures. Of course, these are simple games of chance where the treasure theme is just one of many different settings used.
The Curse of Oak Island Details
This is a reality television series set in the real-life Oak Island, which is in Nova Scotia, Canada. Rumors of buried treasure here can be traced back to the 18th century, when word spreads that Captain Kidd may have buried his fortune on the island. Since then, there have been numerous theories and legends about the reputed treasure but nothing has been conclusively proven, although a few relatively small items of treasure have been discovered.
The current TV show features brothers Marty and Rick Lagina, who are trying to locate the famous treasure on Oak Island and who are joined by a team of treasure-seekers. The first season received its premiere in 2014 and has proven to be so successful that we’re now onto the tenth season, which began late in 2022.
During the shows to date, the Lagina brothers have delved deeply into the history of the place and have looked closely at the main areas of interest here, including those covered in the various legends and books about Oak Island, such as Money Pit and The Hatch.
They confirmed that this is a real show about a genuine treasure hunt, as they’d already been searching on Oak Island for three years before they were approached with the idea of turning it into a reality show. There are no scripts and the brother say that they genuinely don’t what they’re going to find here.
The success of this show confirms that people are still interested in the idea of looking for buried or hidden treasure. It remains to be seen how many seasons The Curse of Oak Island runs for but we can expect to see this theme appear in other TV shows, movies, and parts of popular culture even when it eventually ends.
