“Twisted Metal” debuted in 1995 for the original PlayStation. While the video game, about a violent demolition derby in postapocalyptic Los Angeles, was a wafer-thin excuse for players to crash pixelated vehicles into each other, it has since launched more than 10 sequels and spinoffs.

Even more remarkable, nearly three decades later, that wispy premise provides the framework for a wickedly funny and wildly subversive television adaptation that is one of the most pleasant surprises of the year.

Peacock’s “Twisted Metal,” which drops all 10 episodes of its debut season on Thursday, July 27, is anchored by a magnetic leading performance from Anthony Mackie and a self-aware spin on postapocalyptic tropes. This distinguishes it from the sober and meditative approach of another video game adaptation from earlier this year, HBO’s “The Last of Us.” TheEmmy nominations袭击造成的功效f its gloomy, measured style, but “Twisted Metal” confidently confirms that’s not theonlyapproach.

Instead, as developed by Michael Jonathan Smith (“Cobra Kai”), “Twisted Metal” (also executive produced by “Deadpool” writers Rhett Rheese and Paul Wernick) adopts an arch tone and madcap energy, taking cues from the video game franchise while further fleshing out the world in which they exist. Although it never lapses into parody, it still lets audiences know, sure, society may have devolved into a horrifically violent feudal system of haves and have-nots, but hey, it can be a fun place to visit.

Mackie (also an executive producer and a regular in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including its “Captain America” spinoff series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”) plays John Doe, a “milkman” who makes his living by driving all manner of goods to the various walled-off cities comprising the Divided States of America. As his name implies, John has no idea of his identity or history, but he drives better than anyone around. This leads Raven (Neve Campbell), the enigmatic head of New San Francisco — one of the few remaining hubs of civilization — to make him a tantalizing, impossible-to-refuse offer in exchange for going on a harrowing drive across the country for her.

John takes the deal, along the way forming an uncomfortable alliance with Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz), a thief with her own agenda. They end up running into the season’s Big Bad, Agent Stone (the ever-dependable Thomas Haden Church), a mall cop from the old world who sees himself as the last bastion of law and order.

Also dropping in for a few appearances is Sweet Tooth, played by Joe Seanoa (better known as the professional wrestler Samoa Joe) and voiced by Will Arnett. A familiar figure from the games, Sweet Tooth wears a clown mask and is the psychotic ruler of Las Vegas, which happens to lie right in the path of John’s drive.

Each episode of “Twisted Metal” is about 30 minutes long, the right length given the general sitcom tone of the endeavor. Hardly meant as diminutive, the half-hour model — with no laugh track but plenty of levity and zingers — allows the creators to leverage the video game mythos in fun new ways. The show’s creators should be applauded for the ways in which they’ve built it out enough to support the next season they’re no doubt hoping gets greenlighted.

The series’ undisputed MVP is John Doe himself. Effortlessly charming, whether tossing off witticisms or throwing punches, Mackie (taking a breather from his duties as the newCaptain America) commands the screen whenever he’s in a scene. His relationship with Beatriz’s Quiet ends up becoming one of the most compelling through lines as the season progresses, allowing both actors to play for laughs and pathos.

If “The Last of Us” excels at creeping terror and existential dread, “Twisted Metal” realizes that sometimes the appeal of the postapocalypse genre lies in the simple pleasure of living vicariously through a likable hero dispensing one-liners while racing across the American wasteland.

Zaki Hasan is a freelance writer.