“The Lost Room,” on Sci Fi, is furnished to appeal to geeks of every demographic. Old “Twilight Zone” buffs will be reminded of that show’s opening line, “You unlock this door with the key to imagination,” when Detective Joe Miller stumbles upon a key that works in any door but always opens into the same old hotel room. And when Miller’s daughter goes into that room, it’s an homage to the “Twilight Zone” episode where a little girl falls through the wall of her bedroom into another dimension. For viewers who spent their college careers playing Dungeons & Dragons, there are vicarious thrills galore since the hotel room is stocked with seemingly common items which give their beholders the kind of special powers that would make a D&D sorcerer drool. Avoid the ballpoint pen. Use the comb sparingly. And for the conspiracy lovers and cultists, there’s a joyful menagerie of survivalists, secretly wise mental patients and religious power mongers—all trying to make sense of the magical objects. Conceal the nail file. Seek the eyeglasses.

Creators Laura Harkcom and Christopher Leone construct an addictive gaming environment and never take themselves too seriously. There’s a very funny running gag that has cast members literally falling on their faces, and the casting itself provides chuckles as a parade of B and B+ level stars turn up behind every door (and this show is nothing if not filled with doors). Leading the ensemble is Peter Krause as Joe. In an incredible non-stretch from his role on “Six Feet Under,” he portrays a sensitive father dealing with a failed marriage and weird deaths. His daughter is preternaturally cute and convincing, thus it’s no surprise she’s played by Elle Fanning, Dakota’s sister who, at age 8, already has 20 film and TV credits. Julianna Margulies is on hand as a capricious catalyst, heating up every room she enters. The usually obnoxious Kevin Pollak is here, only mildly irritating, playing a megalomaniac dry cleaning kingpin. Roger Bart, the dead pharmacist from “Desperate Housewives” is a guy named Weasel. John Beasley, the dead narrator from “Everwood,” puts on overalls. And Margaret Cho cracks wise from behind a desk. The show cries out for interactivity, but until someone figures out how to add a joystick to a TV remote, viewers will have to make do with the dull scavenger hunt contest on Sci Fi’s website.