Penn & Teller are getting a television show, and that's no Bullshit!
The illusionist duo, best known for their Showtime documentary/comedy series Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, are coming to ABC. And no, they won't be doing their usual routine of finding things in society and declaring them to be wrong (last season, they tackled organic food, stress, and the apocolypse). Instead, they're going the scripted route.
That's right -- ABC has just given a script order for a new hour-long comedy about the duo, who will play fictionalized versions of themselves who just happen to be detectives, and reluctant detectives at that. Of course, this is all subject to change at any time, but the mere prospect of seeing Penn & Teller taking down crime on that prime-time block is just too good to resist. But I am worried about one little thing: can the duo survive network television?
Of course, the larger half of the duo has found some success on network television as the host of game show Identity and a contender on Dancing With the Stars. But to star in his own show, will we be able to watch a censored Penn, whose humor often comes from his obscenities and profane references? Will he still be as funny? I think so. The best part of Bullshit! is his interaction with the silent Teller, who provides a wonderful foil to the boisterous Penn. Penn & Teller solving crimes will be comedic genius -- and that's no Bullshit!
Wow. This is one of the oddest ideas I've heard come out of network television. I SOOO wish a cable channel had done this. I agree, it'll probably be great, but I can't imagine it surviving for long on Network TV. I just don't think it can pull the kind of mass appeal numbers that ABC wants. Guess we'll see though. My fingers are crossed.
Wow. This is one of the oddest ideas I’ve heard come out of network television. I SOOO wish a cable channel had done this. I agree, it’ll probably be great, but I can’t imagine it surviving for long on Network TV. I just don’t think it can pull the kind of mass appeal numbers that ABC wants. Guess we’ll see though. My fingers are crossed.
Penn and teller as detectives? I just can't picture that in my head. This is the weirdest story I've ever heard since the one about the IRS considering putting help wanted ads on professional car racing (and no I'm not making that up).
Penn and teller as detectives? I just can’t picture that in my head. This is the weirdest story I’ve ever heard since the one about the IRS considering putting help wanted ads on professional car racing (and no I’m not making that up).