Susan Granger’s review of “Penn & Teller: Bullshit!” (Showtime TV presentation)
With its advertising logo, “No Limits,” Showtime once again leaps into controversy with this outrageous, irreverent expose of taboo topics, hosted by magicians Penn & Teller. While the title may give pause to viewers and advertisers, it’s been carefully chosen because, as Penn explains, while it’s profanity, it’s also legal. Accusing performance artists of outright fraud isn’t. So to avoid lawsuits, expletives are used as rather than more socially acceptable words. The first episode of this half-hour series challenges the popular phenomenon of psychics who claim they can communicate with the dead. “Anyone can talk to the dead,” Penn skeptically notes, “getting an answer is what’s difficult.” With the help of paranormal investigators, the technique of “cold readings” is revealed, as Penn delivers an angry tirade about how these nonsense peddlers exploit grief. Then Penn delves into “hot readings,” which is when psychics cheat, using advance research or hidden microphones. Citing the P.T. Barnum effect, Penn contends that the public wants to be fooled. Who wouldn’t want to talk to long-lost loved ones? Invariably the psychics have more misses than hits but people remember the hits, not the misses. Upcoming segments debunk Alternative Medicine, Alien Abductions, Environmental Hysteria, Bottled Water, Feng Shui, Creationism, Ouija Boards, Sex Appliances, Self-Help Gurus, Diets & Food, Second-Hand Smoke, ESP and the End of the World. On the Granger Made-for-TV Gauge, “Penn & Teller: Bullshit!” is a weird, wacky, intriguing 7 – and while I found the barrage of obscenities disconcerting, it seems useful in the case of scam artists. The series premieres on Friday, Jan. 24, at 11 PM with new episodes every Friday night. So how gullible are you?
