Written by: Christina at 11:50 pm
Filed under: SHOWTIME,Television
TV Show Info:
Writers: Penn Jillette, Teller, Star Price, Cliff Schoenberg, Michael Goudeau, David Wechter, Rich Nathanson, Sheryl Zohn
Director: Star Price
Hosts: Teller, Penn Jillette (a.k.a. “Penn & Teller”)
Rating: NR (most episodes were rated TV-MA when they originally aired on Showtime under the title Penn & Teller: Bullshit!”)
Studio: Showtime
Release Info:
Original Air Dates: June 19 – August 22, 2008
Season Air Dates: 2008
DVD Box Set Release Date: May 12, 2009
Episodes: The War On Porn; New Age Medicine; NASA; Dolphins; Sleep, Inc.; Being Green; Sensitivity Training; Stranger Danger; World Peace; The Good Ol’ Days
Online Availability: Amazon for $24.99
Performing together since the 1970s, Penn & Teller became notorious in the mid-1980s for a series of televised specials in which they demystified “magic tricks” for the general public, revealing the secrets behind many of the more standard types of illusions. Constantly controversial, the duo have been headlining in Las Vegas for more than two decades with an act that combines magic, comedy, Penn’s shtick as a raconteur, and Teller’s miming and use of props as his silent but expressive partner. Known for debunking myths, disregarding taboos, barbecuing sacred cows and challenging cherished beliefs, the pair have been calling “Bullshit!” on Showtime since 2003.
As in previous seasons, each episode focuses on a single hot-button topic. An opening monologue sets up the opposing viewpoints, and Penn & Teller make their bias clear. Known as atheists, libertarians and all-around skeptics, the positions they take are rarely a surprise, although they often end up exposing extremists on both sides as worthy of their mocking.
Each issue is explored through brief segments featuring background information, footage of topical events, “experiments” set up to prove a point, and interviews with (often self-proclaimed) experts. Of course, the commentary is littered with profanity and the shots are populated with gratuitously naked (or at least topless) women. These two hallmarks of the show are presented, I suspect in equal part, for their shock-value appeal and their commentary on what Penn & Teller think of censorship.
For that reason, I was surprised to see that this DVD set is a censored version, marketed under “Penn & Teller: B.S.!” instead of the show’s original title, “Penn & Teller: Bullshit!” My first assumption was that this was simply to allow stores catering to the general public to display it on their shelves without risking alienating easily-offended customers. However, I soon discovered a second version, “Penn & Teller: Bullshit!: The Complete Season 6 (Uncensored). Since the episodes I watched on the DVDs did not seem significantly altered from the episodes I’d watched on Showtime during season six, my conclusion is that rather than this being a censored version of what was aired, the uncensored version simply shows a racier version than they were able to air, even on Showtime.
The Penn & Teller: B.S.!: The Complete Sixth Season Plot
There are ten episodes included in this set. Here is a list of the episodes with a brief description of each one.
“The War On Porn”: Is censoring porn a violation of free speech? Is there any evidence that viewing porn leads to sexual aggression and violence?
“New Age Medicine”: Is there anything behind alternative therapies, or are desperate and gullible people simply being bilked by 21st century snake oil salesmen? Do personal testimonies really mean anything, or is it just a placebo effect?
“NASA”: Should the government be funding the space race?
“Dolphins”: Are dolphins really as smart as or smarter than humans? Do they possess mystical powers?
“Sleep, Inc.”: Do products designed to aid in sleep actually offer a better quantity and/or quality of rest? An insomniac is followed around a sleep convention in Las Vegas, with commentary on how many of his lifestyle choices perpetuate his own sleep issues.
“Being Green”: Do programs such as “carbon credits” designed to reduce a person’s “carbon footprint” actually benefit the environment, or are they just schemes dreamed up by a greed-driven industry to capitalize on the guilt of those who would rather donate to a cause – any cause – than actually modify their lifestyles? Al Gore is criticized as a hypocrite.
“Sensitivity Training”: Do workshops lead to better understanding among diverse populations, or are they just one more form on political correctness? Do the people who run these workshops actually have valid credentials, or are they just making it all up as they go along?
“Stranger Danger”: Are kids actually in more danger now than in past generations, or has media hype created a widespread panic? Other maternal warnings, such as the “5 second rule” and “don’t swim for an hour after eating” are explored for comparison.
“World Peace”: Do protests and other efforts by peace and justice groups actually accomplish anything other than a feel-good haven for like-minded individuals? Teasers throughout the episode promise to reveal the one true solution toward world peace.
“The Good Ol’ Days”: Was the past actually better, or has it just been romanticized by those struck with nostalgia for their own youth or for a time they didn’t even live through?
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
This DVD set is presented in Standard 1.33:1 Color video, and English 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo or 5.1 Surround, and in Spanish Mono. Closed Captioning is available.
While there was nothing remarkable about either the video or audio presentation, tight editing made good use of the images and sound bites available. Unlike other shows of this genre, despite brief and rapidly changing segments, the camera-work was not muddled with unnecessary and distracting visual effects designed to pander to the short attention span generation. Although background noise was “fuzzy” in some scenes, Penn’s commentary and the voices of those being interviewed were always loud and clear.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
There were no bonus features, which was a disappointment. While a commentary track would be redundant since Penn offers commentary throughout the whole show as it is, I would have liked to have at least seen some outtakes, or longer versions of the interviews conducted for some of the episodes. I would have even been happy with a few magic tricks!
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
This wasn’t their strongest season, with some topics so thinly covered that they could have been combined (New Age Medicine and Sleep, Inc., for example), while other topics seem to be just a rehashing of past seasons under new titles (as every season seems to have at least one episode on the sex industry, one on alternative medicine, one on the environmental movement, etc.). I wouldn’t recommend em>Penn & Teller: B.S.!: The Complete Sixth Season to someone just wanting to pick up one season to see what the show’s all about. The lack of bonus features give little incentive to buy it if you’ve already seen the shows on Showtime, since the DVD set offers nothing new, and since this is the censored version, but it is a worthwhile addition to the home library of anyone already collecting the other seasons.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: DVD, DVD Review, television show, TV on DVD, Penn, Teller, Penn Jillette, Penn & Teller, Penn and Teller, BS, Bullshit, Showtime
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