Penn & Teller: Bullshit! Is something else. Imagine watching a mix between Mythbusters and South Park - and you will pretty much have Bullshit apart from the occasional magic and illusion performance.
It makes its living portraying many different organizations, big or small, from many outskirts of life which the hosts deem to be based on fraudulent premises.
The format seems to have all matter of audiences in mind, as it explores everything from conspiracy theories, prostitution, porn, and 9/11 attacks - to the love of dogs and belief in the supernatural abilities of dolphins.
I am a skeptic myself, and have found myself agreeing with the series on all but one of the topics. Some of the arguments portrayed against the ideologies and systems they debunk are very well grounded in rationale and logic, while at other times, they attack it vigorously with inane attempts humor. Most of these attempts are successful, and to use the Bullshit rhetoric: 'Is f***** goddamn f*** f*** funny as f***'.
To say that their evaluation of the topics at hand is unbiased, would be ridiculous - as it is quite clear from the beginning that the off-hand comments delivered seem to be handpicked. The obvious bias is portrayed in such a way that it seems overblown, and this heightens the comedic value, and makes you forgive a lot of the degradation.
If you are conservative, this may not be an interesting watch, unless you are highly sadistic - as you can be fairly certain that a big part of your belief-systems will be challenged through-out the series.
Sometimes, in order to target a broader audience, the attempts at humor through shock-value can perhaps be a bit much to your average viewer. Some of the arguments they use are not grounded in scientific studies but rather common sense or cultural standards. They will degrade the opposition to a huge extent, sometimes unnecessarily, in order to score 'frat points'.
Do not be fooled by this however, as there is so much intelligence behind the seemingly inane comedy-show that I will recommend it to any viewer who enjoys challenging the gray matter between their ears. The show is constantly walking a fine line between funny, or serious. Cynical or critical. Reasonable, or outrageous. And it manages to come across well enough to sneak onto the comedy scene, while at the same time getting its vital points across . It is beautifully designed and executed in this manner, and does it far better than any other shows I have seen thus far.
All in all, Bullshit! is a challenge to your intellect and your belief-system all summed up with a high dose of rude in-your-face humor and dark comedy unlike anything I have seen on TV before. No matter who you are, if you are interested in truth - watch it.
It makes its living portraying many different organizations, big or small, from many outskirts of life which the hosts deem to be based on fraudulent premises.
The format seems to have all matter of audiences in mind, as it explores everything from conspiracy theories, prostitution, porn, and 9/11 attacks - to the love of dogs and belief in the supernatural abilities of dolphins.
I am a skeptic myself, and have found myself agreeing with the series on all but one of the topics. Some of the arguments portrayed against the ideologies and systems they debunk are very well grounded in rationale and logic, while at other times, they attack it vigorously with inane attempts humor. Most of these attempts are successful, and to use the Bullshit rhetoric: 'Is f***** goddamn f*** f*** funny as f***'.
To say that their evaluation of the topics at hand is unbiased, would be ridiculous - as it is quite clear from the beginning that the off-hand comments delivered seem to be handpicked. The obvious bias is portrayed in such a way that it seems overblown, and this heightens the comedic value, and makes you forgive a lot of the degradation.
If you are conservative, this may not be an interesting watch, unless you are highly sadistic - as you can be fairly certain that a big part of your belief-systems will be challenged through-out the series.
Sometimes, in order to target a broader audience, the attempts at humor through shock-value can perhaps be a bit much to your average viewer. Some of the arguments they use are not grounded in scientific studies but rather common sense or cultural standards. They will degrade the opposition to a huge extent, sometimes unnecessarily, in order to score 'frat points'.
Do not be fooled by this however, as there is so much intelligence behind the seemingly inane comedy-show that I will recommend it to any viewer who enjoys challenging the gray matter between their ears. The show is constantly walking a fine line between funny, or serious. Cynical or critical. Reasonable, or outrageous. And it manages to come across well enough to sneak onto the comedy scene, while at the same time getting its vital points across . It is beautifully designed and executed in this manner, and does it far better than any other shows I have seen thus far.
All in all, Bullshit! is a challenge to your intellect and your belief-system all summed up with a high dose of rude in-your-face humor and dark comedy unlike anything I have seen on TV before. No matter who you are, if you are interested in truth - watch it.
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