• CSM Reviews <--
• Adult Reviews
• Kid Reviews

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that this is a show about picking on people on a grand scale. Joke scenarios involve stealing, hitting people with a car, cheating on a girlfriend, illegal gambling -- in general, getting clueless subjects into sticky messes. By no stretch can the show be called kind, but some consider it funny.

Families can discuss how it feels to be the butt of a joke, when jokes are harmless, and when they hurt. When do pranks cross the line? What's an example of an inappropriate or harmful prank? How does it feel to be the butt of a joke?

Rate It!

Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Betsy Wallace

Should families object to a show designed just for laughs? Not necessarily. The setups in PUNK'D are often clever and require a talented team of actors and impressive, synchronized behind-the-scenes work. In one episode, for example, Beyonce was invited to put the star on top of a giant Christmas tree as underprivileged children cheered her on. As she reached for the tree, it went crashing down, and the kids (who were in on the prank) blamed her for ruining Christmas. In each episode, carefully staged scenarios like that one grow in intensity until Ashton Kutcher and crew rush in and joyously reveal that the celebrity in question has been "punk'd."

But if you suspect there's something a little, well, cruel, about this MTV fave, you wouldn't be too off-base. Many subjects are picked -- and picked on -- because Kutcher thinks they deserve to be punk'd, or that it would be a hoot to humiliate them. Consequently, he comes off as a brat with a lot of leisure time on his hands, a poor role model for young viewers.

Sometimes the stars' reactions are of such extreme relief or amusement that watching the surprise is irresistible. Other times, the camera cuts away quickly, ending the episode, as if to avoid showing a star's negative reaction. For instance, Lara Flynn Boyle was punk'd into thinking she got to take home thousands of dollars of free clothes from a boutique. The camera caught her vainly modeling outfit after outfit, then crumbling when told how much she owed for the clothes -- far more than she could afford. The episode didn't generate laughs, just pity.

Whether funny or not, the pranks on Punk'd are typically a lot of work for a few cheap laughs.

If you like uncomfortable humor, try Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Colbert Report -- like Punk'd, both blur the line between fantasy and reality.

Rate It Now

OR