Netflix streams ‘The Magic Prank Show’
Netflix celebrates April Fools’ Day with “The Magic Prank Show.” Magician and comedian Justin Willman uses his skills and his team of professional illusionists to help ordinary people blow the minds of their friends, and more frequently, their frenemies.
Over the course of this series, Willman offers himself as a revenge-forhire service, helping a young boy get back at his “mean” older sister, helping another woman teach her sister a lesson about shoplifting, and aiding a woman in a “pretty dark” plot to get her boyfriend to stop texting while driving.
Goofy and outrageous and oddly predictable, this series is exactly the kind of show MTV (“Punk’d”) used to air, with a little of an ABC’s David Blaine special thrown in for good measure. It’s a further sign that streaming television hasn’t so much replaced cable, as it has become cable. Something to think about between episodes of “Suits.”
While we’re on the subject of old shows and streaming services, it’s worth noting that all six seasons of “Community” will arrive on Peacock today.
While not the funniest or most innovative NBC comedy of the past two decades, the comedy, which ran from 2009 to 2015, is notable for an ensemble cast that remains active, and in some cases innovative, including Joel McHale (“Animal Control”), Gillian Jacobs (“Love”), Danny Pudi (“Mythic Quest”), Yvette Nicole Brown (“A Black Lady Sketch Show,” “The Mayor”), Alison Brie (“BoJack Horseman,” “GLOW”) Donald Glover (“Atlanta,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”), Ken Jeong (“The Hangover,” “Dr. Ken,” “The Masked Singer”) and Jim Rash, co-writer of “The Descendants.” The series also starred original “SNL” cast member Chevy Chase, whose character (spoiler alert!) did not survive the series run. ›
HBO launches the documentary series “The Synanon Fix” (9 p.m., HBO, TV-MA, MAX), the latest look at a rehabilitation center for alcoholics and drug addicts that morphed into an all-controlling cult that used violence to keep its members in line and the press and authorities at bay. Celebrations and investigations of Synanon date back at least to the 1965 big screen drama “Synanon” starring Edmond O’Brien, Chuck Connors, Stella Stevens, Richard Conte and Eartha Kitt.
This HBO effort comes on the heels of the Paramount+ documentary “Born Into Synanon” that began streaming last December. The old adage that imitation is the sincerest form of television has continued into the streaming age. ›
“20/20” (10 p.m., ABC) launches a new docuseries, “The Interrogation Tapes,” offering one-hour glances at police investigative techniques and how they ferret information and coax confessions out of suspects.
Everything from the room used for questioning to the suspect’s speech patterns and body language are subject to analysis in the search of the truth, or perhaps ruling out false confessions.
In the first episode, police investigate the suspicious death of a 19-year-old aspiring artist and find that the statements and behavior of a childhood friend raise suspicion. A would-be filmmaker goes undercover, resulting in a chilling confession.