You Don't Know Jack (2001) User Reviews

A great TV version of the PC game

[Rattrap007 · 9/10 · 27 July 2001]

I'm a huge fan of the PC game, so I was really excited about seeing a TV version of it. It captures all the fun and humor of the PC game and wraps it up into a great show.

Lots of funny things happen on this show. They have a $2,000,000 question, but the dollar amount decreases as the question is being read. they always find some funny way of making it dwindle down to less than $1000. Once they had it fly loose over the stage with Troy (Paul Rubens) the host running after it. Once he couldn't read it so he pulls out a magnifying glass that causes the card to catch fire.

Also they have a match/pop culture question each show. The contestants have to answer questions like number of Backstreet boys X number of points of light in G. Bush Sr.'s presidental speech -number of Police academy movies / # of oscars won by Weekend at Burnies. While the contestants are trying to figure out the question they bring out something to distract them like a marching band playing music right behind them. Once they had violin playing kids who were just plain awful to listen to.

While some shows give away a cheesy parting gift (Rice-A-roni, home game, etc) YDKJ gives away truly lame prizes such as a Yo-Yo, a 4 pack of Pineapple tidbits, or a years supply of gum!

I won't forget the start of the first episode. Troy comes out and says someone will be driving home in a brand new car! They show the car and play the game. At the very end on the episode, Troy drive up to the camera in the car and says, "See. I told you someone would be driving this car home tonight."

I have watched every episode of this show so far and I don't plan on stopping! Keep up the great work.

A Triumph!

[StarGaze-9 · 12 July 2001]

I'm a huge fan of the popular video games called "You Don't Know Jack", so when I heard it was being made into a TV show, I was really excited. Now having seen a few episodes, I can honestly say that my expectations have not been met--they have been surpassed!!!

If you never played the games, here's how it breaks down. People play for (fake) cash while a sarcastic host mocks you every chance they get. The show follows a similar tradition but with a lot more irreverance and satire. My only problem with the show is that Troy Stevens (played brilliantly by Paul Reubens) isn't nearly as merciless on the contestants as the video games hosts were. I guess they were worried that it might look like they were ripping of "Weakest Link" even though YDKJ came first!!

Nonetheless, its a great show that I urge everyone to check out before in gets canceled. Sorry, but as much as I love this show, I doubt it will last as there simply doesn't seem to be any room these days for game shows that don't give out millions of dollars.

Which is sad, since YDKJ is WAYYYYYYYYYY better than "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"

Rating: 5 stars *****

Pee-Wee Herman makes his Comedic Return!

[Brandon Hall · 14 July 2001]

It's good to see Paul Reubens back on television with this very hilarious comedic game/variety show. It stars Paul Reubens as we all remember as Pee-Wee Herman. My favorite part of this show is the $2,000,000 question, every second that goes by the dollar value drops, something always distracts our hose Troy Stevens, brilliantly played by Paul Reubens. It comes on ABC Wednesday nights and it's worth checking it out! I give it a 10 out of 10!!

Very Funny

[peeweehoglie · 10 July 2001]

This game show is the funniest game show I ever watched. The questions are funny, the $2,000,000 question is hilarious and the Jack Attack is also funny. If you don't like watching very funny game shows, then You Don't Know Jack!

This show sucked

[christoperj · 14 July 2002]

It simply tried too hard to be funny -- and ended up nothing like the video game that started it all. It was a shame, because there was a lot of hope for this thing when the previews came out. . . but after the first couple of episodes -- there was just no point in watching

Make it stop!

[laocoon-2 · 12 July 2001]

AHHHHHH! I watched this for about 10 minutes and just couldn't stand it anymore. Paul Reubens is absolutely awful. He's mannered and contrived, and, ugh! I can't say enough bad things about it. If you've played the games, if you have a sense of humor, or if you have an IQ over 30, in the name of all that is good and decent come nowhere near this atrocity! It reminds me of what would happen if Bob Saget got his own game show and took his writers from America's Funniest Home Videos with him -- only it's worse if you can possibly conceive of that.

Ok, I've heard that it's a parody of game shows, kind of. Seems like a cop-out, though, since it's just really really bad.

Great idea, horrid implementation

[crmagicr · 16 November 2003]

I think this show could have worked. It might have even worked in its incarnation, with a couple of key changes. But it didn't. Why? Well, 5 reasons, really.

Reasons # 1, 2, 3 -- Paul Reubens. It seems Mr. Reubens does not know how to temper his "comedic" ability and allow others (namely, the CONTESTANTS) to share stage with him. He is loud, crude, and overly boisterous through the whole show, and completely ruins it.

Reason #4 -- Writing. The writers seemed bound and determined to turn this into a variety show rather than a game show, when they should have been trying to blend the quiz with the humour, as the video game so skillfully does. Want an example of a video game show that does this correctly? Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. It may have been a kiddy show, but it was a very popular one for this reason.

Reason #5 -- Jack Attack. As the key element of a YDKJ! round, it should have been left EXACTLY as it is in the game. Instead, we see even more of Paul Reubens and far too crude humour.

What saddens me is the game actually has potential as a TV show. Perhaps someday we'll forget this fiasco and go about doing the show right.

I don't want to know Jack

[Willow192 · 4 January 2002]

Gosh, this show was just plain bad. It was an embarrassment to me...because this show was allowed to be made in America which is a place that I call home. But I'm sure it's also an embarrassment to the creators of the game.

The game was a wonderful and funny piece of entertainment. This is a boring and just plain bad piece of garbage. It just lacked the charismatic sarcasm that the game did. The Jack Attack was a shamble, and every joke that I think was meant to be funny just wasn't.

The blame lies in the hands of the writers. But more in the hands of Paul Reubens. Poor thing will never get past his PeeWee Herman days (he wasn't funny on that either). The man is just not talented and I don't know why he has gotten where he has. The parts where they focus on his face and it spins around on the little screen are just ridiculous. The man shouldn't be doing close ups anyway because his skin is so bad that he has to wear layers and layers of foundation.

I don't know if this is the first television show based on a video game. But I do hope that it is the last. Or maybe all of that should be in past tense considering that the show was canceled almost as soon as it was first aired.

very funny

[movieman-1408 · 18 September 2022]

Great funny host why was this so short lived? One of the best game shows on tv. It was a laugh riot and original this should have been on tv for alot longer than it was i say bring it back. The millionare question but may be the best part i pee wee herman grts another tv show sum day. Like i said plese this show back it was awesome. I have to sdd more words to make it long enough to submit this line is added just to do that. This line is too. Are there any reruns of it on tv sum where?/ i hope i dont know. But i think is there must be somewhere and if there aint there should be. This may pee wee herman his best since pee wees play house.