"Penn & Teller: Bullshit!" (2003) TV series 2003-????

Creators:

Randall Moldave
Eric Small
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Release Date:

24 January 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Documentary

Tagline:

They can smell it from miles away!

Plot:

Using a combination of set ups, descriptions, rants and film of practitioners, Penn & Teller show the Bull Shit that's everywhere...

Plot Keywords:

Profanity In Title | Punctuation In Title | Magician | Exposé | Scam

Awards:

Nominated for 13 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Teller	...	Himself (69 episodes, 2003-2009)
Penn Jillette	...	Himself (67 episodes, 2003-2009)

Series Directed by
Star Price		(74 episodes, 2003-2009)
Joshua E. Kessler		(10 episodes, 2005-2007)
Tim Rogan		(2 episodes, 2003-2007)
Tom Greenhut		(unknown episodes, 2005)
Christopher Poole		(unknown episodes)
Scott Schaefer		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Randall Moldave		(79 episodes, 2003-2009)
Eric Small		(79 episodes, 2003-2009)
Star Price		(66 episodes, 2004-2009)
Cliff Schoenberg		(14 episodes, 2006-2008)
Penn Jillette		(10 episodes, 2003-2009)
Teller		(10 episodes, 2003-2009)
David Wechter		(6 episodes, 2003-2009)
Michael Goudeau		(5 episodes, 2007-2009)
Rich Nathanson		(4 episodes, 2008-2009)
John McLaughlin		(3 episodes, 2003)
Tom Kramer		(3 episodes, 2009)
Dean Ward		(2 episodes, 2005)
Jon Hotchkiss		(2 episodes, 2007)
David Weiss		(2 episodes, 2007)
Sheryl Zohn		(2 episodes, 2007)
Steven Bortko		(unknown episodes)
John McLaughlin		(unknown episodes)
Steve Melcher		(unknown episodes)
Jonathan B. Taylor		(unknown episodes)
Emma Webster		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Penn Jillette	....	co-executive producer / executive producer (79 episodes, 2003-2009)
Star Price	....	executive producer (79 episodes, 2003-2009)
Teller	....	co-executive producer / executive producer (79 episodes, 2003-2009)
Aaron Yampolski	....	senior producer / producer (49 episodes, 2005-2009)
Jon Hotchkiss	....	co-executive producer / supervising producer (33 episodes, 2005-2007)
Joshua E. Kessler	....	senior producer / supervising producer / ... (28 episodes, 2004-2007)
Mitch Glazer	....	field producer (10 episodes, 2008)
Tammie Smalls	....	producer (5 episodes, 2004-2005)
Karina Fraley	....	associate producer (3 episodes, 2003)
Patti Duce	....	supervising producer (3 episodes, 2005-2008)
June Molgaard	....	producer (3 episodes, 2005)
Shari Adagio	....	supervising producer (3 episodes, 2007-2008)
Peter Adam Golden	....	co-executive producer / producer (2 episodes, 2003-2008)
David Wechter	....	executive producer / supervising producer (2 episodes, 2003-2008)
Mark Wolper	....	executive producer (2 episodes, 2003-2008)
Katy Scanlan	....	associate producer (2 episodes, 2007-2008)
Steven Uhlenberg	....	co-executive producer (2 episodes, 2007-2008)
Alex Walton	....	producer (2 episodes, 2007-2008)
Jeff Zoldan	....	producer (2 episodes, 2007-2008)
Sheryl Zohn	....	supervising producer (2 episodes, 2008)
Steve Jones	....	segment producer (unknown episodes)
Randall Kirk	....	series producer (unknown episodes)
Maurice H. Patrykus	....	associate producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Gary Stockdale		(52 episodes, 2003-2008)

Series Cinematography by
Kevin O'Brien		(3 episodes, 2003-2008)
Steve Jones		(unknown episodes)
Don Starnes		(unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
Steven Uhlenberg		(14 episodes, 2003-2008)
Tim Sullivan		(13 episodes, 2008-2009)
Brian Horn		(11 episodes, 2005-2008)
Eric Wise		(6 episodes, 2003)
Mitch Rosa		(2 episodes, 2003)
Ian Sears		(2 episodes, 2007-2008)
Doug Folkerts		(unknown episodes)
Paul Frazier		(unknown episodes)
Tim Schultz		(unknown episodes)

Series Casting by
David Zimmerman		(unknown episodes)

Series Art Direction by
Rudy Matchinga		(3 episodes, 2003-2008)

Series Makeup Department
Phyllis Bond	....	hair stylist / makeup artist (3 episodes, 2003-2008)

Series Production Management
CJ	....	post-production supervisor (30 episodes, 2006-2008)
Kathleen Boyette Bramlett	....	production manager: Penn & Teller / production manager (3 episodes, 2003-2008)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joshua E. Kessler	....	field director (unknown episodes, 2005)

Series Art Department
Jeremy Carmone	....	props (2 episodes, 2007-2008)

Series Sound Department
Michael Dennis	....	sound mixer / sound (14 episodes, 2003-2008)
Paul S. Shapiro	....	sound mixer (5 episodes, 2003-2007)
Lenny Jones	....	sound designer (3 episodes, 2003-2008)
Bob Schuck	....	sound (3 episodes, 2003-2008)
Graham Gardner	....	sound mixer (3 episodes, 2003-2004)
Brandon Goodwin	....	sound mixer (3 episodes, 2009)
Dick Rogers	....	sound re-recording mixer (2 episodes, 2007-2008)
Noah Mathers	....	sound mixer (unknown episodes)
David Weinstock	....	sound mixer (unknown episodes)

Series Special Effects by
Skip Burrows	....	special effects supervisor (unknown episodes)

Series Visual Effects by
Justin Schultz	....	animator (2 episodes, 2005)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Chuck Bejarano	....	camera operator (40 episodes, 2006-2009)
Dave Babb	....	camera operator (12 episodes, 2004-2009)
Ryan Mhor	....	assistant camera (10 episodes, 2008)
Rage Stewart	....	camera production assistant (unknown episodes)

Series Animation Department
Peter Conlon	....	animation director: title sequence (6 episodes, 2009)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kathryn Shemanek	....	wardrobe (2 episodes, 2007-2008)

Series Editorial Department
Christopher Nunn	....	assistant editor (14 episodes, 2005-2006)
Mike Krause	....	assistant editor (13 episodes, 2003)
CJ	....	post-production coordinator (11 episodes, 2005)
Ed Decker	....	assistant editor (11 episodes, 2007-2008)
Alpesh Patel	....	lead assistant editor (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Jeff Critelli	....	teleprompter operator (17 episodes, 2008-2009)
Franka Mavrides	....	production assistant / assistant to executive producer (13 episodes, 2003)
CJ	....	assistant to executive producer (13 episodes, 2004)
Ryan Mhor	....	production assistant (10 episodes, 2007)
Steven Solars	....	production assistant (10 episodes, 2007)
Michael Bancroft	....	production assistant (10 episodes, 2009)
Tim Rogan	....	stage manager (3 episodes, 2003-2008)
Nathan Santucci	....	director: covert activities / director of covert activities: Penn & Teller (3 episodes, 2003-2008)
Glenn S. Alai	....	assistant: Penn & Teller / publicity manager (2 episodes, 2003-2007)
Michael Buyer	....	magic team (2 episodes, 2007-2008)
Randall Moldave	....	consultant (2 episodes, 2007-2008)
Eric Small	....	consultant (2 episodes, 2007-2008)
Ezekiel Zabrowski	....	magic team (2 episodes, 2007-2008)
Jennifer L. Goosby	....	script supervisor (unknown episodes, 2004)
Katy Scanlan	....	production coordinator (unknown episodes, 2005)
Daniel Leaderman	....	production assistant (unknown episodes, 2007)
Michelle Basterrechea	....	production assistant (unknown episodes)
Kyle Hollingsworth	....	title designer (unknown episodes)
Randall Kirk	....	segment producer (unknown episodes)
Justin Leibow	....	title designer (unknown episodes)
Pancho Mansfield	....	network executive (unknown episodes)
Cassandra Seidl	....	post accounting supervisor (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Penn & Teller
• StarPrice Productions
• Wolper Organization, The

Distributors

• Movie Network, The (TMN) (????) (Canada) (TV)
• Showtime Networks (TV)
• Siren Visual Entertainment (2008) (Australia) (DVD)

Other Companies

• King Media Services  DVD design and authoring (season 3)
• Wut It Is  main title design and production

Also Known As:

Penn & Teller: BS! (USA) (promotional title)
Penn & Teller: Bullsh*t! (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-MA (most episodes) | USA:TV-PG (early episodes) | Australia:MA (some episodes) | Australia:R (some episodes) | USA:TV-14

Company:

Penn & Teller

Trivia:

The title of the show and the constant use of profanity is, according to Penn Jillette a "legal maneuver". Because while calling people liars, frauds, charlatans and hacks could be construed as slander, calling someone a "fucker" and say that they're selling "bullshit" is okay.

Quotes:

Penn Jillette: On one side there are people with relationships, and miserable. On the other side there are people out of relationships, and miserable. What's the deal? Don't they know that love is a roller coaster? You sit, you hold hands, you scream, then you get off and ride again!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Michael Moore Hates America (2004)

Finally!

How can this be? Not only does America finally get a skeptic-oriented cable show, but one hosted by Penn and Teller! The joy was almost too much for me, especially since the first episode was about communing with the dead, a scam enjoying a huge surge in popularity.

The opening dialogue by Penn was sometimes a bit shaky, but I suspect he'll adapt to the format soon enough. The series will hopefully continue to do what the first episode did: show the methods by which mystics and pseudoscientific opportunists take advantage of people in need.

Finally, I was impressed that the show managed to walk the line between skepticism and cynicism, never falling into the simple close-minded denial of the latter. There certainly is anger and sarcasm from the narrators/hosts, but nothing too terrible.

This is a funny show that is entirely relevant. I now have something to counter the pain of Dennis Miller's show being canceled. Watch a few of the episodes and decide for yourself.