Invasion Iowa

"Invasion Iowa" has a great concept (explained elsewhere on the site, so I won't repeat it here). But the people involved totally fail in every single way to make the mess entertaining. Firstly the cast members that make up the fake film crew are not funny people. They aren't even as eccentric as real film people are. They all seemed WAY too afraid to be the weirdoes or jerks they needed to be to pull off the humor, way to nice, way too normal. In fact, even though Shatner describes his "character" as self absorbed and eccentric, he actually treats the townfolk really well, as though he can't help but try to be liked. Also, the situations that must have seemed funny on paper just don't work in real life. The townfolk just aren't that taken aback by the cast's lame antics, so since the "victims" don't react, we lose the "Candid Camera"/Punk'd aspect of the gag. In fact, the comedy in the execution of the practical joke itself is SO lacking that the producers resorted to filming the cast, including Shat, in private interviews making lame jokes ABOUT the practical joke. I mean the practical joke ITSELF should be the funny part, right? But the joke just doesn't work at all. So then the show becomes not about something funny but rather more about whether or not the practical jokers can at least not get caught in their lie. But there's nothing funny about any of it.

"Invasion Iowa" is justifiably obscure.