TVSquad

Las Vegas magicians and Bullshit! hosts Penn & Teller have inked a deal with ABC for an hour dramedy based on their real lives. To make it a little more interesting, they've added a fictional crime-solving element. Playing essentially themselves, Penn & Teller in the show will have a Las Vegas magician act at night. But during the day, they're "reluctant" detectives, solving crimes and saving lives.

One of the big questions I have is if Teller will talk. I suspect that he won't, even though we all know he can. He doesn't during their work together because it creates more humor that way with Penn blabbing on and on. If this is supposed to be loosely based on their real lives, though, wouldn't he talk once the stage show ends?

However, since this is still a Penn & Teller "show," I'm sure he'll stay silent. There's a lot of sight gags they can do with a silent Teller and a chatty Penn. I've enjoyed the guest stints they've had on other shows, and think they're one of the most entertaining acts in the world, so I'm intrigued.

(S04E16) Twelve more acts performed last night, and we learned in this America's Got Talent second results show who would join Arcadian Broad, Acrodunk, Drew Thomas Magic, Kevin Skinner, and Grandma Lee in the Top 20. The show also confirmed that it would be returning for another season.

From what I've read on the web, most people thought that Charles DeWayne and the Voices of Glory would move through to the next round without a doubt. As for which acts would get the other three spots, fans could not agree since a lot of the remaining acts gave so-so performances or were too close to call. Did Charles and the Voices of Glory siblings get a spot in the Top 20? Which other acts will stay in Hollywood for the next round? The results, including a shocking turn of events, coming up!

I got a great letter this week from a fan named Harold Dickinson.

He writes, "I'm trying to get the name of a cartoon from the late 50's or early 60's. It had two characters who -- at least in my memory -- remind me of Penn and Teller. The one character was tall and bombastic, the other was shorter and never spoke- although he would whisper to the other character. I believe the smaller character was named Leonardo- but I wouldn't swear to it."

• At 8, FOX has the season premiere of So You Think You Can Dance, followed by a new On The Lot.
• TNT has an NBA playoff game at 8, the Cavaliers vs. the Pistons.
• TCM has In Harm's Way at 8.
• At 9, HGTV has a new Divine Design, followed by new episodes of Landscaper's Challenge and House Hunters.
• Don Rickles talks to Larry King on CNN at 9.
• At 10, Studio 60 returns to NBC.
• TLC has a new Wrecks to Riches at 10.
• Showtime has a new Penn & Teller's Bullshit at 10 (repeated at 10:30).
• Also at 10: Spike has a new Ultimate Fighter.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores today.

• Alias Smith and Jones - Season 1
• Family Ties - Season 1
• Penn & Teller: Bullshit - Season 4 Uncensored
• Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season 2, Vol. 2
• What's New Scooby-Doo? - Season 1

Once while watching a movie with a friend of mine, one he had already seen, he turned to me halfway through and said, "I'm not going to tell you what happens in the movie, but just know that nothing is what it seems right now." I wanted to explain to him that saying that was just as bad as revealing the ending to me. Now, no matter what happens in the movie, I'm not going to be surprised because I now expect everything. I think this is why magicians, even the really great ones, never really impress me. I know it's going to be a big set up, and then, ta-da, some great reveal. Lather, rinse, repeat.

That's why I've always had a fondness for Penn and Teller, who know it's not enough to just do tricks, but to really make the audience squirm while doing so. Oh yeah, and later this month they'll be guest programmers on TCM. On May 22 the duo will join Robert Osbourne to introduce and talk about four of their favorite films, one of which, Tod Browning's Freaks, happens to be one of my favorite movies, as well. The four-movie marathon will begin in May 22 at 8 p.m. with the Marx Brother's At the Circus. The marathon will also include F for Fake and The Sunshine Boys.

Have you ever wondered what Teller (of Penn and Teller, of course) sounds like? He's the silent one and doesn't usually speak that often. I heard him a few years ago, and now you can catch audio of him on NPR reviewing The Glorious Deception, a book about magician Chung Lee Soo, written by Jim Steinmeyer.

[via TV Barn]