“PENN & TELLER: FOOL US”
Fridays (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) on The CW
From humble beginnings busking on the streets of Philadelphia to acclaimed sold –out runs on Broadway to the longest running, and one of the most-beloved resident headline acts in Las Vegas history, magic’s legendary duo continues to defy labels—and at times, physics and good taste – by redefining the genre of magic and inventing their own very distinct niche in comedy.
Their record-breaking Las Vegas show at The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino has an amazing eight wins as “Las Vegas Magicians of the Year” and was called “The single best show in Vegas,” by the Los Angeles Times.
Their current hit series “Penn & Teller: Fool Us!” up-and-comers and magic veterans try to fool Penn & Teller for a chance to star in the duo’s hit Las Vegas stage show. The series was nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award and returns for its 11th season in 2025.
Hundreds of outrageous appearances on everything from “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to “Friends,” “The Simpsons” to “Colbert,” “Modern Family” to “The Big Bang Theory,” plus their own specials for NBC, ABC, PBS and Comedy Central have garnered them an Emmy award and a Writer’s Guild award. The duo has its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The controversial Showtime series “Penn & Teller: BS!” was nominated for 13 Emmys and was the longest-running series in the history of the network. The show highlighted the pair’s ardent skepticism by tackling the fakes and frauds behind such topics as alien abduction, psychics and bottled water.
In recent years, they’ve become acclaimed documentarians with the BAFTA-nominated Sony Pictures Classic release “Tim’s Vermeer,” which follows Texas-based inventor Tim Jenison on his quest to discover the methods used by Dutch Master painter Johannes Vermeer. Their other films, the critically lauded feature “The Aristocrats” and the Showtime short “The Gambler’s Ballad,” were met with wide praise.
The Olivier-nominated “Magic Goes Wrong,” written and created in collaboration with Mischief Theatre (Creators of the Tony-nominated “The Play That Goes Wrong”), opened in January of last year at London’s West End Vaudeville Theatre, setting a box office pre-sale record. The Daily Mail hailed it as a “Spellbinding romp” while The Sun theater critic raved, “I’ll be laughing into next week.”
As individuals, they are just as prolific. Teller directed versions of “Macbeth” and “The Tempest” that toured to raves from The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, co-wrote and directed the Off-Broadway thriller “Play Dead,” and has written two books. Penn has written three books, including the New York Times Best Sellers “God No!” and “Presto.” He hosted the game show “Identity” and donned his ballroom shoes for the hit competition show “Dancing With The Stars.” Penn also showed his business savvy on two seasons of “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice.”
In 2025, Penn & Teller will be celebrating 50 years of professional partnership.
February 2025
