Chance the Rapper leads the way in the new version of “Punk’d,” which debuted on Quibi. The show was originally made famous in the early aughts by Ashton Kutcher. So the main question — for me — was whether or not it still worked.
First, the episode includes mature language. There’s less censoring since it’s not on television like the original show was. So, if you watch it, just know there will be some cusses scattered throughout.
But “Punk’d” — as a concept — still works, even in 2020. Pranking people with rats in a house, or hosting a fake interview still hits home in 2020. We love to see people put into these awkward scenarios where they’re unsure how to handle themselves, especially when the focus of it is a celebrity. It puts even the highest level of society in an uncomfortable scenario, which we can’t hate.
That said, I don’t know how well “Punk’d,” will perform on the platform. Once you’ve seen one or two of these episodes you know what you’re getting into. And since a similar show already ran back in the day, it’s unclear whether or not there will be much of an appetite for this kind of show again.