You’re not on Candid Camera: a reboot of the iconic hidden-camera prank show is in the works with Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson tapped to co-host. Village Roadshow Unscripted Television and Candid Camera Inc. are developing the latest version of Candid Camera, which returned with hosts Peter Funt and Mayim Bialik for a short lived 10-episode remake aired on TV Land in 2014. Funt, the son of original Candid Camera creator and producer Allen Funt, will appear alongside and executive produce with Henson via her TPH Productions. Mark Itkin (MTV’s Undressed) also serves as producer through his Tough Lamb Media, Inc. banner.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“The original Candid Camera had brought so much laughter into my home,and I look forward to joining Peter and Village Roadshow in spreadingthe joy to others in this modern-day reinterpretation,” Henson said in astatement.
Said Funt: “If this announcement is some kind of epic prank by Taraji and myfriends at Village Roadshow, then I’ve really been had! There couldn’tbe a better time to bring back Candid Camera. Folks need stress-freesmiles more than ever. Our show has a lot in common with Ted Lasso —minus the cursing. We celebrate humanity and good sportsmanship, and wemanage to do it with a lot of laughs.”
“The team at Village Roadshow is thrilled to partner with Peter towrite the next chapter in the iconic Candid Camera legacy and we couldnot think of anyone better to join us in this next phase than Taraji,who has brought endless joy and laughter to fans throughout her career,”said Shannon Hawes Perry, EVP of Reality & Production Services ofVillage Roadshow Entertainment Group, of the newest iteration of the prank comedy reality series that dates back to 1948.
Henson joins a list of modern-era presenters that includes co-hosts Dom DeLuise and Eva LaRue, and Funt co-hosts Suzanne Somers, Dina Eastwood, and Bialik. Henson’s credits include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the TV series Empire, Hidden Figures, and recent appearances on The Muppets Haunted Mansion and Abbott Elementary.
“A lot of other hidden camera shows strike me as out to show that people are stupid. We don’t think that’s really funny, and for the most part, I don’t believe that’s even true,” Funt said about the enduring Candid Camera in a 2014 interview. “The people who appear on Candid Camera are not victims — that’s not a word that we even use. We think they’re kind of heroic, because they stand up under a little bit of pressure that we provide. And then they smile about it in our iconic, ‘Smile, you’re on Candid Camera‘ reveal. And it’s a very, very happy, warm moment. Nobody leaves one of our shoots unhappy, and if they do, it’s our fault — we’ve made a mistake.”
An air date is TBA.
