A new version of the hidden camera television series “Candid Camera” will premiere on TVLand at 8 p.m. Monday, co-hosted by Emmy-nominated actress Mayim Bialik and Peter Funt, son of the series’ late creator and host, Allen Funt.
“We’ll be daring but respectful, funny yet insightful,” said Peter Funt, who will also be an executive producer.
The younger Funt hosted the show from 1996-2004, when it aired first on CBS, then on PAX from 2001-2004.
Monday’s episode includes one gag where patients become increasingly confused when their dental hygienist is actually a mobile device instructing them to perform their own exam.
Another gag is a current version of one from the original “Candid Camera” with actress Megan Hilty baffling mechanics by rolling into their garages asking for an inspection, only for them to find that the car does not have an engine.
Gags in future episodes include New York radio disc jockey Peter Rosenberg encouraging aspiring rappers to improvise lyrics with non-existent words, singer Carnie Wilson posing as a jittery tattoo artist much to her customers’ terror and Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson as a special guest with a mystifying magician.
Additional episodes will air at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The 10-episode series will regularly air at 8 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Aug. 19.
The series will be co-produced by Ben Silverman, a former NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios co-chairman who, as head of Reveille, an independent production and distribution company, was responsible for helping to turn foreign series into American hits, such as “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” “Big Brother,” “The Office” and “Ugly Betty.”
“Candid Camera” began as a radio series, “Candid Microphone,” in 1947 and moved to television the following year. Unsuspecting members of the public were informed they were part of a gag by being told, “Smile, you’re on `Candid Camera!”’ which would become one of television’s most memorable taglines.
