Jordan Peele To Reboot The Greatest Prank Show Ever

By Andrew Sanford | TV | July 26, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | TV | July 26, 2024 |

Prank shows can be hit or miss. Some can be in good fun, getting a rise out of unsuspecting folks. There is more laughter than shock because they know they are part of something fun. Other shows (and whatever the hell is going on on social media these days) take things too far. There’s no fun to the prank. It’s mean and feels more embarrassing than anything else. Scare Tactics was kind of in the middle.

Scare Tactics began on SyFy in 2003. The show involved elaborate, hidden camera pranks that included horror-themed elements. Ghouls, ghosts, goblins, and accidental deaths were all on the table. Hosts included the late great Shannen Doherty, Stephen Baldwin, and Tracy Morgan. It lasted for five seasons and produced 114 episodes over ten years. It was a blast and is being brought back from the dead.

Variety reports that Jordan Peele will be producing a Scare Tactics reboot through his company, Monkeypaw Productions, to air on the USA Network (so don’t be surprised if episodes wind up on SyFy as well). “We’re so grateful at Monkeypaw to help reimagine one of our all-time favorite hidden-camera shows. Working with showrunner Elan Gale, one of the most creative and mischievous minds in unscripted television, and Scott Hallock, the brilliant creator of the original Scare Tactics, has been an absolute blast,” explained Monkeypaw Productions President, Win Rosenfeld. “It’s cathartic and hilarious to watch people get a little scared, and the scenarios we cooked up for this season are really wild. We can’t wait to share a little light-hearted schadenfreude with audiences soon.”

This is a big get for the USA Network. Peele’s carries a lot of weight. Attaching it to a horror show like this is a good move. To be fair, Peele’s Twilight Zone reboot wasn’t the most well-received. However, this feels like it has less risk involved. The shoes being filled aren’t nearly as big. If new Scare Tactics ends up being a fun, spooky distraction during the fall months and nothing more, it will be seen as a success. If it bombs, it will wind up on Peacock, and people who didn’t watch it when it aired will yell, “Why did they cancel this?!”

Universal certainly seems to think it will be the former. “What do you get when you combine Jordan Peele, hidden cameras, unsuspecting people, and horror-movie scenarios? You’re about to find out!” Toby Gorman, president of Universal Television Alternative Studio, told Variety. “Working with Monkeypaw Productions, NBCU, and USA Network to bring one of the most creatively scary and hilarious projects to life has been a phenomenal experience. We can’t wait for audiences to join in the fun of our first unscripted project with Jordan as it perfectly blends horror, humor, and reality.”

The show won’t premiere for a couple of months. We will have to wait and see if it is a success (or any good). Still, it coming around the corner means that, right now, some poor soul is being made to believe that the girl they are babysitting is turning into a werewolf. I think that’s swell.