There are times when combining two or more good things doesn’t produce a better result. I’m thinking about going to 7-Eleven as a child and combining all four of my favorite soda pops into one Big Gulp. I had this foreboding hunch in mind as I watched the first episode of Netflix’s The Magic Prank Show starring magician Justin Willman. I love magic shows, and I equally love prank shows, but this must be like mixing Coke and Mountain Dew, right?
To my pleasant surprise, The Magic Prank Show is a delightful amalgamation of the two genres. Justin Willman—who has starred in previous magic shows on Netflix—enlists a group of fellow magicians to pull off high-quality pranks he solicited from the general public. The pranks range from siblings seeking retributive justice to a fiance trying to teach her significant other a lesson about distracted driving. The pranks are elaborate, sophisticated, multi-layered, and most importantly, involve a fantastical element of illusory magic.
A personal favorite prank occurs in the very first episode when Kendrick enlists Willman and his crew to even the score with his older brother, Kendale. Without spoiling the episode, Willman and his crew coax Kendale into a make-believe robotics company under the pretense of a job interview. Kendale, a CPA and professing AI skeptic, is lured into the factory floor where Willman and his crew can leverage all of Kendale’s robotic phobias. The episode ends—the way many of these prank shows conclude—with the brothers in hugs and laughs, celebrating their renewed connection through humor and a mutual sense of vindication.
The Magic Prank Show is a six-episode, good-natured double dose of hijinks and humor that can easily be binged in one sitting. And unlike some of the more intense and graphic programming Netflix has been receiving notoriety for, this is a show that is as light-hearted as it is enjoyable. The Magic Prank Show proves that more of a good thing can produce even greater results. Just don’t ask Willman to add a third novelty to his act. (Netflix)
About the Author
Daniel Jung is a graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary and an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America. He lives in Northern California, where he serves as an associate pastor at Home of Christ in Cupertino.