History Series / PennAndTellerBullshit

* SelectiveStupidity: ** A woman is sent to an environmental festival to collect signatures to ban "dihydrogen monoxide" because of its harmful effects (if you inhale it, you'll die) and its prevalence (your children are exposed to it every day) and she collected a ton of them. For those whose chemistry is rusty, "dihydrogen monoxide" is an overly-scientific but technically accurate name for water.

* ShownTheirWork: Pretty much everything is heavily researched so that the show actually has proof to back up its claims, rather than just making things up to make the topics featured look bad.

* TheTalk: Some of the focus of the Abstinence episode is how parents leaving this job up to the school system can result in a lot of misinformation, some of it intentionally wrong designed to scare teens into not having sex.

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: Their main criticism of all sides in the "World Peace" episode is that everyone is describing peace in flowery poetic language as though it were something as ethereal and imprecise as love. Instead, they should be describing it as "not war", accoding to Penn. He argues that this is a major barrier to ever actually achieving world peace.

* AuthorAppeal: The entire purpose of the series.

* BadassPreacher: Father Henry in ''Death Inc.'' Yes, a ''priest'' on Penn & Teller's side.

** Penn & Teller say that Cindy Sheehan's idea that Congress started the Iraq War for profit with skepticism, saying that they "doubt it's that simple or that dramatic" as the real reason for war. However, the guys also sympathize with Sheehan's pain over losing her son to the war, and also say that her attempt to enforce change by running for a Congressional seat as "just plain not bullshit" because she attempted something that could actually have an effect.

* SelectiveStupidity: ** A woman is sent to an environmental festival to collect signatures to ban "Dihydrogen monoxide" because of its harmful effects (if you inhale it, you'll die) and its prevalence (your children are exposed to it every day) and she collected a ton of them. For those whose chemistry is rusty, "Dihydrogen monoxide" is [[spoiler: ''water''.]]

-->'''Penn''': (at a set dressed as Harry Houdini's grave, to the headstone) Harry, can you believe it? The same bullshit you so thoroughly debunked almost a century ago is continuing, and even enjoying a resurgence. (to camera) See? Anyone can talk to the dead! Getting an answer, that's the hard part.\\
'''Teller''': (as Houdini, his face poking through the foam layer front of the headstone) [[TitleDrop Bullshit!]]
* ThreeWaySex[=/=]AThreesomeIsManly: In the War on Porn episode, one of the critics of the sex industry makes the claim that this kind of sex is torture and one of the things that desensitizes men to rape.
* TimeMarchesOn: The episode debunking the 2012 apocalypse theories is a little... ''dated'', post-2012.

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: Their main criticism of all sides in the "World Peace" episode is that everyone is describing it in flowery poetic language as though it were something as ethereal and imprecise as love instead of "not war". They argue that this is a major barrier to ever actually achieving it.

* PetTheDog: While they're generally merciless against people they disagree with, they're far more polite and easygoing on [[PapaWolf Mark Klaas]] in ''Death Penalty'', since he supports it because his daughter was raped and killed by a repeat offender.

* InsistentTerminology: Every time they cut to Kate in the Environmental Hysteria episode they make a point of mentioning that she is a prominent member and chosen spokesperson for the Rainforest Action Network. After a while Penn explains that this is because she was so unprepared and apparently clueless about her own group's stance that it comes off like they're just picking on a random person.

--> '''Penn:''' Clark Bar...({{Beat}})...tram.

** Kate Lowe, a self-described "global justice activist" in the Rainforest Action Network, is asked several questions in her episode about the environment, and can't seem to answer any of them. Penn even has to remind the audience that the show didn't just pick Lowe off the street; ''Bullshit'' asked RAN to send a knowledgeable representative of their policies and positions to be interviewed, and she's the best they could come up with. Penn even describes Lowe as someone who is "young, passionate, and means well", but wonders why she's never asked such basic questions of her cause.

* ImmigrantPatriotism: Addressed in the Immigration episode.
** Also in the "Big Brother" episode. The only test subject who continued to monitor suspected terrorism when porn stars were going at it in the next house was from Kenya.
* AnImmigrantsTale: Also addressed in the Immigration episode.

* InsaneTrollLogic: Seen in the "War on Porn" episode, where an anti-pornography activist tries to argue that all pornography is just a gateway drug for child pornography, and that men who enjoy porn will inevitably turn out to be pedophiles.

''Penn & Teller: Bullshit!'' (or ''P&T:B.S!''), hosted by comedians and stage magicians [[Creator/PennAndTeller Penn Jillette and Teller]], is a Creator/{{Showtime}} original series that follows in the footsteps of great men like Creator/HarryHoudini and The Amazing James Randi -- by debunking popular misconceptions and exposing both liars ("motherfuckers"), quacks ("assholes") and faulty science ("bullshit").

''Penn & Teller: Bullshit!'' (or ''P&T:B.S!''), hosted by comedians and stage magicians [[Creator/PennAndTeller Penn Jillette and Teller]], is a Creator/{{Showtime}} original series that follows in the footsteps of great men like Creator/HarryHoudini and The Amazing James Randi -- by debunking popular misconceptions and exposing both liars ("motherfuckers") and faulty science ("bullshit").

[[caption-width-right:350:They can smell it from miles away.]]

->''"You'll notice more obscenity than we usually use. That's not just because it's on Showtime, and we want to get some attention. It's also a legal matter. If one calls people liars and quacks, one can be sued and lose a lot of one's money. But "motherfuckers" and "assholes" is pretty safe. If we said it was all scams, we could also be in trouble. But BULLSHIT, oddly, is safe, so forgive all the bullshit language. We're trying to talk about the truth without spending the rest of our lives in court because of litigious motherfuckers."''

This short list gives you an idea of the subjects P & T go after: they target the liars and faulty sciences that most people believe in, then expose why people benefit from those misguided beliefs (and make fun of everyone in the process). The duo even admitted in the "Recycling" episode that they, and many other people on their staff, believed in recycling (in Penn's own words, "Everybody got a gris-gris"[[note]]a voodoo good-luck charm - in context, "Everyone has a pet piece of nonsense they still cling to, despite evidence to the contrary."[[/note]]). The "UsefulNotes/{{NASA}}" episode opened with P & T reading some of their hate mail before they agreed to call "bullshit" on something they cherished.

* GrammarNazi: They drop in mini-lectures a few times for this reason, like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_HscBWJhNQ The difference between acronyms and initialisms.]]

The Showtime original ''Penn & Teller: Bullshit!'' (or ''P&T:B.S!''), hosted by comedians and stage magicians [[Creator/PennAndTeller Penn Jillette and Teller]], follows in the footsteps of great men like Harry Houdini and The Amazing James Randi: the pair debunks popular misconceptions and exposes both liars ("motherfuckers") and faulty science ("bullshit").

To do this, P & T interview proponents of different views in the fields they debunk, then add facetious voice-overs that mock whichever side they disagree with and introduce the people who make money from it as "assholes". They occasionally throw in some non-scientific experiments and point out official policies, rules, and methodologies of various organizations that point out the hypocrisy of said organizations. Since both Penn and Teller identify as [[UsefulNotes/PoliticalIdeologies Classic Liberals ('Libertarians')]], they never fail to [[AuthorTract use the show to advocate their viewpoint]] -- but [[UnreliableNarrator they admit their bias]] and insist that the viewer should make up their own mind based on the information presented.

* '''Literature/TheBible''': The pair sum up their position with their closing line: "[[ThisIsAWorkOfFiction the characters and events depicted in the damn Bible are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons living or dead, is purely coincidental]]". They also think of the Bible as a ''terrible'' source for morality lessons.

* '''P.E.T.A.''': The organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - will kill humans to further the cause of animal rights (as the group supports [[AnimalWrongsGroup terrorist organizations]]) and has proven itself hypocritical on a number of key issues. Just to cite one example, one of the high-ranking PETA members, Mary Beth Sweeten, takes medicine for her diabetes -- medicine discovered through ''animal testing'', a practice that PETA is supposedly against.

* '''Wal-Mart''': UsefulNotes/{{Walmart}} has become the end result of a capitalist market; they do a lot of good for their employees and help the poor all over America, which makes them unfair targets for the hate Wal-Mart stores receive.

The "[[OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope lawyer-friendly]]" format as laid out in the page-topping quote paid off in the end: nobody ever managed to successfully sue Penn & Teller over the show.

-->'''Penn:''' If God hadn't wanted us to [[ADateWithRosiePalms jerk off]], He wouldn't have given us Astroglide, golf clubs, and used panties to wear over our heads.

* YouNeedToGetLaid: Of the ADateWithRosiePalms variety in the "Manners" episode:

* ADateWithRosiePalms: {{Discussed}} and encouraged in the Abstinence episode. One virgin the show talked to said he'd "probably throw [himself] out of a window" if he didn't masturbate.

* '''PETA''': PETA will kill humans to further the cause of animal rights (as the group supports [[AnimalWrongsGroup terrorist organizations]]) and has proven itself hypocritical on a number of key issues. Just to cite one example, one of the high-ranking PETA members, Mary Beth Sweeten, takes medicine for her diabetes -- medicine discovered through ''animal testing'', a practice that PETA is supposedly against.

This short list gives you an idea of the subjects P & T go after: they target the liars and faulty sciences that most people believe in, then expose why people benefit from those misguided beliefs (and make fun of everyone in the process). The duo even admitted in the "Recycling" episode that they, and many other people on their staff, believed in recycling (in Penn's own words, "Everybody got a gris-gris"[[note]]a voodoo good-luck charm[[/note]]). The "UsefulNotes/{{NASA}}" episode opened with P & T reading some of their hate mail before they agreed to call "bullshit" on something they cherished.

* BuxomIsBetter: Deconstructed in the "Sex, Sex, Sex" episode, where they generally argue against breast enhancement, but most of their ire, like with penis enlargement, is for those touting non-surgical methods (like hypnosis) that just don't work.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: {{Discussed}} and encouraged in the Abstinence episode.

** Also done in the episode on multi-level marketing, where they say that anyone who tries to make a living doing it is nothing but a victim of the multi-level marketing companies, due to the minimal or nonexistent profit margins.

* NostalgiaAintLikeItUsedToBe[=/=]NostalgiaFilter: {{Deconstructed}} in the "Good Ol' Days" episode. Three fans of ''Series/LeaveItToBeaver'' meet Ken Osmond (who played Eddie Haskell on the show) and told him how much they preferred the world as seen in the 1950s sitcom to the modern world. Notably, none of the three fans were born when the show was made. Haskell himself was far more critical of the 1950s than they were and thought they had an idealized notion of the '50s that wasn't true to life. He did admit the 50s were pretty nice for middle class white males, but not so much for everyone else.
** They also point out several people talking about how life was simpler several decades ago. Even though the people are talking about different decades, Penn points out in thing they all have in common: the people talking were children at the time. So of course things seemed simpler back then.
* OldShame: In-universe. Penn is not a fan of how the show was [[Really700YearsOld back in the Renaissance]].

--->'''Penn''': Now that we know you're not going anywhere...

* SarcasmMode: Penn, quite frequently.
%%* {{Satire}}

%%* TakeThat: The whole point of the show.

* ClusterFBomb: [[EnforcedTrope Enforced]]. Since calling someone a "motherfucker" or an "asshole" is legally safer than calling someone a liar or a fraud, the hosts use colorful language to avoid being sued. They explain this "lawyer-friendly" format in the first episode, even pointing out how they're not ones to curse as often as they do on the show. Considering all lawsuits against the show were unsuccessful, it paid off.

* DoingInTheWizard: In the Bible episode the theologian they interview brings up the idea that the "parting of the Red Sea" miracle would be better translated as "the Hebrews escaped across the dried marsh". Penn can't figure out how the latter is even a miracle; the best he can come up with is "the smell didn't annoy them." He and Teller also do this against claimed paranormal phenomena on the show regularly.

-->'''Penn''': The lesser of two evils is still evil. And the enemy of my enemy is ''not'' my friend.

* GayAesop: The "Family Values" episode is pro-gay marriage, picking apart every anti-gay marriage argument that the hosts can find while also saying that the concept of the "American family" is changing. Also, the "Boy Scouts" episode features a segment where Penn decries the practice of the Boy Scouts firing gay troop leaders or preventing gay boys from joining.[[note]]The Boy Scouts have since reversed their positions on both of these issues, but the damage to their reputation has already been done.[[/note]] Finally, the "Nukes, Hybrids, and Lesbians" episode has a pair of lesbians going on a date in a rented hybrid vehicle, pausing the date from time to time to show how impractical the cars are.

* GonzoJournalism: They don't even attempt to come off as objective or impersonal in their mockery, but that's part of the schtick.

* BreatherEpisode: The Dolphins episode, as {{lampshaded}} repeatedly. They consider the concept so ludicrous that they half-ass the entire episode.

%%* ButtMonkey: Things conspire against Teller quite often.

-->''"You can't heal a broken heart by pretending it's not broken."''

* AngryBlackMan: Featured in the Reparations episode, with examples on both sides.

-->'''Penn''': (at a set dressed as Harry Houdini's grave, to the headstone) Harry! Can you believe it? The same bullshit you so thoroughly debunked almost a century ago is continuing! And even enjoying a resurgence! (to camera) See? Anyone can talk to the dead! Getting an answer, that's the hard part.\\

* VictoriasSecretCompartment: The trope is referenced by name in the "Gun Control" episode by a woman who conceal-carries in this manner.

-->''"P&T are siding with the creeps. We always have. We love them; we '''are''' them. There are enough Earthly reasons to be interested in each other. The bullshit just gets in the way."''