Punk'd: The Complete First Season

MTV's guerilla version of television pranking makes sometimes sadistically compelling entertainment. Host, co-creator, and mastermind Ashton Kutcher's unprecedented attack on celebrity egos--via con jobs so elaborate they might have been lifted from episodes of Mission: Impossible--can certainly make one cringe and fret over the show's dubious ethics. But there's no question of a highway-accident appeal to many of Punk'd's practical jokes, including the first season's assaults on actress Eliza Dushku (shattered after being set up to look like a shoplifter) and Justin Timberlake (devastated when he finds faux IRS agents confiscating his house, possessions, and pets). Stephen Dorff, on the other hand, won't put up with a falsified bar tab for $8,000, and Seth Green protests a fake vice cop's insinuation that the diminutive actor betrayed his friends. Less monstrous is Punk'd's preteen confederate, Ryan Pinkston, as a spurious reporter who solicits hugs from the likes of Tori Amos and Christina Applegate. Kind of a Candid Camera for the MTV set, a little of this goes a long way, however, and after a few episodes, viewers may find themselves growing tired of the often mean-spirited jokes. DVD extras include irreverent audio commentary by Kutcher, costar Dax Shepard, and co-creator Jason Goldberg; extra footage, and a couple of deleted segments. Very optional. (T. Keogh)