Punk'd + Cops = Smile You're Under Arrest

If you've watched Reality TV in the past few years you'll know just how popular prank shows and cop shows are. Fox Reality's new show "Smile You're Under Arrest" combines the two mega genres into one funny, yet somewhat demeaning show. The concept is to trick convicts with a warrant for their arrest into coming to a sting operation. Here several actors and under cover deputies await to use the convicts to put on a show. After the fun is said in done, the deputies appear from behind a curtain and the prank is revealed as an arrest is then made. Of course its always funny to watch people get pranked, but must they really go through all that hoopla to arrest someone? These people didn't seem like those found on Dog The Bounty Hunter or Cops. They were all calm when arrest, all played along and none were harsh criminals. I don't know for a fact if that's how these people are, but the way they are portayed as being normal on the show unlike the crazy, drugged up people you see on others. In the end the show works as they did arrest over 300 fugitives in Arizona through the show, so I guess it is a good thing after all.

On the premiere episode we are introduced to the Maricopa Police Agency in Arizona. Led by Joe Arpaio, the show has received some criticism as Arpaio isn't well liked in his town. Many call him racist and his harsh tactics generally don't fall well with the public. Guess you could add Smile to their list of things they don't like about the guy since well, many spoke out against the show and their ways of arrest. We are also introduced to the four actors who move the sting along. In their first operation all four were nervous and weren't really expecting it to be as scary as it really was. They were going to be interacting with convicted felons, but then again all seemed to be for minor offenses so it wasn't like they were asking murders to come to the show.

The first half focused on one of the convicts named Russel Anthony. He has a warrant for his arrest due to not showing up at court. The sting was rather elaborate and started off with the convicts believing they won $300. In order to receive the money they would have to go to a night club and attend to a new clothing line "Average Guy" clothing to get their cash. Russel Arrived at the show ready for the cash but the actors went to work early. He was greeted by the one female actress who ushered him into the back where the remaining were waiting. Here they had the convits try on Average Guy clothing and say a few lines for the camera. You would think they would have gotten the point of the arrest after being told to say "I'd never be arrest in this town wearing Average Guy clothing". Better yet, they had them try on a jail uniform as a "Halloween costume". With the costume on the convicts made their way to the cat walk where two deputies, under cover of course, stood by their side. After revealing that the show was a prank show, all the convicts laughed. But with the second surprise of being told they were under arrest, most still didn't seem to believe it. None of them reacted like you thought they would, they smiled and simply walked out in hand cuffs. It would have been nice to see their reactions to being arrested through the show, but nothing was shown after the handcuffs were on. Also surprising was how little a role Joe Arpaio played. He sat in a back room shouting "arrest that guy" several times but really did little else.

Overall I was excited for the show at the start but it isn't exactly what I thought it would be. It seems like your average prank show, just throwing in the fact that they are pranking convicts rather then everyday people.