Just finished watching the entire Penn and Teller special, including the first nine minutes. Maybe the most amazing feat was that they got a network to spring for a prime-time magic special. David Copperfield hasn't done one in a long time. Lance Burton stopped doing them. Those "World's Greatest Magic" spectaculars have vanished without magically reappearing in the rear of the house.
Specials in general aren't seen much anymore. Viewing patterns have changed and the current network thinking is that if you love a certain show, it's risky to preempt it for a week and put something in its place. There was a time when viewers were patient enough to wait for their faves but now they're more inclined to sample something else and perhaps fall in love with it. (This is not unrelated to why Leno and Letterman rarely air reruns older than a month or two. When Johnny Carson took a night off, he often ran a year-old program. Jay and Dave don't dare because, the thinking goes, the out-of-date references will make viewers think, "Old show. Let's see what else is on." And they may find something they like better.)
Penn and Teller: Off the Deep End was fun but a little long. I suspect that's just a matter of tight budgeting. Ten years ago, this would have been an hour special with a similar budget or higher. Today, networks are looking harder for the "bargain" license fee and they like their shows to either come in cheaper or fill more time for the same money. That probably explains why Penn and Teller are still in the TV special business when the other guys aren't. They aren't better magicians but they're cleverer and almost every trick has a concept and a story behind it…so they not only do the trick but they show you the set-up and later, they show you how they do it…and in this special, they even showed some of the rehearsals and screw-ups. Mr. Copperfield would rather show you his private parts than show you his rehearsals and screw-ups. He's the master when you have major bucks to spend but when money is tight, as it seems to be these days in prime-time television, Penn and Teller have the edge.
Okay, I'm going to go watch the Saturday Night Live special that followed. I may or may not be back.