Anthony Davis’ Prank Show ‘Foul Play’ Scores Big Ratings
NBA star Anthony Davis has a hit on his hands. The Dallas Mavericks power forward/center is at the helm of a new prank show that’s already pulling in big numbers.
Foul Play with Anthony Davis debuted on TNT, TBS and TruTV after the NCAA men’s basketball championship on April 6, pulling in two million viewers on a Monday night.
If you remember, Ashton Kutcher became a cultural phenomenon on his MTV show Punk’d, which pulled famous pranks on everyone from Allen Iverson to Justin Timberlake. At one point, being pranked by Kutcher was a sign of your cultural relevance. Punk’d ran from 2003 to 2007, sputtering out after several attempts to reboot with new hosts.
It seems Davis wants to take on that role for a new generation, using the first episode to prank then Los Angeles Sparks star Rickea Jackson, now with the Chicago Sky. Olympian Jordan Chiles worked with Davis to keep Jackson stuck in a parking lot entrance. Also in the episode, LeBron James and his agent, Rich Paul, prank Draymond Green.
The show aired last year as a special but is now a series.
According to a Variety report, the show’s debut averaged a 0.86 rating in the coveted 25-54 demo on TBS. Two million viewers watched after the championship game, which averaged 18.3M viewers.
TBS says that makes Foul Play with Anthony Davis the No. 1 new original cable series in 2026 so far in the 25-54 demo. The show is produced by Davis, Paul, and the Impractical Jokers team of James Murray, Brian Quinn and Sal Vulcano.
“I love pranking people,” Davis told Good Morning America earlier this month. “That’s what I do with my spare time when I’m not playing basketball. Pranking Draymond was one of the most satisfactory things I’ve ever done in my life.”
He added, “I just grew up pranking people. I really got into it during the COVID year. Figured out that I think I want to do this as a show. Went on Impractical Jokers...it just kind of blew up from there. But I’ve always pranked people. Noting too big or too crazy. Until now.”
Foul Play With Anthony Davis airs Mondays on TBS at 9 p.m. EST. Season 1 is 16 episodes, with 32 stars being pranked, including Tara Lipinski and Robert Griffin III.
Check out some of the biggest pranks in sports history here.
