“Foul Play With Anthony Davis,” a new hidden camera prank show hosted by the NBA star, premiered to big numbers on April 6 as it was simulcast across TBS, TNT and TruTV following the NCAA men’s basketball championship game.
After viewers watched the University of Michigan Wolverines defeat the UConn Huskies and win the NCAA championship (averaging 18.3 million viewers, the championship’s best since 2019), a combined 2 million viewers stuck around to watch “Foul Play.” In the adults 25-54 demo, the premiere averaged a 0.86 rating in live+3 Nielsen ratings on TBS alone.
That makes “Foul Play With Anthony Davis” the No. 1 new original cable series in 2026 to date in adults 25-54, according to TBS.
The “Foul Play” premiere gave TBS a big 326% jump over the time slot’s prior six-week average in the demo. “Foul Play,” which airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on TBS, has also generated more than 22 million impressions and 48 million video views to date, according to the cabler.
In live+3 adults 25-54 impressions, the “Foul Play” premiere averaged 366,000 viewers. That’s ahead of the winter’s other cable premieres: TLC’s “Suddenly Amish” (341,000), HBO’s “Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” (272,000), Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Rhode Island” (270,000) and Food Network’s “Flavortown Food Fight” (193,000).
Davis, a ten-time NBA all-star, hosts “Foul Play” as he helps athletes and celebrities pull pranks on their famous friends. The premiere episode included Davis helping LeBron James and agent Rich Paul in pranking NBA star Draymond Green “with an ultra-exclusive investment opportunity that takes a shocking psychic turn.” The episode also features Davis helping Olympic gymnist Jordan Chiles prank WNBA star Rickea Jackson.
Davis and Paul are exec producers, along with “Impractical Jokers” stars and EPs James Murray, Brian Quinn and Sal Vulcano. Simmy Kustanowitz (Bad Woods Entertainment), Ben Newmark and Dan Newmark (Grandma’s House Entertainment), Fara Leff, Danny Barton (4.4.Forty Media) and Stuart Miller are also EPs.
Grandma’s House Entertainment, Bad Woods Entertainment and 4.4.Forty Media are the show’s producers.
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