Smile! Mayim Bialik’s On ‘Candid Camera’

Mayim Bialik is fleshing out her resume with a reboot of the classic television series, Candid Camera, the TV Land network announced Thursday. Entertainment Weekly first broke the news, in advance of TV Land’s panel at Comic-Con. The star herself tweeted confirmation of her involvement, calling it a “side gig” and linking to the EW article:

I have a new side gig: http://t.co/UPa8cAtxXQ

— Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) July 24, 2014

The roots of Candid Camera go back to the 1940s, and Mayim was quick to express her appreciation of the series and its classic tagline:

“Since I was a child, I have found it impossible to not smile when I hear, ‘Smile! You’re on Candid Camera!’ and I am honored and tickled pink to get to be a part of this amazing franchise.”

First broadcast in 1948, Candid Camera graced television screens in one form or another until 2004. The reboot on TV Land will debut August 11, with Mayim joining Peter Funt, the show’s longtime host and son of its original star and creator, Allen Funt. The new Candid series will be on every night its first week, then every Tuesday until it completes its 10-episode run. Fans who miss the pranks the first week will be in luck, as the new episode on Tuesdays will be supplemented with “encore” airings of the program throughout the week.

Mayim may have time for a side project, since The Big Bang Theory has yet to start production of Season 8. Unlike her fellow cast members, Mayim Bialik has signed a new contract for her role as Amy on the show. As the The Inquisitr reported previously, she and Melissa Rauch, who plays Bernadette, both got new deals with pay increases. The core cast members, however, have yet to agree to come back. The series has already been extended for another three seasons.

It has been widely reported, including by the Mirror in the UK, that Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, and Kaley Cuoco are requesting $1 million per episode, up from their current pay of $350,000 per episode and 0.25 “points” — a portion of the show’s profits. The cast is due to begin read-throughs of the new episodes on July 30.

Meanwhile, Candid Camera is shooting in cities across the U.S. According to EW, they have already hit Chicago and New York. Bialik and Funt are not the only stars on the program; reportedly, Megan Hilty from Smash also helped out with some Camera pranks.

The Big Bang Theory, featuring Mayim Bialik. is scheduled to return in September.

[Image: Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP]