Impractical Jokers

A typical episode is a series of competitive games of dare, in which each joker receives either a thumbs up or thumbs down for his performance. At the climax, the joker who tallied the most thumbs down is the loser and is thereby subjected to a "punishment". The games are contrived scenarios in which one joker is challenged to embarrass himself by engaging with unwitting members of the general public, receiving commands from the other jokers who are orchestrating and surveying the bizarre scenario from behind the scenes with covert recording equipment. The most common premise is "you refuse - you lose." The intro describes the show as "scenes of graphic stupidity among four lifelong friends who compete to embarrass each other." The games are loosely structured, relying heavily upon improvisation. The show's comedic themes range from witty dialogue to slapstick routines, with the reactions of both the jokers and the members of the public serving as punchlines.

Intertitle used since Season 3. From left to right: Q, Murr, Sal, and Joe.

Joe Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Sal Vulcano, four friends from Staten Island, New York, who attended Monsignor Farrell High School, formed the live improv and sketch comedy troupe The Tenderloins in 1999.

After a long and successful history, including winning the $100,000 grand prize in NBC's "It's Your Show" competition, the group went into television. In 2008, they filmed a pilot episode for a scripted sitcom for Spike TV, but the show did not go to series. TruTV announced Impractical Jokers, originally slated to be named Mission: Uncomfortable, on April 12, 2011, eight months before the show's debut. Murray explained how the hidden camera format made sense based on the jokesters' skills. "We needed to find the right format... thing is, we've been doing this for years, but when it's on camera, the embarrassment is amplified."[8] Quinn and Vulcano have said when they gave their pilot episode to TruTV, it was recorded on their iPhones. At the time that they pitched the idea to TruTV, Murray was VP of Development for NorthSouth Productions, the company that has produced the series since its inception.

Prior to every challenge, the Jokers explain where they are, what the challenge is, and what will happen if they fail. Often (but not always) the cast member(s) performing the prank wears an earpiece, while the others have a mic in a covert location. Cameras are hidden near the area to capture the action. The challenge location is usually a public area in or around New York City such as a city park, or store. The criteria of each challenge are the same for each of the Jokers competing in the round. If the Joker cannot complete their task, they get a thumbs-down. At the end of the episode, the Joker(s) with the most thumbs down receives a punishment. Punishments are usually more embarrassing, humiliating, disgusting, painful, scary, or dangerous than any of the other challenges. Punishments cannot be refused or the Joker will be kicked off the show.

As of the 2017–18 television season, the series is syndicated to American broadcast stations by Trifecta Entertainment & Media, with a clearance rate of 85% of television homes.[9]

The Tenderloins in Times Square in 2010

The cast consists of four long-time friends, collectively on the show referred to as "Jokers".

• A British version of Impractical Jokers began airing in winter 2012 on BBC Three. It starred comedians Paul McCaffrey, Joel Dommett, Marek Larwood and Roisin Conaty.[16] The pilot was filmed and placed online as part of "The Comedy Kitchen" in 2012. The first series included six episodes, which aired from November 15 to December 20, 2012. The second series also included six episodes, and aired from February 24 to April 2, 2014. It was produced by Yalli Productions.[17] It was cancelled after Series 2 in April 2014, mainly due to its unpopularity. However, more recently, Comedy Central and Channel 5 picked up the rights to co-produce a third season of Impractical Jokers UK with Yalli Productions, starring Late Night Gimp Fight.[18]
• A Dutch version was broadcast on Veronica TV in 2013, called De Fukkers. In 2015 a new version started at RTL 5, named Foute Vrienden, like the Flemish version.[19]
• A Belgian (Flemish) version broadcast on 2BE in the fall of 2012, titled Foute Vrienden. James Murray appeared in episode 5 of the first season.[20] The second season, which started in March 2014, included 10 episodes.
• A Brazilian version is currently being broadcast on SBT titled Amigos da Onça. The series premiere aired on January 7, 2013[21] and ended on August 13, 2013. James Murray appeared in episode 3 of the second season.
• A Lebanese version was broadcast on Al Jadeed in the fall of 2013.
• A Mexican version broadcast on TBS Latin America started on May 20, 2015 with the title Impractical Jokers.
• A Greek version was broadcast on Ant1 in February 2014 with the title Wanted.
• A French-language Canadian version was broadcast on V on February 24, 2014 with the title Les Jokers.
• A Swedish version was broadcast on TV6 in April 2014 with the title Radiostyrd.
• A Spanish version was broadcast on Neox in 2014 with the title Sinvergüenzas.
• An Egyptian version was released in 2015 with the title Al Mohayesoun.[22]
• A Russian version started broadcasting on November 17, 2018 on Che with the title Shutniki (Шутники)[23]

Impractical Jokers has been well received by most critics, with Linda Stasi of the New York Post calling it "possibly the funniest, most ridiculous show I've seen in years."[24]

While it has been compared to earlier hit prank shows such as Candid Camera and Jackass, critics have offered praise for its unique twist on the genre, wherein the stars' reactions to the pranks are often equally as humorous as those of the innocent bystanders. Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times stated that "the gag pays off twice: once in the reaction of the unsuspecting passer-by, once in the discomfort of the fellow doing the asking." He later wrote that the cast-members' occasional integrity [kept] these four clowns a little bit lovable."[25] Dean Robbins of The Daily Page echoed this sentiment, stating that "the friends are jovial rather than Jackass-obnoxious, even rejecting some dares as too offensive."[26]

The series has been generally well received, garnering 1.5 million viewers during its December 15, 2011, premiere.[27]

The review of the show by Variety's Brian Lowry was less positive, ending with this statement: "Nobody will ever confuse Impractical Jokers with high art, certainly, but as low-brow, micro-cost comedy in the context of truTV's programming resources, it's actually quite practical—and occasionally funny."[28]

On March 7, 2018, truTV announced that Impractical Jokers was renewed for an eighth season and a feature-length film to begin development in spring 2018, directed by Chris Henchy and produced by Funny or Die. Production on the film began at the end of April 2018. A trailer was released on December 17, 2019, and the movie was released on February 21, 2020.[36][37][38]

• Official website of Impractical Jokers
• Impractical Jokers at IMDb