Just for Laughs: Gags

On 26 December 2000, JFL: Gags began airing on French Canadian network Canal D. In the following years, the show was picked up by TVA, CBC and The Comedy Network in Canada, BBC1 in the UK, TF1 in France and ABC and Telemundo in the United States; the Canadian version (unlike the ones produced for ABC) aired in the United States in first-run syndication starting in the fall of 2015. That version is distributed by PPI Partners and is available in both weekday strip and weekend runs.[2]

The series uses a hidden camera format, playing pranks on unsuspecting subjects while hidden cameras capture the subjects' responses; each episode presents multiple gags. While some segments have included brief dialogue, most do not contain any sound or dialogue; the audio is replaced with sound effects, a laugh track, and public domain music.

Most segments are filmed in Montreal, while some have been filmed in Quebec City, Vancouver and Mexico. British and Asian versions have been produced in the UK and Singapore, respectively. In 2011 the show spawned a spinoff, Just Kidding, which consists exclusively of kids playing pranks on adults.

With its silent format and no translation required (outside of gag set-up commentary which is easily localized), Just for Laughs: Gags has been purchased for use in over 100 countries throughout the world as well as in airports and by airlines. Reactions to the gags range from "inane"[3] to cross-culturally funny.[4] The same distributors also distribute Surprise Sur Prise, a similar show.

A gag on 'Just for Laughs'

In March 2011, Just for Laughs Gags entered into a partnership with Montreal-based, entertainment site, Videobash.com[5] and now have their own devoted channel there. (No video has been posted as of this writing.)

This section requires specific casting related to Just for Laughs: Gags.[6]

• Claude Talbot;
• Dany Many;
• Denis Levasseur;
• Denise Jacques;
• Francis Gio Santiago;
• Jack Martin;
• Jacques Drolet;
• Jean Guimond;
• Jean Kohnen;
• Jean-Pierre Alarie;
• Jean Provencher;
• Keith Law;
• Kirsteen O'Sullivan;
• Marie-Andrée Poulin;
• Marie-Ève Larivière;
• Marie-Pierre Bouchard;
• Nadja David;
• Pascal Babin;
• Philippe Bond;
• Richard Ledoux;
• Sonia Butterworth.

In the opening of each prank, the actors introduce how the prank was done and how it will be shown as well. Below, just some few illustrative examples from the thousands of pranks filmed for the 3000+ episodes include:

• Alien in the bushes: as people pass by a street, bushes shake uttering a strange language. As they try to check it, an alien pops out and chases them away;
• Hand out of the coffin: a coffin is abandoned in a park and when people pass by, a hand pops out;
• Stolen tires: an elderly lady asks bystanders to help her carry two tires to her car. But as they do so, they pass a police vehicle which is missing them. They tell the officer that they were the lady's and they were helping her take it to her car but as they look back, she was nowhere to be found;
• Dead bird in a race: people passing are asked to fire a starting pistol to help start a race. Once they give a shot in the air, a pigeon falls down;
• Honking at Hookers: a traffic police officer stops drivers and checks their license. Two hot prostitutes walk by and the officer honks a horn and the women appear to believe the drivers honked at them.
• Instant Accomplice: stranger's friend or loved ones take part on a prank.

At the end of every prank, the hidden cameras are revealed. During the pranks, actors would also participate as victims for uninvolved bystanders or crowds.

Just for Laughs is an American sketch comedy show hosted by Rick Miller produced by Dakota Pictures that shows clips from the Canadian version of the show. Good ratings during the summer airings in 2007 and a writer's union strike resulted in ABC adding the show to the network lineup as a mid-season replacement for 2007-2008. It returned to the schedule on 1 January 2008, before being canceled on 12 May 2008. However, on 4 June 2009, it was announced that a third season would begin airing on 21 June 2009.[7] Program Partners brought the show back to the United States for a fourth season beginning in fall 2015; this season aired in first-run syndication.[8]

• Just for Laughs Gags 1
• Just for Laughs Gags 2

• Just For Laughs Gags Official YouTube Channel
• Just Kidding Official YouTube Channel
• Just for Laughs Gags at TV.com
• Just for Laughs Gags Channel on Videobash.com

also at:

• hahaha.com
• Hidden Camera classics (Youtube)
• Just for laughs standup channel