Each episode begins with a satiricalcontent warning for viewers: "Warning: The following program contains scenes of graphic stupidity among lifelong friends who compete to embarrass each other" ("four lifelong friends" in seasons 1 through the first half of season 9, before Gatto leaves the show).
In a typical episode, the cast members, or "jokers", compete against each other in two or three competitive games or dares. The games are contrived scenarios in which one is challenged to embarrass himself by engaging with unwitting strangers, receiving commands from the other jokers who are orchestrating and surveying the bizarre scenario from behind the scenes with covert surveillance equipment. 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 strangers serving as punchlines. Some games involve multiple jokers competing at once to be the first to reach a stated goal. The most common challenge is a joker having to follow instructions given by the other three. If he refuses to follow any instructions, his turn ends, and he loses the challenge. At the end of each joker's turn, he receives either a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down", meaning he has won or lost the game or dare, respectively. The "thumbs downs" received by each joker are recorded on the "loser board".
After the last game or dare, the joker with the most "thumbs downs" on the "loser board" is declared the "big loser" of the episode and undergoes a "punishment," usually involving public embarrassment in which they can not decline. If there is a tie for the most "thumbs downs" between jokers, the tying jokers are all "punished."
Intertitle from Season 3 to the first half of Season 9. From left to right: Q, Murr, Sal, and Joe.
Joe Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Sal Vulcano are four friends and former classmates fromMonsignor Farrell High School inStaten Island,New York. Gatto, Murray and Vulcano were original members of the live improv and sketch comedy troupethe Tenderloins in 1999. They transitioned to producing more comedy material on the internet, with Quinn replacing former Tenderloin Mike Boccio in 2006.[5] In 2007, the Tenderloins won the $100,000 grand prize inNBC'sIt's Your Show competition.
In 2008, they filmed a pilot episode for a scripted sitcom forSpike TV, but the show did not go to series. TruTV announcedImpractical Jokers, originally slated to be namedMission: Uncomfortable, on April 12, 2011, eight months before the show's debut. Murray explained how thehidden 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."[6] Vulcano said "We wanted to utilize our improv strengths … put ourselves into a situation where we know we can be funny and also ourselves. If we’re ourselves and also showcase our friendship, something might resonate there."[7] The concept of feeding each other lines using an earpiece was inspired from talk show hostDavid Letterman feeding neighboring storeownerRupert Jee lines onLate Show with David Letterman.[7] Quinn and Vulcano have said when they gave their pilot episode toTruTV, it was recorded on theiriPhones. At the time that they pitched the idea to TruTV, Murray was VP of Development forNorthSouth Productions, the company that has produced the series since its inception. Murray describes the show as an "upside-down hidden-camera show where the joke is on us, instead of the public. So it takes away the thing people hate about hidden-camera shows, which is, 'Oh, I feel bad for the people getting pranked.' We're messing with each other. The public is just there to witness our embarrassment."[8]
On December 31, 2021, Joe Gatto announced on his Instagram that he would be leavingImpractical Jokers after nine seasons.[9][10] Shortly thereafter, Quinn, on behalf of Murray and Vulcano, sent well wishes for Gatto and announced thatImpractical Jokers would continue working despite Gatto's absence in 2022.[11] Subsequently,Paste reported that TruTV andHBO Max had removed "several episodes featuring Gatto in compromising situations" from their platforms.[12] On February 14, 2022, the show announced that the season would proceed with a lineup of various celebrity guests.[13]
On March 20, 2025, a woman accused Gatto of sexual assault in a TikTok post, an allegation which he has denied.[14] Following the allegations, Gatto canceled his March 26 tour and entered a treatment facility.[15]
Prior to every challenge, the Jokers explain where they are and what the challenge is. Often (but not always) the cast member(s) performing the prank wears anearpiece, 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 aroundNew 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 or refuses to 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. The punishments cannot be refused, lest they be kicked off the show.[8]
James "Murr" Murray is an improvisational comedian from the New York City borough of Staten Island. He attended Monsignor Farrell High School there, and was also part of a community theatre.[20] He continued his education atGeorgetown University where he received a BA in English.[22] He continues to work atNorthSouth Productions, where he is the Senior Vice President of Development.[23] In 2018, he released a sci-fi/horror book calledAwakened, which was co-written by Darren Wearmouth, and revolves around a monster that lives in thesubways of New York City. Two sequels, calledThe Brink andObliteration, were released on June 18, 2019, and June 23, 2020, respectively. He is married to Melyssa Davies.
Sal Vulcano is an improvisational and stand-up comedian from the New York City borough of Staten Island. He earned a degree in Finance fromSt. John's University. Vulcano is also an ordained minister, and officiated Gatto's 2013 wedding. In 2024 he revealed that he had married his longtime girlfriend and they had recently had a daughter.
Joe Gatto (Seasons 1–9) is an improvisational comedian from the New York City borough of Staten Island, where he attended Monsignor Farrell High School.[20] He studied atLong Island Post University where he received a degree in Accounting.[24] He foundedthe Tenderloins comedy troupe in 1999 and worked at the baby retail store Giggle until January 2012. He is the first married Joker, and has two children with his ex-wife[25] Bessy.[26] On December 31, 2021, Gatto announced on his Instagram that he was parting ways with the Tenderloins andImpractical Jokers to focus more on his personal life and family.[9]
ABritish version ofImpractical Jokers began airing in winter 2012 onBBC Three. It starred comedians Paul McCaffrey,Joel Dommett,Marek Larwood andRoisin Conaty.[30] 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.[31] It was cancelled after Series 2 in April 2014, mainly due to its unpopularity. However, more recently,Comedy Central andChannel 5 picked up the rights to co-produce a third season ofImpractical Jokers UK with Yalli Productions, starring Late Night Gimp Fight. It aired from 2016 to 2017.[32]
ADutch version was broadcast onVeronica TV in 2012, calledDe Fukkers. In 2015 a new version started atRTL 5, namedFoute Vrienden. The series ran for 5 seasons, ending in 2019. A third All-Female version started in 2018 calledFoute Vriendinnen.[33]
ABelgian (Flemish) version broadcast on2BE in the fall of 2012, titledFoute Vrienden. James Murray appeared in episode 5 of the first season.[34] The second season, which started in March 2014, included 10 episodes.
ABrazilian version is currently being broadcast onSBT titledAmigos da Onça. The series premiere aired on January 7, 2013[35] and ended on August 13, 2013. James Murray appeared in episode 3 of the second season.
Impractical Jokers has been well received by most critics, with Linda Stasi of theNew York Post calling it "possibly the funniest, most ridiculous show I've seen in years".[38]
While it has been compared to earlier hit prank shows such asCandid Camera andJackass, 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 ofThe 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".[39] Dean Robbins ofThe Daily Page echoed this sentiment, stating that "the friends are jovial rather than Jackass-obnoxious, even rejecting some dares as too offensive".[40]
The series has been generally well received, garnering 1.5 million viewers during its December 15, 2011, premiere.[41]
The review of the show byVariety's Brian Lowry was less positive, ending with this statement: "Nobody will ever confuseImpractical 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".[42]
On February 6, 2023, the borough ofStaten Island officially declared the first Monday of every February "Impractical Jokers Day" in honor of the tenth season of the show.[43]
Jokers Wild was a spin-off of the original series in which the guys filmed a different style of skits that differ from ones that they normally film for the show. These skits are story type as opposed to live interaction with people. The first episode ofJokers Wild aired on September 25, 2014. Four episodes of the six that were filmed for this series were aired on truTV. The show was then cancelled as it did not do well in the ratings.[44][45]
Impractical Jokers: Inside Jokes is a spin-off ofImpractical Jokers in which episodes that have already aired are shown again with pop-up facts throughout, including behind-the-scenes stories and facts directly from the Jokers. The first episode ofImpractical Jokers: Inside Jokes aired on July 14, 2016, following the mid-season British special.[46][47]
Impractical Jokers: After Party is anaftershow hosted byJoey Fatone, in which the Jokers and surprise guests go through a deep dive of challenges, special play-by-play punishment analysis from the latest episode, and bonus content from the latest episode or the whole show. The first episode of the series aired on August 3, 2017, after the episode "The Q-Pay" had aired.After Party is filmed at The Flagship Brewing Company bar in Staten Island. When the series came back on August 2, 2018, the series moved to The Mailroom Bar in Lower Manhattan.
Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party is a spin-off ofImpractical Jokers, in which the Jokers do a video group chat while eating dinner and having guests visit one or more participants. The spin-off was created in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States that preventedImpractical Jokers episodes from being produced. The show's theme song is "Uzi (Pinky Ring)" byWu-Tang Clan. The first episode of the series aired on May 21, 2020.[48] On August 5, 2020, the series was ordered 10 additional episodes and began airing on October 15, 2020. The first season ended on January 14, 2021. At the end of the episode, "Don't Stop Believin" byJourney plays to commence the return of regular episodes.[49][50]
On March 7, 2018,truTV announced thatImpractical Jokers was renewed for an eighth season and a feature-length film to begin development in spring 2018, directed byChris Henchy and produced byFunny 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.[51][52][53]
TruTV and Built Games developed a mobile game calledImpractical Jokers: Wheel of Doom, released in 2018.[54] Wilder Games developed aparty game series includingImpractical Jokers: Box of Challenges andImpractical Jokers: Ultimate Challenge Pack that were released in 2020.[55][56]
The Official Impractical Jokers Podcast started in 2017, hosted by producers Casey Jost and James McCarthy. Episodes are usually released the day after new episodes have broadcast.[57] Assistant director and producer Chá DeBerry joined the podcast as a host in 2021.[58][59]
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