Impractical Jokers

For the British television series, see Impractical Jokers UK.
Impractical Jokers

Opening titlecard (January 2014 - Present)
(L-R): Q, Murr, Sal, Joe
Genre Hidden Camera
Directed by Peter Fowkes (62 episodes)
P. J. Morrison (17 episodes)
Starring Brian Quinn
James Murray
Salvatore Vulcano
Joseph Gatto
Narrated by Drew Patterson
Bill St. James Erik Falcon
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 127
+ 16 specials (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Charlie DeBevoise
Mark Hickman
Brian Quinn
James Murray
Joe Gatto
Sal Vulcano

Pete McPartland
Tommy Cody
Simmy Kustanowitz (for truTV)[1]
Location(s) the Tri-State Area
occasionally: Miami, Texas, Las Vegas, New Orleans, London and Cruise Ships
Camera setup Hidden camera
Running time 20 minutes
Production company(s) NorthSouth Productions
Distributor Warner Bros. Television[2]
Release
Original network TruTV
Picture format 1080i (16:9 HDTV)
Original release December 15, 2011 (2011-12-15) – Present
Chronology
Related shows Impractical Jokers: Inside Jokes
External links
Website
"The Tenderloins" A.K.A "The Impractical Jokers" c. 2011

Impractical Jokers is an American hidden camera-practical joke reality series that premiered on TruTV on December 15, 2011 and is produced by NorthSouth Productions. It follows Joseph "Joe" Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn and Salvatore "Sal" Vulcano, the four members of the comedy troupe The Tenderloins as they coerce one another into doing public pranks while being filmed by hidden cameras. The show differs from other prank television programs in that the stars of Impractical Jokers do not know the details of the prank until the moment they are performing it on strangers. They perform the pranks as challenges to the unsuspecting public and if they fail them, they go on a loser board. At the end of the episode, the joker(s) with the most failures goes through a punishment, which are created by the winning joker(s) and are usually far worse than the challenges themselves.

The show has been renewed for a sixth season, which was announced on July 22, 2016.[1] This season will start airing in February 2017.

Development

Joseph "Joe" Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn and Salvatore "Sal" Vulcano, four high school friends from Staten Island, 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 the series 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."[3] Q and Sal have said when they gave their pilot episode to TruTV, it was recorded on their iPhones. At the time they pitched the idea to TruTV, Murray was VP of Development for NorthSouth Productions, the company that has produced the series since its inception.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
116December 15, 2011 (2011-12-15)May 4, 2012 (2012-05-04)
228September 6, 2012 (2012-09-06)December 12, 2013 (2013-12-12)
331January 2, 2014 (2014-01-02)October 30, 2014 (2014-10-30)
426January 29, 2015 (2015-01-29)October 22, 2015 (2015-10-22)
526[4]February 11, 2016 (2016-02-11)November 3, 2016 (2016-11-03)
Specials16February 2, 2012 (2012-02-02)TBA

Before every challenge, the Jokers explain where they are, what the challenge is, and what will happen if they fail. There is an ear piece placed on the cast member(s) performing the prank while the others have a mic in a covert location. There are also hidden cameras near the area to capture the action. The location in which the challenge takes place is usually a public area in 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 or jokers with the most thumbs down is punished, and the punishments are usually more embarrassing, humiliating, disgusting, painful or scary than any of the challenges. Punishments cannot be refused, or the joker is off the show.

Statistics

Up to date as of November 3, 2016
Impractical Jokers statistics
Joker Punishments Thumbs down Thumbs up Challenges
Joe 30 (24.6%) 115 (36.4%) 205 (64.9%) 316 (89.0%)
Murr 39 (32.0%) 136 (42.9%) 186 (58.7%) 317 (89.3%)
Q 30 (24.6%) 110 (35.4%) 207 (66.6%) 311 (87.6%)
Sal 43 (35.2%) 131 (41.2%) 194 (61.0%) 318 (89.6%)

Cast

Brian Michael "Q" Quinn
(Born March 14, 1976) is an improvisational comedian from the New York City borough of Staten Island. He attended Monsignor Farrell High School where he was involved in numerous activities including drama and sports. Following his graduation, he attended Brooklyn College and later went on to join the New York City Fire Department. He is also the third host of the podcast Tell 'Em Steve-Dave! on SModcast.com.
James Stephen "Murr" Murray
(Born May 1, 1976) is an improvisational comedian from the New York City borough of Staten Island. He attended Monsignor Farrell High School there and was also a part of a community theatre. He continued his education at Georgetown University where he received a BA in English. He currently continues to work at NorthSouth Productions where he is the Senior Vice President of Development.
Salvatore Edward Anthony "Sal" Vulcano
(Born November 6, 1976) is an Italian/Cuban/Puerto Rican American improvisational and stand-up comedian from the New York City borough of Staten Island. He attended Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island where he took part in various sports such as hockey, basketball and football. Upon graduation, he went to St. John's University where he earned a degree in finance. He is an ordained minister and officiated Joe's wedding.
Joseph Anthony "Joe" Gatto Jr.
(Born June 5, 1976) is an Italian American improvisational comedian from the New York City borough of Staten Island. While in Staten Island, he went to Monsignor Farrell High School. After graduation he studied at LIU Post where he received a degree in Accounting. He founded the Tenderloins comedy troupe in 2000 and worked at the baby retail store, Giggle, until January 2011.

Guest appearances

Reception

Impractical Jokers has been very well received by some critics, with Linda Stasi of the New York Post calling it "possibly the 'Funniest, most ridiculous show I’ve seen in years."[5]

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."[6] 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."[7]

The series has been generally well received, garnering 1.5 million viewers during its December 15, 2011 premiere.[8]

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."[9]

Impractical Jokers: Inside Jokes

Impractical Jokers: Inside Jokes is spin-off of Impractical Jokers, in which classic, fan-favorite episodes of the show are broadcast with shareable pop-up facts throughout. With behind-the-scenes stories and surprising factoids directly from the Jokers, this alternate version of existing content gives viewers a look behind the curtain. The first episode of Impractical Jokers: Inside Jokes aired on July 14, 2016 following the episode "British Invasion".[10][11]

International versions

International broadcasts

References

  1. 1 2 Petski, Denise (July 22, 2016). "'Impractical Jokers' Renewed For Season 6 By TruTV". Deadline. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  2. ↑ "WBITVP Appoints Jean-Louis Blot to Lead Warner Bros.' Newly Launched TV Production Operations in France".
  3. ↑ Moye, David (December 14, 2011). "'Impractical Jokers': TruTV's New Hidden Camera Program (VIDEO)". HuffPost Weird News. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  4. ↑ Friedlander, Whitney (October 8, 2015). "'Impractical Jokers' Renewed for Season 5 by TruTV". Variety. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  5. ↑ Stasi, Linda. "Jokers' on you". New York Post. NYP Holdings, Inc. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  6. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (December 14, 2011). "Four Pranksters, Giving as Good as They Get". New York Times Television. The New York Times Publishing Company. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  7. ↑ Robbins, Dean. "Impractical Jokers wallows in embarrassment". Isthmus The Daily Page. Isthmus Publishing Company, Inc. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  8. ↑ Seidman, Robert. "Thursday Cable Ratings: Jaguars/Falcons Top Nigh". Renew/Cancel Index. TVbytheNumbers. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  9. ↑ Lowry, Brian. "Impractical Jokers". Variety TV Review. Reed Business Information. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Impractical Jokers: Inside Jokes". truTV. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  11. ↑ "truTV to Present Mid-Season Premiere IMPRACTICAL JOKERS: BRITISH INVASION, Today". broadwayworld.com. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  12. ↑ "BBC Impractical Jokers profiles".
  13. ↑ "BBC Three announces series of online pilots - News - British Comedy Guide". Comedy.co.uk. November 30, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  14. ↑ Szalai, Georg (February 23, 2015). "'Impractical Jokers' to Get U.K. Version on Viacom's Channel 5, Comedy Central". Hollywood Reporter. Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  15. ↑ "RTL 5 maakt Nederlandse versie Foute Vrienden" (in Dutch). Showbizznetwork.nl. February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Euro nets line up pranks format | News". C21Media. February 22, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  17. ↑ ""Amigos da Onça", novo humorístico do SBT, aposta em câmera escondida". UOL. December 28, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Schedule". action-tv.ca. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Програма - bTV".
  20. ↑ TV-Programm. rtv.de. Retrieved June 25, 2016 (german).
  21. ↑ "«Нереальные подставы» MTV Russia — когда смотреть по ТВ в Шадринске — Яндекс.Телепрограмма".

External links

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