Impractical Jokers is an American hidden camera and improv comedy show produced by NorthSouth Productions. It premiered on TruTV on December 15, 2011, starring the members of The Tenderloins: Brian "Q" Quinn, James "Murr" Murray, Sal Vulcano, and Joe Gatto, who left in December 2021. In March 2024, the series was relocated to TBS, which originally simulcast the tenth season, due to a programming network overhaul at truTV. Despite this, truTV continues to air reruns.
Impractical Jokers thirteenth as well the current season premiered on July 23, 2026. A feature-length film for the show was theatrically released on February 21, 2020.
Overview Each episode of the series begins with a satirical content warning for viewers: "Warning: The following program contains scenes of graphic stupidity among lifelong friends who compete to embarrass each other." The warning refers to the four original cast members from the first season through the first half of season 9, before Gatto's departure.
In a typical episode, the cast members, collectively referred to as "Jokers", compete against each other in two or three games or challenges. The games usually involve one Joker attempting to complete an embarrassing task while the others observe and direct the scenario from behind the scenes using covert surveillance equipment. The Jokers generally interact with unsuspecting members of the public, and the challenges rely heavily upon improvisation. The show's comedy employs dialogue, slapstick, and the humorous reactions of both the public and the Jokers.
Some challenges involve multiple Jokers competing simultaneously to reach a specified goal. In others, one Joker must follow instructions given by the others. Refusing to comply with an instruction ends the Jokers' turn and results in a loss for that challenge. At the end of each challenge, the Joker receives either a "thumbs-up" or "thumbs-down", indicating whether they completed the challenge successfully. Thumbs-downs received by the Jokers are recorded on the "loser board".
After the final challenge, the Joker with the most thumbs-downs is declared the "big loser" and must undergo a punishment, typically involving a public or otherwise embarrassing situation that they cannot decline. If two or more Jokers are tied for the most thumbs-downs, all of the tied Jokers receive the punishment.
Development
Joe Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Sal Vulcano are four friends and former classmates from Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island, New York. Gatto, Murray and Vulcano were original members of the live improv and sketch comedy troupe the Tenderloins in 1999. They transitioned to producing more comedy material on the internet, with Quinn replacing former Tenderloin Mike Boccio in 2006. In 2007, the Tenderloins won the $100,000 grand prize in NBC's It's Your Show competition.
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." 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." The concept of feeding each other lines using an earpiece was inspired from talk show host David Letterman feeding neighboring storeowner Rupert Jee lines on Late Show with David Letterman. 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. 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."
On December 31, 2021, Joe Gatto announced on his Instagram that he would be leaving Impractical Jokers after nine seasons. Shortly thereafter, Quinn, on behalf of Murray and Vulcano, sent well wishes for Gatto and announced that Impractical Jokers would continue working despite Gatto's absence in 2022. Subsequently, Paste reported that TruTV and HBO Max had removed "several episodes featuring Gatto in compromising situations" from their platforms. On February 14, 2022, the show announced that the season would proceed with a lineup of various celebrity guests. On March 18, 2026, the show was renewed for a thirteenth season.
Challenge format Prior to every challenge, the Jokers explain where they are and what the challenge is. The cast member performing the prank often wears a hidden earpiece, while the remaining members dictate commands using a microphone 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 remain the same for each participating Joker. If a Joker cannot or refuses to complete an instruction, they get a "thumbs-down". At the end of the episode, the Joker(s) with the most thumbs-down receives a punishment, which cannot be refused under penalty of being removed from the series.
Types of Challenges Do as you are told These challenges serve as the series' signature mechanism as they can be applied to any situation. For example, a Joker is working as a waiter at a local restaurant, a sales clerk at a store, or a janitor at a mall's food court. A variant involves a Joker, a crew member, and a local actor working in a commercial of some kind.
Revenge for the bully This challenge involves a Joker being "bullied" by a crew member of the series—frequently producer Dan Cast—in front of a member of the public. The other Jokers then provide the victimized Joker with an absurdly trivial plan of revenge, and the unsuspecting bystander must agree that the revenge plan is sufficient.
Lame apology This challenge involves a Joker presenting a stranger with a scenario where he has committed a minor transgression. However, the apology would be intentionally unsatisfactory and entirely redundant.
Try not to laugh This challenge incorporates another core comedic element of the series, focusing specifically on suppressing laughter. The challenge is highly versatile and can come in a variety of forms, such as a Joker reading fabricated, absurd names to people in a waiting room, or reading scripted reviews written by the other cast members. Additional variations include a Joker taking part in a fictitious documentary where they must read humorous lines provided by their peers, or navigating a bizarre, staged scenario designed specifically to evoke laughter.
Focus group This challenge involves the Jokers teaming up or competing head-to-head to deliver a presentation to a group of people. However, the presentation has been written by the other Jokers, and the person or team with the fewest hands raised loses.
Games Jokers play This could be any type of game played at a variety of locations. For instance, a grocery store setting includes games where a Joker attempts to throw toilet paper into a person's cart, pin balloons on the back of a stranger's clothing, or catch objects without dropping any items. The Jokers also team up to play a game at the mall where one Joker distracts a passerby while another Joker attempts to hook the target's bag with a giant fishing hook.
Fraud makers This challenge involves a setup, usually in a grocery store, where a Joker fakes an injury in front of a bystander to get that person to agree to a fraudulent lawsuit. Another variant involves a valuable item getting stolen, with a Joker and a stranger witnessing the action. However, the incident subsequently reported by the two witnesses deliberately do not match.
Housesitter wanted A Joker tours an unsuspecting person around a house that is filled with rigged, unusual surprises. After various pranks occur during the tour, the Joker must ask the person if they want to housesit. An additional variant involves a Joker interviewing a stranger for a fictitious job.
Episodes
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.TruTV's 'Impractical Jokers' Cleared in 85% of U.S. - Deadline Hollywood (Published May 24, 2017; accessed September 7, 2017) Internationally, the series airs on Citytv in Canada, late nights on E4 in the UK and E.tv in South Africa.
Cast The current cast consists of three long-time friends, collectively on the show referred to as the "Jokers".
Main
Brian "Q" Quinn 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. He attended Brooklyn College and later went on to join the New York City Fire Department. He is the third host of the podcast Tell 'Em Steve-Dave!, which was formerly on SModcast.com. 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. He continued his education at Georgetown University where he received a BA in English. He continues to work at NorthSouth Productions, where he is the Senior Vice President of Development. In 2018, he released a sci-fi/horror book called Awakened, which was co-written by Darren Wearmouth, and revolves around a monster that lives in the subways of New York City. Two sequels, called The Brink and Obliteration, 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 from St. John's University. Vulcano is also an ordained minister, and officiated Gatto's 2013 wedding. In May 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. He studied at Long Island Post University where he received a degree in Accounting. He founded the 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 wife Bessy. On December 31, 2021, Gatto announced on his Instagram that he was parting ways with the Tenderloins and Impractical Jokers to focus more on his personal life and family.
Notable special guests Rosie O'Donnell (Season 2) Dan Reynolds (Season 2) Wayne Sermon (Season 2) Joey Fatone (Seasons 3, 5–7, 10 & 12) Tommy Dreamer (Seasons 3 & 6) Iain Armitage (Season 3) Soren Thompson (Season 4 & 7) Danica McKellar (Seasons 4 & 6–7) Byamba (Seasons 4 & 7) Grant Marshall (Season 4) Colin White (Season 4) Howie Mandel (Season 4) Rachel Sklar (Season 5) Alex Brightman (Season 5) James Buckley (Season 5) Travis Pastrana (Season 5) Kay Adams (Season 5) Gary Busey (Seasons 6–7) Bryan Johnson (Seasons 6–7) Bully Ray (Season 6) Velvet Sky (Season 6) Casey Jost (Season 6) Jesse Bravo (Season 6) Matthew Lewis (Season 6) Christopher John O'Neill (Season 6) Noah Syndergaard (Season 6) Kayla Harrison (Season 6-7)