Impractical Jokers, based in New York and New Jersey, is a hidden camera TV show best summarized as “four lifelong friends who compete to embarrass each other.” Strangers are put in ridiculous situations as they watch Joe, Sal, Q, and Murr secretly follow commands from a headset.  Having 9 seasons and no indication of stopping despite Joe Gatto’s departure from the show, Impractical Jokers has maintained its cult following.

The show differentiates itself from similar mediums of comedy through its unpredictability. The strangers and the jokers both act as variables of chaos that make for great comedy. You never know exactly how a stranger might react; those reactions are the heart of the show. 

Additionally, the show uses a variety of challenges to keep up the impracticality. In one of my favorite episodes, the jokers ride a remote-controlled mobility scooter (Season 7, Episode 6). The twist is that the joker on the scooter has no control over it. In Season 4, the jokers stick pencils into strangers’ bags and see how many they can get before they are caught (Season 4, Episode 17). The premise of these two challenges could not be further apart in concept, yet they are executed flawlessly.

The jokers also maintain this creativity in the punishments at the end of each episode. No two punishments are the same. During one punishment, Sal had to play Bingo in a huge hall and claim that he had a “Bingo” again and again (Season 3, Episode 30) 

In another, Joe has to find and break the fake tables hidden amongst the real ones in a busy restaurant (Season 7, Episode 6). The strangers are confused and occasionally angry while the jokers try to survive the embarrassment of the punishment.

No TV show is complete without its editing and camerawork. Impractical Jokers, a hidden camera TV show, has a moving camera that adds to the sense of realism of the show since the cameramen have to be creative in order to not be caught. Additionally, the show keeps you engaged by showing you out-of-context clips of what is going to happen later in the episode.  The punishment is always teased, but we aren’t told what the punishment is and the joker’s face is censored. 

Although the show has continued, there has been a noticeable change in the overall production and writing of the show since Joe’s departure. For example, in Episode 19 of Season 9, the joke is almost entirely on the strangers when they are told that they are on a prank show with a vulgar name that refers to the strangers as unintelligent. This kind of punishment has always existed throughout the show, but it has become more prominent since Joe’s departure. Joe was known for having a very important role in production compared to the other jokers.

As a whole, Impractical Jokers has maintained its viewership with an average of 1.7 million total viewers per recent episode. The show’s broad appeal regardless of viewer age and commitment to unpredictability has kept its ratings and viewership up. The show will return on July 13th, 2023 with the premiere of its 10th season.