Just for Laughs Gags

Last updated

Just for Laughs Gags
Just For Laughs Gags.png
Also known asJust for Laughs
Genre Comedy
Created byPierre Girard
Jacques Chevalier
Country of originCanada
Original languagesSilent
Interjection
French
English
No. of seasons24 (as of 2024)
No. of episodes3,000+
Production
Producer Just for Laughs
Production locationsCanada (cities of Quebec, Montreal and Vancouver)
Mexico
Running time15–22 minutes
Original release
Network
Release26 December 2000 (2000-12-26) 
present (present)
Related
Just for Laughs (British TV series)
Just for Laughs Gags Asia
Just Kidding
Candid Camera

Just for Laughs Gags (French: Juste pour rire les gags) is a Canadian silent comedy/hidden camera reality television series that is under the Just for Laughs brand [1] created by Pierre Girard and Jacques Chevalier. [2]

Contents

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 music.

Production

On 21 December 2000, Just for Laughs 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 and also Laff 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. [3]

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 spin-off, Just Kidding , which consists exclusively of kids playing pranks on adults.[ citation needed ]

Cast

This section requires specific casting related to Just for Laughs Gags. [4]

Reception

A gag on Just for Laughs Gags Tv just for laughs gags.JPG
A gag on Just for Laughs Gags

With its silent format and no translation required (outside of gag set-up commentary which is easily localised), in three years Just for Laughs Gags reached 70 countries and by 2015 had been purchased for use in over 130 countries throughout the world as well as in airports and by airlines. [7] [8]

Reactions to the gags range from "inane" [9] to cross-culturally funny. [10] The same distributors also distribute Surprise Sur Prise , a similar show.

Bruce Hills, who is COO of the company responsible for the show, thinks that the reason why it is in demand among TV channels is because of its feature of expressing to audiences without language. [7]

Just for Laughs (American TV series)

Just for Laughs Gags
Also known asJust for Laughs
Genre Comedy
Created by Rick Miller
Directed by Troy Miller
Presented byRick Miller
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes35
Production
Executive producerTroy Miller
Production locationWarner Brothers Studios
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time23 minutes
Original release
Network ABC
Release17 July 2007 (2007-07-17) 
12 July 2009 (2009-07-12)

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 2007–08.

It returned to the schedule on 1 January 2008, before being cancelled on 12 May 2008. On 4 June 2009, it was announced that a third season would begin airing on 21 June 2009. [11]

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. [12]

Seasonal Nielsen ratings

Seasonal ratings based on average total viewers per episode of Just for Laughs on ABC:

SeasonEpisodesTimeslot (EDT)Season PremiereSeason FinaleTV SeasonRankViewers
(in millions)
117Tuesday 8:00 PM17 July 20076 November 2007 2006-2007 #1117.06
214Tuesday 8:00 PM1 January 20081 April 2008 2007-2008 #1564.93
34Sunday 7:30 PM21 June 200912 July 2009 2008-2009 #1503.90

Season 1 (2007)

No.
overall
No. in
season
Original airdate
1117 July 2007
2224 July 2007
3331 July 2007
447 August 2007
5514 August 2007
6621 August 2007
7728 August 2007
884 September 2007
9911 September 2007
101018 September 2007
111125 September 2007
12122 October 2007
13139 October 2007
141416 October 2007
151523 October 2007
161630 October 2007
17176 November 2007

Season 2 (2008)

No.
overall
No. in
season
Original airdate
1811 January 2008
1928 January 2008
20315 January 2008
21422 January 2008
22529 January 2008
2365 February 2008
24712 February 2008
25819 February 2008
26926 February 2008
27104 March 2008
281111 March 2008
291218 March 2008
301325 March 2008
31141 April 2008

Season 3 (2009)

No.
overall
No. in
season
Original airdate
32121 June 2009
33228 June 2009
3435 July 2009
35412 July 2009

YouTube channel

The show has an official YouTube channel. As of March 2023, the channel had at least 7.3K videos. [13]

Lawsuit

In 2014, an 83-year-old woman was preparing to sue Just for Laughs for child related pranking. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Candid Camera</i> American hidden camera reality television series (1948–2014)

Candid Camera is an American hidden camera reality television series, with versions of the show appearing on television from 1948 until 2014. Originally created and produced by Allen Funt, it often featured practical jokes, and initially began on radio as The Candid Microphone on June 28, 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laugh track</span> Recorded laughter in broadcast comedy show

A laugh track is an audio recording consisting of laughter usually used as a separate soundtrack for comedy productions. The laugh track may contain live audience reactions or artificial laughter made to be inserted into the show, or a combination of the two. The use of canned laughter to "sweeten" the laugh track was pioneered by American sound engineer Charles "Charley" Douglass.

<i>Punkd</i> American hidden-camera reality show

Punk'd is an American hidden camera–practical joke reality television series that first aired on MTV in 2003. It was created by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, with Kutcher serving as producer and host. It bears a resemblance to both the classic hidden camera show Candid Camera and to TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes, which also featured pranks on celebrities. Being "punk'd" referred to being the victim of such a prank. New episodes hosted by King Bach and DeStorm Power aired on BET.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just for Laughs</span> Comedy festival held in Montreal, Canada

Just for Laughs was a comedy festival that was held every July in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1982, it was the largest international comedy festival in the world. In addition to the festivals themselves, Just for Laughs also developed, produced, and distributed other forms of comedy entertainment, such as television programming.

The Jamie Kennedy Experiment is a half-hour-long American hidden camera/practical joke reality television series that debuted in 2002 and was broadcast on The WB. The host and star of the show is Jamie Kennedy, a comedian who presented a reality TV format which combined hidden camera with sketch comedy. The show was a production of Bahr-Small Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and Big Ticket Television and ran from January 13, 2002 until April 29, 2004.

Girls Behaving Badly is an American reality comedy television show that aired on the Oxygen cable channel, and was also syndicated to television stations across the United States and Canada by Sony Pictures Television.

<i>EP Daily</i> Canadian daily entertainment news television program

EP Daily is a daily news television show that covers video games, movies, TV shows, comic books, collectibles and gadgets. Created and executive produced by host Victor Lucas, and his Vancouver, British Columbia production company EP Media Ltd, EP Daily was a staple on airwaves since its debut in September 1997. The show continues to produce and publish content on the Electric Playground Network's YouTube channel.

<i>TVs Bloopers & Practical Jokes</i> 1984 American TV series or program

TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes is an American television program. Debuting as a weekly series, new episodes have been broadcast as infrequent specials during most of its run. It premiered on NBC in 1984, moved to ABC in 1998, and was revived in syndication in 2012. The NBC run of the series was co-produced by Carson Productions and Dick Clark Productions, and the ABC and syndication runs have been produced solely by Dick Clark Productions.

Talkin' Funny is a live call-in television show hosted by international comedians Sasha and The Noob. Talkin' Funny had its original run on Chicago Public-access television cable TV channel CAN21. The TV show first aired on October 4, 2005 and ran for 6 seasons, airing its final episode on CAN21 on June 29, 2009. It aired on Monday nights at 7:30 p.m. in the Chicago area.

Travis Draft is an actor and entertainer. He has played over 500 characters on TV. He is most known for appearing on Buzzkill.

<i>Wow Mali</i> 1996 Filipino TV series or program

WowMali: Doble Tama is a Philippine television comedy show broadcast by ABC/TV5. Originally hosted by Joey de Leon, it aired on ABC from May 25, 1996 to August 2, 2008. The show returned to TV5 from February 22, 2009 to June 28, 2015, and again on August 26, 2023 to October 26, 2024. Jose Manalo and Wally Bayola currently serve as the hosts. It is the longest-running gag show in the Philippines.

<i>Just for Laughs</i> (British TV series) British silent comedy/hidden camera television show

Just for Laughs is a British silent comedy/hidden camera television show, and the UK adaptation of the Canadian series of the same name, that began in Montreal in late 2000. It was broadcast on Saturday nights on BBC One. It was produced by Wild Rover Productions with Philip Morrow as producer. It started airing in 2003 and ran for five seasons, going off air in 2007. During its run, it was the only Saturday night entertainment show currently on BBC One to be produced by an independent television company based outside London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sitcom</span> Broadcast genre; recurring cast comedy

A sitcom is a genre of comedy that centers on a recurring cast of characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent setting, such as a home, workplace, or community. Unlike sketch comedy, which features different characters and settings in each skit, sitcoms typically maintain plot continuity across episodes. This continuity allows for the development of storylines and characters over time, fostering audience engagement and investment in the characters' lives and relationships.

Brothers TV is a Canadian comedy variety television series originally broadcast on Access in 2004 and then OUTtv in 2005. The series was created by and starred real life brothers Andy and Josh Rimer and included sketch comedy segments, hidden camera pranks, conversations with strangers, and comical debates.

Put Him in Bucca was an Iraqi television program airing on the network Al-Baghdadia TV. It was hosted by Ali al-Khalidi. The show's name is a reference to Camp Bucca, an American-built detention facility near Umm Qasr that was in operation from 2003 until 2009.

<i>Impractical Jokers</i> American hidden camera reality show with improvisational elements

Impractical Jokers is an American hidden camera comedy and reality show with improvisational elements. Produced by NorthSouth Productions, Impractical Jokers premiered on truTV on December 15, 2011, starring the members of The Tenderloins: James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, Sal Vulcano, and formerly Joe Gatto. In March 2024, it was announced that the series will relocate to TBS, who originally simulcast the tenth season, due to a programing network overhaul at truTV. Despite this, truTV will continue to air reruns.

<i>Betty Whites Off Their Rockers</i> American comedy television series

Betty White's Off Their Rockers is an American [[television comedy|comedy television series launched in 2012 that was broadcast on NBC for its first two seasons and Lifetime for its third. The series is hosted by Betty White, and is based on the Belgian television format Benidorm Bastards.

Just Kidding is a Canadian hidden camera reality television series that first aired on February 3, 2013 on its Canadian channel, Teletoon, and November 19, 2012 on Disney XD. It is not broadcast on Télétoon due to TVA's broadcasting rights of the series in French-Canadian territories. However, on September 1, 2015, the series moved over to La Chaîne Disney. The series has also been broadcast in the UK (CBBC), France, Australia, Poland, Brazil, Spain, Norway, Turkey, and Sweden. Unlike the international versions, the Disney XD version is hosted by YouTube sensation Zach Fox, and the Disney XD stars Jason Earles and Tyrel Jackson Williams, and since 2014, is hosted by the Disney Channel star Calum Worthy. In 2014, Just Kidding moved from Teletoon to YTV. The series was cancelled on November 30, 2014.

Surprise Sur Prise was a Canadian TV show of the Candid Camera pranks genre. The same distributor also distributes Just for Laughs: Gags.

<i>Natural Born Pranksters</i> 2016 American film

Natural Born Pranksters is a 2016 American comedy film starring YouTuber celebrities Roman Atwood, Dennis Roady, and Vitaly Zdorovetskiy. Their film debut features the trio staging pranks that were too elaborate to put on YouTube. The movie was produced by Collective Digital Studios and distributed by Lionsgate. The trio wrote the feature and it was directed by Ben Pluimer and Atwood, in his directorial debut. The movie also has numerous cameos by social-media personalities including Jenna Marbles, Furious Pete, Jukka Hildén, Dave England and Tom Mabe.

References

  1. Just for Laughs Gags Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine "This crazy but amazing team of Quebec-based comedian troupe uses the city as its stage, and its inhabitants, or victims, as characters! People are caught in a twisted yet funny web of comedic deception. This updated Candid Camera is a tad more risque and a little kookier with its practical jokes. The little snippets last only a few minutes, and some look more painful than others."
  2. Eddie Brawley (7 June 2016). "The Strange Phenomenon of Just For Laughs' Canadian Prank Series". Vulture.
  3. "THE WHOLE WORLD'S LAUGHING WITH PPI. JUST FOR LAUGHS GAGS CLEARS 75% FOR SEPTEMBER 2015" from PPI (March 2015)
  4. Just for Laughs Gags (TV Series 2001– ) - IMDb , retrieved 8 October 2022
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Just For Laughs Family Of Pranksters". YouTube. Just For Labs. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  6. "Comment la vie a-t-elle piégé Denis Levasseur ?". L'express Montcalm (in French). 25 January 2019.
  7. 1 2 Carmel Kilkenny (8 January 2015). "Just for Laughs: Gags – 15 years growing around the world". Radio Canada International.
  8. Zarzycki, Nick (31 May 2019). "The cost of cringe: Does Just for Laughs: Gags go too far?". National Post. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  9. Keyan Tomaselli Cultural Tourism and Identity: Rethinking Indigeneity 2012 – Page 29 "The inane Just for Laughs candid camera on the drop-down video screen is interspersed with silent movies on the … Mick Francis … responded to this note: "as a Canadian I must apologize for the Just for Laughs show as it a strange Canadian export filmed in the late 1980s and mysteriously shown around the world" (Francis, personal communication, October 2008).."
  10. Ray Wiss A Line in the Sand: Canadians at War in Kandahar 2010 Page 249 "It was an episode of Gags from the Just for Laughs organization in Montreal. For those who have not seen this, it is reminiscent of Candid Camera: the comedians set up an outlandish situation on a city street or in a mall and capture people's reactions. The Afghans got the jokes and laughed as hard as I did."
  11. "ABC Revives "Just for Laughs"". The Futon Critic. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  12. "NATPE 2015: Fall 2015 Syndication; Buzzr TV: New Game Show Multicast Network Launches This Summer" from Sitcoms Online (22 January 2015)
  13. "NICK ZARZCYKI: The cost of cringe - Does Just for Laughs: Gags go too far?". Saltwire. 30 May 2019.
  14. Marie-Eve Dumont (1 August 2014). "'Traumatized' senior sues 'Just for Laughs Gags,' over". Toronto Sun.

also at: