Impractical Jokers Almost Had A Different Title (& The Change Provided Job Security)
There's a certain art to getting the title of a show just right. Sometimes simplicity is best, like "The Office." Other times, it's good to have something that really stands out and grabs your attention, like "The Twilight Zone." "Impractical Jokers" perfectly encapsulates the truTV comedy series. After all, the series is about the guys pulling practical jokes on one another, so naturally, they're the jokers.
However, even that title required some workshopping originally. For those wanting even more shenanigans with James "Murr" Murray, Sal Vulcano, and Brian "Q" Quinn, the truTV YouTube page has Q&As with the cast where they answer fan questions. In one particular installment, dated April 21, 2016, Murr is asked who came up with the title for "Impractical Jokers." He reveals how they originally intended the series to be called "Mission: Uncomfortable;" however, the man who used to run truTV gave them the idea for "Impractical Jokers." In hindsight, Murr completely understands why it was the right move to make.
Impractical Jokers means the show is about the friends
On the surface, "Mission: Uncomfortable" and "Impractical Jokers" seem pretty interchangeable. They both get the message across that the show will be silly and involve the guys getting in awkward situations. However, Murr explained how calling the show "Impractical Jokers" was a blessing in disguise.
He went on to say, "At first, we were like, 'Oh my god, that's a terrible title. It's, you know, kind of hokey.' Whatever. But then, actually, the brilliance of the title, which I think we didn't realize at the time, was that 'Mission: Uncomfortable' is the idea of the show, but 'Impractical Jokers' is the guys and I. You know what I mean? So, basically, it's job security. We are the impractical jokers, so it's hard for them to fire us now."
The idea makes sense. "Mission: Uncomfortable" sounds like a franchise, and as such, it could be bigger than any one person. If The Tenderloins weren't working out for whatever reason, truTV could've feasibly replaced them with other people. But by establishing themselves as the impractical jokers, people associate the show directly with them. That's why it was such a big deal when Joe Gatto left the series because the jokers were losing one of their own. Seeing how the show's been going strong for well over a decade at this point, the name change was probably the right call.