Impractical Jokers: The Deja Vu Redo That Will Make Murr's Dreams Come True
The "Impractical Jokers" gang are a pretty creative bunch, but after having done the truTV reality comedy series for over a decade now, even these comedic geniuses run dry on ideas from time to time. But on the odd chance that the Jokers need to reuse a gag, James "Murr" Murray has an idea that could add a healthy dosage of self awareness to any dusted off-concepts.
In a 2023 interview with Deadline, the team are asked if they ever find themselves reusing past bits. After Brian Quinn answers that they do, Murr adds on, "It would be funny if one day we re-do, joke for joke and shot for shot an old episode, but looking 12 years older from when we first shot it. Just to see if the fan base realizes what we did."
Such an idea doesn't sound too far off from the already absurd nature of "Impractical Jokers" and seeing some of the show's hardest-hitting pranks brought back could make for a potentially hilarious offering for fans. But as promising as such an idea sounds, it may not be something all fans are open to.
Some fans feel the show is growing stale
James Murray's idea to do a shot-for-shot recreation of an "Impractical Jokers" episode has potential, but it may not suit the fancy of some fans, who feel the show has been growing mind-numbingly repetitive in recent years.
On Reddit, u/Pak1stanMan admits that the show hasn't been holding up for them, commenting, "Honestly I kinda felt like it was going downhill for a while. Just repeating too many of the same pranks." "Impractical Jokers" is no stranger to using similar locations and ideas for their jokes, from their various focus group gags to their infamous White Castle setups, but it's becoming apparent that the magic isn't working as well. Another Redditor believes that a big reason for the recent episodes' less-than-stellar quality comes down to the writing, saying, "Sure, they're still somewhat funny, but why not just hire new people to write different, new and interesting skits or whatever? Feels like the same exact people are writing every season now."
The show's ratings might reflect this as well, with Season 9's February 4, 2021 premiere showing up in ShowBuzz Daily's Top 15, while July 14, 2022 saw the show drop to the 23rd spot. While those ratings aren't abysmal, it is a sign that the show's formula may be running dry and maybe recreating an entire episode may not be the answer to their problems.