Funniest Show on Teevee Now

Is Impractical Jokers. Hands down, without a doubt.

Proof?

My tears of laughter.

Four high school pals from Staten Island – with the accents to prove it – compete against each to other to see who can make it through some of the mostly uncomfortable, occasionally humiliating, always hilarious “challenges” interacting with the general public. Like a demented Candid Camera, each has to do or say what the other three – hidden from the scene – tell him through an earpiece. If he refuses to obey, or doesn’t get a desired reaction from the unwitting public participant, he loses. At the end of each show the loser is punished – and it’s often the most uncomfortable, humiliating, and hilarious scene of the show.

Three minutes in my face is soaked by the tears running down my face. I wipe it off during the commercials so by the end of the show I have to change my shirt. Literally. I haven’t laughed so hard in … oh … at least six or seven years (last time was a drunken New Years Eve where I happened to have the rare privilege of hanging out with two of my good friends who are hardly ever in the same spot at the same time). In fact, I can count on laughing so hard during Impractical Jokers that I actually can’t breathe at least once per episode.

Case in point:



My wife looks at me incredulously, but – I’ve caught her laughing, too, and I think she’s slowly starting to see things my way here.

The guys – Joe, Q, Murr and Sal – are part of a comedy troupe call The Tenderloins. This past Saturday afternoon I found 33 videos of theirs on youtube and watched Every. Single. One. Of. Them. At least half made me laugh out loud in the room by myself, and two or three brought tears to my eyes like Impractical Jokers does. Funny, funny, funny stuff, in the best sense of the word.

Most of the time the biggest laughs come not from the awkward situations and genuine humor that results but from the reactions of the three guys watching from a safe location. Sal in particular has a habit of falling over because he laughs so uncontrollably hard. How can you, the viewer, not chuckle at that? It’s contagious!

I am a fan. I look forward to the show. I DVR it. Pathetic or cool? I’m going with cool. It’s a great show and I’m addicted.

Go – watch it!