Just for Laughs: Gags
| Just For Laughs: Gags | |
|---|---|
 A gag on Just For Laughs |
|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Language(s) | Silent, interjection |
| No. of episodes | 2000+ |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Wild Rover Productions |
| Location(s) | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Running time | 30 minutes (including commercials) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | The Comedy Network |
| Original run | December 26, 2002 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Just for Laughs |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Just For Laughs Gags (JFL Gags) is a Canadian silent comedy/hidden camera reality television show that is under the Just For Laughs brand. On December 26, 2002, JFL Gags began airing on CTV and The Comedy Network in Canada. Just for Laughs: Gags currently airs Weekdays at 6 pm, Just for Laughs: Gags does not air on CTV anymore. The show also airs on Telemundo in the United States, Multishow Channel in Brazil and occupies a Summer prime time slot on SIC in Portugal.
This series' format is the typical hidden camera comedy show, playing silly pranks on unsuspecting subjects while hidden cameras capture the people's response (similar to UK hidden camera comedy shows). This show plays music in the background, but does not contain any sound and dialogue (except for brief sound effects and laughter) but you can occasionally hear the actors and victims talking. It is filmed in downtown Montreal and rural Québec although some segments are filmed in the UK or Mexico. Sound effects, music and a laugh track are added in post-production.
The hidden camera formula has previously been used on other shows, such as Candid Camera and The Tonight Show, though both of these shows were not silent form of humor. With its silent format and no translation required, Just For Laughs Gags has been purchased for use in many countries and on airlines.
Contents |
[edit] Pranks
Just a few illustrative examples from the thousands of pranks filmed for the 2000+ shows include:
- Alien in the bushes - As people pass by, bushes shake uttering a strange language. As they try to check it, the alien pops out and chases them away.
- Hand out of the coffin - A coffin is abandoned in a park and when people pass by, the hand pops out.
- Stolen tires - An elderly lady asks bystanders to help her carry two tires to her car. But as they do so, they pass a police vehicle which is missing them. They tell the officer that they were the lady's and they were helping her take it to her car but as they look back, she was nowhere to be found.
- Dead bird in a race - People passing are asked to fire a gun to help start a race. Once they give a shot in the air, a pigeon falls down.
- Honking At Hookers - A traffic police officer stop drivers and checks their license. Two hot girls and/or prostitutes walk by and the officer honks a horn and the women appear to believe the drivers honked at them.
[edit] British Version
The silent Just For Laughs Gags hidden camera formula has been used by the BBC for UK audiences. The show was produced in Northern Ireland between 2003-2007, and was called Just For Laughs, without Gags in the title. Most of the items for that version were filmed in and around Belfast, Northern Ireland; Leeds, England and Glasgow, Scotland; however, some clips are shown from the Canadian show. The format of the show, however, is identical to that of the version filmed in Canada.
[edit] American Version
On July 17, 2007, ABC in the United States began airing a customized version of the series, simply called Just For Laughs, with slightly different graphics but retains the "Just For Laughs" logo. It is hosted by Rick Miller and shows clips from the Canadian version. In its debut the series performed well with back-to-back shows pulling in a 2.7 in its first outing, followed by a 3.0 in the second showing, according to The Futon Critic. The show's summer airings and good ratings resulted in ABC adding the show to the network lineup as a midseason replacement. It returned to the schedule on January 1, 2008, before being cancelled on May 12, 2008,[1] but was brought back for more episodes in summer 2009.[2] The relatively inexpensive program was primarily used as writer's strike filler against its more successful competition, NCIS on CBS and American Idol on Fox.
[edit] Singapore Version
[edit] DVD releases
Just For Laughs Gags 1
Just For Laughs Gags 2
Just For Laughs Gags 3 and 4
Just For Laughs Gags 5 and 6
Just For Laughs Gags 7 and 8
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Just For Laughs Official Site
- Just For Laughs Gags Official YouTube Channel
- Wild Rover Productions Site
- Keith Law (just For Laughs UK) Official Site
- Just for Laughs - Gags: Volume 1 ASIN B000BD1LAE
- Just for Laughs - Gags: Volume 2 ASIN B000C20VN2
- Just for Laughs: Gags, Vol. 3 and 4 ASIN B000WC39G8
- Just For Laughs Gags at TV.com
