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Impractical Jokers star Joe Gatto shocked fans when he left the hit show. How will the remaining three Jokers keep it going without him?
TruTV’s Impractical Jokers has been the funniest show on television for almost a decade. Yet things got very serious when Joe Gatto left the series, announcing on his Instagram that he was stepping away to focus on his family. The decision sent shockwaves through the fandom and started wild speculation about the series’ future.
While Gatto is gone, Impractical Jokers isn’t going anywhere. The series is TruTV’s most popular program, to the point where the network airs hours of repeats every day. It’s reached a Beavis and Butt-Head level of fame, getting multiple spinoffs and Impractical Jokers: The Movie, which was a cult hit just two years ago. Jokers also has a huge streaming audience that makes the show invaluable to HBO Max in the fierce competition between streaming services. With three of the four stars still around, it makes no sense to pull the plug on what’s become a massive comedy franchise with a devoted fan following around the world.
However, there’s no denying that the series will look incredibly different when it returns. Joe Gatto was the most outrageous Joker and a huge source of the show’s chaotic energy. He would do almost anything for a laugh. Publicly embarrass himself by asking for toilet paper in a crowded coffee shop? No problem. Play a vampire receptionist welcoming people to a law office? Why not. He also best represented the show’s goal of keeping the humor positive and the joke on the stars themselves, like a live-action predecessor to Adult Swim’s new comedy Smiling Friends.
Joe was also responsible for some of the moments that made Impractical Jokers a worldwide success. His recurring bit screaming for the never-seen Larry became one of the show’s first viral gags. Years later, his emphatically giving people scoops of mashed potatoes that they didn’t ask for was one of the best scenes in series history. His complete lack of shame and his total commitment to comedy can’t be matched by anyone else. Hiring a replacement would also undercut the concept of the show, which is “four lifelong friends who compete to embarrass each other.” A new arrival won’t have that same decades-long chemistry with Brian Quinn, James Murray and Sal Vulcano. When the show has used celebrity guests, it’s almost never worked (with the exception of Jameela Jamil, who’s probably busy starring in Marvel’s upcoming She-Hulk series).
But Q, Murr and Sal can still be very successful. Many of the series’ most outrageous moments involve Sal’s abject humiliation or Q being put in a socially awkward spot. Those opportunities aren’t going anywhere. The show’s core “you refuse, you lose” challenge can still be played as a trio, and so can favorite games like “Cranjis McBasketball,” where the stars read obnoxiously fake names and try not to laugh. Instead of filling a void that can’t really be filled, the best bet is for Impractical Jokers to focus in on the three of them and tailor the show more toward their strengths. They could even work in jokes that reference Joe’s time on the show, keeping his spirit around.
The series also has a fantastic crew that’s become more and more a part of what fans see on screen. Several crew members — including Dan Cast, Chá DeBerry, Terry Thomas, Cole Weber and even showrunner Pete McPartland — have proven to be adept at making viewers laugh. If a fourth Joker is needed for certain occasions, the series should pick from the crew that audiences already know rather than trying to shoehorn in another comedian or celebrity guest. It’s much more fun to see Dan Cast pop up in the background than it is when a celebrity shows up for a gag. The Jokers crew deserves more of the spotlight, and Joe’s departure gives them an opportunity — something that would also make Joe proud since these are people he worked with for almost 10 years.
Impractical Jokers will never be the same without Joe Gatto. However, it can still be a successful and entertaining show, as long as it stays focused on the concepts and people that made it a hit. There’s still plenty of opportunities for laughter and plenty of people on the series who audiences love, and three lifelong friends can still embarrass each other.
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