truTV’s Success with IMPRACTICAL JOKERS Franchise Strengthens Across Platforms

truTV Resumes Production on Cable’s #1 Unscripted Comedy Series IMPRACTICAL JOKERS Season 9 and Orders 10 Additional Episodes of Cable’s #1 New Unscripted Comedy Series IMPRACTICAL JOKERS: DINNER PARTY

HBO Max to Debut Box Office Hit IMPRACTICAL JOKERS: THE MOVIE on September 1

WarnerMedia Entertainment is proud to embrace the consistently growing strength of truTV’s tentpole franchise Impractical Jokers across the company’s cable and streaming platforms. The widely popular line-up of programming featuring Joe Gatto, James “Murr” Murray,Brian “Q” Quinn, and Sal Vulcano, collectively known as the comedy troupe The Tenderloins, is a proven fan-favorite and a ratings draw across the board. In addition to resuming production on Impractical Jokers Season 9, the company has ordered a third season of TBS’s The Misery Index and 10 additional episodes of truTV’s Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party, as well as the streaming premiere of Impractical Jokers: The Movie on HBO Max on September 1.
 
“The Impractical Jokers franchise continues to deliver each and every time,” said Brett Weitz, General Manager of TNT, TBS and truTV. “The plan is continue to grow their business from an incredibly solid foundation and deliver to a passionate fanbase that’s second to none.”
 
“We’re excited to continue growing the Impractical Jokers franchise with WarnerMedia. We’re excited to use the word franchise. Each new project or season, we are pushing ourselves to make it bigger, better and funnier than the last,” said The Tenderloins. “Thanks to our insanely loyal fans over the past year, we’ve really been able to stretch ourselves and have had a blast bringing projects to life, including our first feature film and a TV show filmed from our separate homes. Whether its Impractical Jokers, Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party, The Misery Index or something new, we’re thrilled to keep working with each other and making people laugh.”
 
Ranked as one of the top 10 cable comedies of 2020 and growing in viewership season over season, The Misery Index has received a third season order from TBS. Beginning production this fall, The Misery Index Season 3 will continue to be hosted by Jameela Jamil with the cast of the Impractical Jokers returning as panelists. Additionally, the second half of Season 2 is set to air on TBS in October 2020.  Inspired by the card game Sh*t Happens, teams compete against each other by attempting to rate hilarious and miserable real-life events based on the “misery index”, a ranking system created by a team of therapists. The Misery Index was developed by comedy writer Andy Breckman, along with Ben & Dan Newmark for Grandma’s House Entertainment. The series is produced by Grandma’s House Entertainment, with the Newmarks serving as executive producing alongside Breckman, Gatto, Murray, Quinn, Vulcano, Michael Bloom for Bongo Pictures, Howard Klein for 3 Arts Entertainment, and Jack Martin, who also serves as showrunner. 
 
truTV’s tentpole series Impractical Jokers, which is currently ranked as cable’s #1 unscripted comedy in 2020, is set to resume production on Season 9 in late August. Impractical Jokers is produced by NorthSouth Productions with Charlie DeBevoise, Pete McPartland Jr., Gatto, Murray, Quinn and Vulcano serving as executive producers.
 
Cable’s #1 new unscripted comedy series, the remotely-shot Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party has been picked up by truTV for 10 additional episodes, which will air in fall 2020.  The new episodes will expand on the remote format as the cast safely, and hilariously, connect with each other and their beloved neighborhoods.  Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party is produced by Bongo Pictures, with Michael Bloom executive producing alongside Chris Wagner, Quinn, Murray, Gatto, Vulcano and DeBevoise.
 
In addition to the hugely popular series, 2020 marked truTV’s first feature length film Impractical Jokers: The Movie, which will debut on HBO Max on September 1.  The film opened in February with the week’s highest per-screen average of all major theatrical releases with 2.6 million at 357 theaters. In week two, the feature was expanded to almost 1,900 theaters, reaching fans of the franchise across the country.  The film follows the four lifelong friends and comedians in a fictional story of a humiliating high school mishap from the early nineties. Featuring appearances from Paula Abdul, Jaden Smith, and Joey Fatone, the movie combines the fictional narrative with real life footage of over-the-top punishments and callbacks to classic moments from the series. Once the guys from the Impractical Jokers hit the road, they compete in hidden camera challenges for the chance to turn back the clock and find redemption.  Produced by Funny Or Die and directed by Chris Henchy (Daddy’s Home, Eastbound & Down), Impractical Jokers: The Movie is produced by Gatto, Murray, Quinn, Vulcano, Henchy, and Funny Or Die’s Jim Ziegler and Buddy Enright. Executive producers include Jack Rovner and Funny Or Die’s Mike Farah and Joe Farrell.

About TBS 
TBS, a WarnerMedia Entertainment brand, is a top-rated destination for television among young adults and known for escapist, lean-back entertainment, featuring smart, imaginative stories with heart and comedic edge. From scripted comedy series to late-night shows, game shows, and animated programming. TBS’s Originals slate is comprised of some of the most popular shows on cable — Miracle Workers, CONAN, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The Last O.G. and American Dad! as well as the upcoming comedy Chad. The network’s slate of premium unscripted series includes the popular game show The Misery Index and the forthcoming revival of the beloved competition series Wipeout. TBS’ lineup also includes comedy hits like Family Guy and The Big Bang Theory, classic sitcom favorites Friends and Seinfeld, blockbuster movies, and live event coverage of Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and ELEAGUE, WarnerMedia’s eSports gaming competition. Viewers can watch shows on the TBS app, available for iOS, Android, Xbox One and other platforms and devices. Website: www.tbs.com
 
About truTV
truTV, a WarnerMedia Entertainment brand, is a bold, fresh entertainment network that gives viewers audacious content with laugh-out-loud moments and relatable characters. With millions of engaged fans across linear, digital and social channels, the cable network features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and fan-favorite, premium scripted, non-scripted and hybrid series, such as Impractical Jokers, Hot Ones: The Game Show, At Home with Amy Sedaris, I’m Sorry, Tacoma FD, Tirdy Works, The Carbonaro Effect, and more. truTV is also a partner in airing the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship each year. Website: www.trutv.com
 
About HBO Max 
HBO Max is WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer offering, which debuted May 27, 2020. With 10,000 hours of curated premium content, HBO Max offers powerhouse programming for everyone in the home, bringing together HBO, a robust slate of new original series, key third-party licensed programs and movies, and fan favorites from WarnerMedia’s rich library including Warner Bros., New Line, DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes and more. Website: HBOMax.com
 
About WarnerMedia 
WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Now, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC Entertainment, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others, as well as Xandr’s suite of advanced advertising solutions designed to help to improve advertising for brands, publishers, and consumers.
 
About The Tenderloins
The Tenderloins is a New York-based comedy troupe, whose four members – Joe Gatto, James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn and Sal Vulcano – are the Creators, Executive Producers, and Stars of truTV’s hit series, “Impractical Jokers.” Now in its ninth season, Impractical Jokers follows The Tenderloins as they compete to embarrass each other while being filmed by hidden cameras, all the while showcasing their longstanding camaraderie. Additionally, their hit game show – TBS’s “The Misery Index” hosted by Jameela Jamil – premiered as a top rated cable comedy in 2019 and has recently been greenlit for its third season. Their latest TV hit “Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party,” debuted this past spring, expanding their TV footprint. In addition to TV success, The Troupe has toured steadily over the last seven years with its wildly popular live show, performing for over one million fans in the US and UK, including six sold-out nights at Radio City Music Hall, a sold-out Madison Square Garden, and six sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena. Natives of Staten Island, NY, Vulcano, Gatto, Murray and Quinn met while attending high school and later formed The Tenderloins Comedy Troupe in 1999. After years of performing live improv and sketch comedy, The Tenderloins crossed over to the web, garnering millions of views for their internet sketches, eventually creating the runaway success Impractical Jokers for truTV. In addition to success in the US, Impractical Jokers is the #1 show on Comedy Central in the United Kingdom and India.