| Just For Laughs Gags | |
|---|---|
 A gag on Just For Laughs |
|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Country of origin |  Canada |
| Language(s) | Silent, interjection |
| No. of episodes | 300+ |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Wild Rover Productions |
| Location(s) | Montreal |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBC Television The Comedy Network |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Just For Laughs Gags is a Canadian silent comedy show that is under the Just For Laughs brand. JFL Gags airs on CBC Television and The Comedy Network in Canada, and on Telemundo in the United States. 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 show is shown in many countries and on airlines, because no translation is required. Viewers commonly can't tell if it is Canadian or British due to the style.
The Just For Laughs Gags formula has been used by the BBC for UK audiences. However, the formula has been used before Gags did, such as Candid Camera and The Tonight Show though both of these shows used a large amount of dialogue.
A sister version of the show is produced in Northern Ireland and is called simply Just For Laughs. Most of the show is 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. The British version is produced by Wild Rover Productions Ltd [1] and was broadcast on BBC One in Saturday teatime slot (usually between 5 - 6 pm). In early 2009, Five bought the repeat rights for the series and episodes are currently being shown on Five sister channel Fiver.
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.
References
External links
- 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
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