A lot of fans can probably think of a large number of pranks that were pulled on Parks and Recreation, but each person will probably come up with a different list of the five best that they can recall. It doesn’t help that many people tend to think of the same pranks but in a different order since the kind of priority that’s placed on a prank does have a lot to do with a person’s sense of humor. What does help is that there are so many to pick from since the show features quite a few pranks that the cast were scripted to pull on each other and there are even times when the reactions feel as though they might have been genuine since there are those moments when it’s easy to wonder if the prank went off the way it should have or if something went awry at the wrong moment. But however it happens one can usually assume that the pranks in the show are given a little more oomph by the performance of the actors and there might be times when things don’t go the way they’re supposed to and the cast has to roll with it.
Here are five of the best pranks from Parks and Recreation.
5. April read a passage from Jerry’s mother’s diary
This is something that a lot of people can imagine being downright offensive since it’s not just embarrassing Jerry, it’s embarrassing because she’s reading out of his MOM’S diary, which makes it so much worse. Those that don’t have a well-developed sense of humor might actually look at this and weep at the idea that anyone would humiliate another human being in such a fashion, but the fact is that Jerry was actually putting forth something positive and April had to be her regular self and take something great and grind it into the dirt for everyone to make fun of. Anyone that was really offended by this probably didn’t have the stomach for the rest of the show.
4. Scaring Jerry coming out of the bathroom
The plan was to scare Tom coming out of the bathroom, but instead, Jerry was the one that got the scare and the heart attack that came with it. Unfortunately for Jerry this also meant a case of uncontrolled flatulence that just didn’t stop until he was finally taken to the hospital where he was allowed to recuperate. Having a heart attack isn’t normally all that funny but comedy can make just about anything funny, so long as it doesn’t end up killing anyone, and even then there’s usually some room to negotiate. But as one can imagine, Tom really wasn’t doing anyone any favors by acting like his normal self.
3. Ron’s tooth prank in the middle of a meeting
April was about the only other character that could carry a deadpan look as well as Ron since Nick Offerman is one of the masters of the deadpan given that he can look entirely serious until he either can’t hold it in any longer or he’s ready to smile. For this particular moment though he picked a doozy to share with the others since after complaining of tooth pain he went and pulled out his multitool and yanked his tooth out in front of everyone. Okay, so it had already been removed earlier by a dentist, but it was definitely worth seeing Tom faint and the rest of the cast look on in abject terror.
2. Ben’s failed prank
It’s hilarious when a prank goes wrong sometimes, especially in this fashion since Ben, wanting to be the hero, had everything set up perfectly and then couldn’t go through with it since not only is he a terrible liar, but he does have a conscience that doesn’t allow him to bamboozle his fellow coworkers in this manner. But of course, Andy had to push the wrong button at the wrong time while Ben was explaining just why he couldn’t go through with it, and the result was pretty spectacular since only a few on-screen moments could rival that kind of blood splatter, and most comedies couldn’t match that feat.
1. April makes Andy the prom king
Hijacking a prom is undoubtedly one of the worst things that anyone could do to a teenager that’s not so horribly offensive that it would count as a crime, and it’s something that a lot of teens would remember for a long, long time. When April throws out the votes for prom king so that Andy can be crowned he makes certain to bring her up on stage as his queen, but then the other shoe drops as it’s revealed how old they are and, well, you can imagine how everyone reacted.
Sometimes even mean-spirited pranks are a lot of fun.
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