It’s April Fools Day. As a joke, I’m refusing to use the apostrophe in the holiday’s name. That’s right. I’m a riot. What can I say? I’d rather watch than participate. Always the spectator. That’s why I blog.
Anyway, in honor of this holiday of holidays, I’m recommending some of my favorite pranking episodes for you to watch this April 1. Check them out, and recommend more in the comments.
NEWSRADIO
Season 2: The Song Remains the Same
Why not watch an episode that takes place on April Fools Day? Well, almost. In order to get the real element of surprise, Mr. Jimmy plans April Fools in February. This episode is chockfull of pranks, mainly because good ol’ Bill McNeal is being interviewed by a reporter and he refuses to react to any sort of hi jinks. Joe’s really a fun one to watch in this episode, since he’s setting up a lot of these pranks, but it really is a funny episode. Plus, Hulu even has it up for free! Check it out. You don’t need the DVD set (but you might want to have it anyway).
GOOD MORNING, MISS BLISS
Season 1: Practical Jokes
The name of the episode says it all. It’s the annual competition to see who can prank Miss Bliss, and Zach wants all the glory. But Miss Bliss? She just wants to teach her class about the justice system. Of course, Miss Bliss becomes a victim, but Zach wasn’t the prankster. Could Screech be the culprit? Miss Bliss sets up a trial to find out.
SEINFELD
Season 4: The Outing
This one’s really JC’s pick. While hanging out at the diner, Elaine notices a woman eavesdropping on Jerry and George’s conversation. As a prank, Elaine talks to both Jerry and George as if they were a gay couple hiding their relationship from the public eye. The eavesdropping woman turns out to be a reporter who later interviews Jerry for a newspaper story. She writes an article about Jerry and George’s “relationship,” which is soon picked up by the Associated Press and spread all across the country. Hilarity ensues, and George and Jerry spend much of the episode denying that they are gay but insisting “Not that there’s anything wrong with that!” A simple little prank by Elaine gives us one of the most memorable Seinfeld quotes ever.
SAVED BY THE BELL
Season 1: Save That Tiger
A prank war develops between Bayside and a rival school, the infamous Valley, and while Mr. Belding isn’t pleased, Valley’s principal loves it and is a jokester himself. Year after year, the prank war escalates. So as Kelly and the girls get ready for a cheerleading competition, Zach and Slater are sneaking around pranking Valley — until they get caught red handed. Or should we say red pawed? After stealing their bulldog mascot, Valley steals Bayside’s, who just happens to be one curly-headed Screech Powers. The show ends with some great generic cheerleading routines that you don’t want to miss.
THE OFFICE
Season 3: The Return
Much like Seinfeld, this episode of The Office only deals with one prank. In this case, it’s Pam and Jim hiding Andy’s cell phone because he’s just being too obnoxious. The phone plays an acapella version of “Rockin’ Robin,” and Jim’s had about enough. But when the fun and games turn to anger management, perhaps his prank has gone too far. I guess there’s a reason Dwight’s always been the target.
Enjoy these episode, and remember, on today of all days, trust no one.
Raked 