From Jim Halpert’s iconic pranks to the wild schemes of the Workaholics crew, TV has given us some unforgettable pranks that have us rewatching years later. Today, we’re counting down the funniest pranks on TV shows that took being a prankster to new heights. So sit back, maybe check your chair for whoopee cushions, and let’s dive in.
Barney vs. Butterfield— ‘How I Met Your Mother‘

First up on our list of the funniest pranks on TV shows is Barney and Marshall’s prank war. This occurred in a season 1 episode of How I Met Your Mother titled “Milk.” In this episode, the duo targeted Clark Butterfield, the businessman working across the way from Goliath National Bank.
After a gross back and forth between Barney and Butterfield involving food. And, when Marshall asked why they’re feuding with Butterfield, Barney simply claimed it “goes way back”— with no actual explanation ever given.
What made this prank memorable wasn’t just its failure. It was the perfect combination of Barney’s over-the-top scheming and Marshall’s reluctant participation. It created pure comedic chaos that earned this prank its spot on our list.
Emergency Costume—’Brooklyn Nine-Nine’

Next, we have a perfectly crafted prank from Brooklyn Nine-Nine that showed just how far the squad will go to mess with Charles Boyle. After years of being the only one dressing up for Halloween and facing endless teasing about his costumes, Boyle finally decided to show up to work in normal clothes.
But when he walked into the office that morning, he was shocked to find everyone wearing elaborate costumes. His coworkers immediately start teasing him about being the only one not dressed up. Unable to resist the apparent change of heart, Boyle excitedly ran to his car to change into his “emergency costume”.
When he returned, everyone had changed back into their regular work clothes. And they all pretend not to recognize his Elvis costume, just to tick him off. It’s a masterfully executed multi-layer prank that perfectly captures both the Nine-Nine‘s dedication to elaborate schemes and their playful torment of poor, enthusiastic Boyle.
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Asian Jim—‘The Office’

As the first of a few pranks from the nine-season run of The Office, we had to include the iconic “Asian Jim” prank. In this episode, Jim hired an Asian improv-trained actor, played by Randall Park, to go to his desk as “Jim” to prank his desk neighbor and frenemy, Dwight. The actor mimicked Jim’s mannerisms and work routine. He even had an altered family photo with him on his desk.
What made this prank legendary was its perfect execution. Watching Dwight’s growing confusion and desperate attempts to prove he isn’t going crazy will forever remain one of the best pranks on The Office, earning its place on our list.
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Paper Docs—‘Scrubs’

Another one of the funniest pranks on TV shows was in Scrubs. In this hilarious episode, the never-named Janitor took his legendary feud with J.D. to new heights with this prank. As J.D. had new interns, he challenged the Janitor to bother him without being around him.
Armed with nothing but a copy machine and dedication to chaos, the Janitor plastered Sacred Heart Hospital with life-sized cardboard cutouts of J.D. in compromising positions. Pretty dangerous, I’d say.
Future Dwight-‘The Office’

Up next, another one of the funniest pranks on TV shows was in The Office, where Jim Halpert showed off his understanding of his favorite target. Before transferring to the Stamford branch, Jim had stolen some of Dwight’s stationary. But instead of just using it once, he turned it into a prankster’s work of art.
Jim created chaos from miles away by sending Dwight faxes that appeared to be warnings from his future self. The pinnacle of this prank came when “Future Dwight” warned himself about poisoned coffee at 8 AM, leading to present-day Dwight sprinting across the office to dramatically slap a coffee cup out of Stanley’s hand.
The perfect combination of Dwight’s gullibility, Jim’s long-term planning, and Stanley’s reaction makes this prank an all-time classic.
Homegirl Pranks—’Workaholics’

As one of the darker comedy moments on our list, Workaholics took office pranking to uncomfortably hilarious territory. The guys were determined to become legendary office pranksters, so they targeted their coworker “Homegirl,” who they thought was just sleeping at her desk.
Their escalating pranks on their seemingly unresponsive, “sleeping” colleague came to a halt. They finally realized that she’d actually passed away at her cubicle. What earned this prank its spot on our list was its shock value. It perfectly captured the guys’ hilariously oblivious nature, making it even funnier by their surprise that she wasn’t the “main office prankster” after all.
Matching!—‘Community’

When it comes to committing to a bit, no one does it quite like Troy and Abed from Community. The dynamic duo (played by Donald Glover and Danny Pudi) showed up to study hall wearing identical outfits to Jeff Winger (Joel McHale). But they didn’t stop at just matching his clothes. They then proceeded to mirror everything he said with uncanny accuracy.
While such perfect speech prediction would probably be impossible in the real world, anyone familiar with Troy and Abed’s dedication to their elaborate schemes knows that they absolutely would spend countless hours studying Jeff’s speech patterns just to pull this off. It’s this commitment to the bit, combined with their flawless execution, that makes this seemingly simple prank hilarious one of the funniest pranks on TV.
Bar Wars— ‘Cheers’

Next up on our list is Bar Wars, one of Cheers’ most memorable episodes and pranks of all time. This episode featured Sam and the gang facing off against their long-time rivals from Gary’s Olde Towne Tavern in an escalating prank war. What started as harmless fun quickly spiraled into an all-out conflict. Each side tried to outdo the other.
The Cheers crew really didn’t hold back. They mixed prune juice into Gary‘s Kahlúa and poured sneezing powder into a bar vent. Although their pranks were intense, Gary proved a worthy opponent. He matched them prank for prank. Gary retaliated by filling Rebecca’s office with sheep and sawing off Cheers‘ bar stools.
Filled with some of the most iconic pranks in Cheers history, this iconic episode earned its spot on our list of the funniest pranks on TV shows.
Ben Gets Hazed—’ Parks and Recreation’

In the following spot on our list is a perfectly awkward prank from Parks and Recreation. When Ben Wyatt took over as City Manager, he tried to establish himself as both a laid-back boss and a strict authority figure. But this contradiction didn’t escape the notice of April, Andy, and Donna. Sensing their new manager needed to loosen up a bit, they orchestrated a fake arrest to mess with him.
The prank spectacularly backfired when Ben responds with the most Ben Wyatt move possible—issuing an official memo threatening suspension. When Andy suggested he should prank them back instead, Ben’s attempt at revenge was so painfully awkward and poorly executed that it was funnier than their original prank.
What earns this prank its spot on our list isn’t just the fake arrest or Ben’s terrible attempt at revenge. It perfectly captured the essence of workplace relationships, where sometimes, I guess, the worst pranks make for the best bonding experiences.
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Stapler in Jell-O— ‘The Office‘

Capping our list of the funniest pranks on TV shows is the most iconic prank that started it all from The Office’s pilot episode. In an effort to prank his coworker, Dwight, Jim decided to encase his stapler in Jello.
As one of the most famous pranks from the show, the best of this prank was in everyone’s reactions. Dwight was absolutely outraged. On the other hand, Michael tried and failed to lighten the mood with bad Jello jokes. And Jim, of course, watched with his classic smirk into the camera.
It perfectly set up the office dynamics that would make the show famous. This simple prank became Jim’s trademark move and earned its spot as TV’s greatest workplace prank.
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