10 of the best TV pranks

01 of 10

The best in practical jokes

10 of the Best TV Pranks — MTV; NBC; NBC

From elaborate schemes to simple tricks, TV shows have played host to some epic pranks. Sitcoms like The Office, Cheers, and Murphy Brown have mined comedy gold out of well-timed practical jokes, as small as a misplaced stapler and as big as a dig at the vice president.

Here are our picks for 10 of the best pranks in TV history, which should inspire you on April Fool's Day and beyond.

02 of 10

Stapler in Jell-O, The Office

In an office full of tomfoolery, Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) found a way to take things to the next level. Starting a bit of a tricky tradition, Jim encased Dwight's (Rainn Wilson) stapler in Jell-O in the pilot of The Office, inspiring future gelatinous tricks around Dunder Mifflin.

Michael's (Steve Carell) World's Best Boss mug was also seen immersed in Jell-O in the pilot. Jim repeated the prank on new co-worker Andy (Ed Helms) with a calculator in the season 3 premiere, though he clearly underestimated Andy's anger management issues.

03 of 10

Ashton Kutcher tricks Justin Timberlake, Punk'd

Ashton Kutcher kicked off Punk'd on a high note with the series premiere in 2003, when he pulled a fast one on Justin Timberlake. With a team by his side, Kutcher convinced the singer that he owed nearly $1 million in back taxes and that all of his belongings and even his pets were being taken as a result.

Timberlake got his revenge by playing Kutcher in a Punk'd parody on Saturday Night Live later that year.

04 of 10

Dummy Ross, Friends

Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) found herself in hot water in the Friends season 7 episode "The One With the Truth About London" after teaching Ben (Cole Sprouse) a variety of pranks and tricks, guaranteed to anger his father, Ross (David Schwimmer). To get back at her, Ross and Ben hatched an elaborate stunt in which "Ross" is seen suffering a dangerous fall down the stairs, only for it to be revealed that a stuffed dummy that looks like Ross was the one who fell.

Adding another layer to the prank, Schwimmer, who also directed the episode, reportedly did not inform Aniston ahead of time that this would happen. This means her horrified screaming was genuine.

05 of 10

Bar Wars, Cheers

The rivalry between Cheers and Gary's Olde Towne Tavern found its resolution on the battlefield of pranks. Over the course of various "Bar Wars" episodes, elaborate stunts took place in a quest for the reigning pub, including a famous bit in which Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) walked into her office only to find it packed with sheep.

The sheep incident took place in season 6, kicking off an annual "Bar Wars" episode tradition through the end of the series.

06 of 10

Jenna vs. the writers, 30 Rock

Jenna (Jane Krakowski) had some worthy adversaries in the writers in 30 Rock's sixth season (well, every season). In the episode "Nothing Left to Lose," she got into a prank war with the likes of Lutz (John Lutz), Frank (Judah Friedlander), and Toofer (Keith Powell), who convinced her she was speaking on the phone with Christopher Nolan for a live-action Smurfs sequel.

Ever committed, Jenna got into character, including going to Times Square and doing cartwheels "like he asked," only to discover the writers got it all on camera as part of a practical joke.

07 of 10

Ben gets hazed, Parks and Recreation

What better way for the gang to officially welcome Ben (Adam Scott) as City Manager than by pranking him? Led by April (Aubrey Plaza) and Andy (Chris Pratt), the city employees successfully hazed Ben, while his attempt to get them back hardly went smoothly.

Andy suggested he get back at them with a practical joke of his own, and Ben's ultimately mild attempt won them over, with Donna (Retta) later explaining that they teased him out of love.

08 of 10

Barney vs. Butterfield, How I Met Your Mother

Marshall (Jason Segel) reluctantly teamed up with Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) for an extended prank war in a season 1 episode of How I Met Your Mother titled "Milk."

Barney's target: Clark Butterfield (Nate Torrence), the businessman working across the way from Goliath National Bank. After a gross back and forth between Barney and Butterfield involving food, Barney enlisted Marshall to send Butterfield a cardboard box full of mice — which predictably went wrong when the mice chewed through the box.

09 of 10

The Janitor, Scrubs

The Janitor's (Neil Flynn) gotta have a little fun! Over the course of Scrubs' nine seasons, the Janitor pulled off dozens of pranks, largely tricking J.D. (Zach Braff) with the help of his mop.

But his exploits weren't just limited to targeting J.D. The Janitor's mischief extended to numerous other characters, including Turk (Donald Faison), Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins).

10 of 10

Murphy Brown vs. Dan Quayle, Murphy Brown

Murphy Brown's (Candice Bergen) famed fight with then-Vice President Dan Quayle came to a head in Murphy Brown's fifth season.

After Quayle publicly criticized the fictional character for being a single parent, he was written into the plot of the series, as Murphy and her pals pranked the politician by dumping a truckload of potatoes outside of his house in the season 5 premiere.