Most of the bits just feature these Jim Henson-like muppets mouthing the words of the recorded call, with nary a humorous addition of their own (the crazed monkey bit is probably the funniest puppetry shown here). It's rare in Crank Yankers when the level of puppetry offers anything close to the humor of the recorded call. How do you take something so dependent on your imagination, and make it work visually? I'm not sure you can, but I do know the puppets of Crank Yankers don't really sell the premise, either - especially when the puppet work is so bland in and of itself. So I can sympathize with Crank Yankers' problem in trying to take an essentially audio experience and making it work for TV. And with Star 69 and Caller I.D., can you even do prank phone calls anymore? Maybe it's a lost "art" after all. Lee Ermey Full Metal Jacket calls, come close). Relatively innocent, and certainly puerile (a big laugh getter when we were in grade school was asking the local butcher if he had pig's feet), prank phone calls, at least practiced by the majority of stupid kids, would hardly be considered "art" (although The Jerky Boys and whoever did those R. Prank phone calls, at least when I was a kid, were a rite of passage. Calls were made in Nevada, the only state where only one party in a phone call has to be aware of a recording device (this was done to avoid lawsuits), with releases still sought from the marks once the bit was ready to air. Fans of the show may enjoy this compilation, but newcomers' reactions will depend on whether or not they accept the basic premise of the series - which may be problematic.Ĭreated by Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel, and premiering on Comedy Central in 2002, Crank Yankers' premise was simple enough: get comedians to pull prank phone calls on unsuspecting marks, and then re-create the calls on TV via the use of rude little puppet shows. Some of the voices who made Crank Yankers a smash hit included Tracy Morgan, Kevin Nealon, Sarah Silverman and Wanda Sykes as well as Florentine, and we hope to see some of their characters back as well.Comedy Central DVD and Paramount have released The Best of Crank Yankers: Uncensored, a 58-skit compilation of the Comedy Central hit show that, through the use of puppets, celebrates the "art" of the prank phone call. No word on whether we’ll see the return of Jim Florentine as Special Ed– the social climate has changed quite a bit since 2002– but we’re rooting for him. “At this time, I would like to ask all Americans to disable their caller ID. Nothing is more fun or makes me laugh harder than a great crank call and I am thrilled that Comedy Central asked us to do it again,” said Jimmy Kimmel. “ Crank Yankers has always been my favorite show to make. Jimmy Kimmel is back in the EP chair, so is Adam Carolla and Daniel Kellison, and Jonathan Kimmel will showrun and EP as well. The world’s favorite profane puppets will not only prank phones, but also social media, e-sport platforms and more. Comedy Central announced today that they’re bringing back beloved prank series Crank Yankers, and the same team that delivered the best puppet show on tv is bringing it back.Ĭomedy Central has ordered 20 episodes of the series, updated for a digitally driven audience (translation, if Comedy Central has the balls to bring back Special Ed, he won’t be cheering ‘I’ve Got Mail). Forget Roseanne, forget Murphy Brown this is the one to watch. The return of Crank Yankers may be the best revival news we’ve heard in years.
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