Top 20 Funniest Improvised Sitcom Moments

Top 20 Funniest Improvised Sitcom Moments

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best sitcom moments that were totally off the cuff and totally hilarious.

#20: Robin Williams & Billy Crystal’s Cameo

“Friends” (1994-2004)
“Friends” did not have a shortage of notable guest appearances, but Billy Crystal and Robin Williams' seemingly random cameo has an interesting backstory. In the scene they’re in, Williams plays a man who discovers his wife is cheating, and Crystal’s character reveals that he’s the one she’s cheating with. The original script did not include their characters at all, and they only joined production because they were on a nearby set. They completely ad libbed their entire conversation, and when Matt LeBlanc as Joey interjects with a question, that was ad libbed as well. It’s a hilarious and iconic moment on the sitcom, and it truly shows how amazing these two actors are at improv.

#19: Chuckles Bites the Dust

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1970-77)
Even though this episode is about death, it’s full of hilarity. Chuckles is a clown that works at the same television station as Mary, and when he dies in a hilarious fashion, Mary doesn’t give in to the humor of the situation. That is, until the funeral, when it all hits her at once, and she starts laughing uncontrollably, and we can’t help but chuckle right alongside her. This was not scripted, as Mary Tyler Moore really couldn’t control her giggles at this moment. But it was definitely a chance to show off her iconic comedic talent and her ability to maintain a darkly humorous vibe while making light of sad situations.

#18: Network Connectivity Problems

“Parks and Recreation” (2009-15)
This sitcom has more than its fair share of improvised moments, and this may not be the last time you see it on this list. But one of the funniest has to be this line spoken by Chris Pratt’s character, Andy Dwyer. During flu season in Pawnee, Leslie gets horribly sick but, in true Leslie fashion, refuses to leave work. While she’s suffering in her office, Andy looks up her symptoms on the internet to try and figure out what’s wrong with her, and says that according to his search she has, uh, technical issues. This was an ad libbed line by Pratt, and not only is it hilarious, it encapsulates Andy’s naivety and his kind and caring nature, and it’s absolutely perfect.

#17: Sweet Baby Jesus

“Abbott Elementary” (2021-)
Barbara’s one liners have become iconic on this show, and it turns out that the actress playing her, Sheryl Lee Ralph, takes inspiration from her life to come up with them. In this episode, the teachers are worried because students are ‘desking,’ which means jumping from desk to desk without touching the floor. Barbara is unbothered in the beginning, but when it starts happening in her classroom, she speaks her mind about it. She storms into the teacher’s lounge proclaiming “Sweet baby Jesus and the grown one too!” and needless to say, it’s absolutely perfect. This is a phrase that Ralph uses in her own life, and it suits this situation perfectly.

#16: Carlton Dance

“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990-96)
There are a lot of things that this show will forever be known for – its theme song, the devastating scene with Will’s father, and Will Smith’s unbridled humor, to name a few. But, the Carlton dance will always be legendary. The script only read ‘Carlton dances,’ and Alfonso Ribeiro took it from there to create this dance we all know and love, usually with a soundtrack of “It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones playing. Deriving inspiration from Courteney Cox in the “Dancing in the Dark” music video mashed together with Eddie Murphy’s “White Man Dance,” Ribeiro tried to make the dance as cheesy as possible, and it goes without saying that he succeeded.

#15: Wil Wheaton’s “Star Trek” Costume

“The Big Bang Theory” (2007-19)
The pop culture references, specifically those surrounding “Star Wars” vs. “Star Trek,” are plentiful in this sitcom. In season 9, recurring guest star Wil Wheaton took it upon himself to show off where he stands in the rivalry. During a screening of the new “Star Wars'' film, Leonard, Howard, and Raj end up going with Wil Wheaton, who shows up in a… less than ideal costume. His iconic Trekkie get-up gets booed, but this improvised decision of Wheaton’s was a secret from most of the cast and crew and had them — and then us — in hysterics at its cleverness and sass.

#14: Gotta Fix That Step

“Modern Family” (2009-20)
This bit became a running gag throughout the series, but it started in season 2 when Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy actually trips on the stairs. While running to stop Alex and Haley from leaving the house after they said they cleaned the bathroom but didn’t, the wood on top of one of the stairs comes off, causing him to fall, and then clumsily try to fix it. He mutters this soon-to-be-well- known line before carrying on with the scene, and the whole thing is a testament to Burrell’s acting skills. He plays the situation off so well with humor and a flustered chaos that fits perfectly with his character.

#13: EAGLE!

“Scrubs” (2001-10)
When shows take place in settings that can sometimes be solemn, it’s important to have some comic relief to lighten the mood. “Scrubs' ' masters that balance beautifully, injecting humor with characters like the Janitor, who also has many improv'd moments throughout the series. (xref) But, it's one of Turk and J.D. 's many bromance moments — when J.D. hops on Turk’s back exclaiming “Eagle!,” — that we can’t believe was never in the script. It’s something that Zach Braff thought up with the help of recurring guest Brendan Fraser, and it then became a staple gag in the show.

#12: Moira’s Pronunciation of Bébé

“Schitt’s Creek” (2015-20)
With her dramatic personal style, her endless collection of wigs, and her unique brand of family devotion, Moira Rose is a larger than life personality. One of her particular quirks is her unconventional way of expressing herself. This includes an accent that co-star and series co-creator Eugene Levy described as, “Vaguely European,” which opened the door for one of her most memorable expressions. The term has become so iconic that it’s easy to forget it didn’t first appear until season four. According to actress Catherine O’Hara, “bebe” slipped out as a mispronunciation. Once she got a big reaction from the crew, though, she knew she had to keep it.

#11: The Iconic Grape Stomping Scene

“I Love Lucy” (1951-57)
Lucy is prone to find herself in some sticky situations, and this scene is no exception. When she’s in Rome, she wants to audition for a film that she thinks is about making wine, so she learns how to do this herself by stomping grapes. The scene is immediately funny, with Lucy dancing around the Italian woman, making light of the work. But, things take an even more comedic turn when Lucy tries to take a break and ends up in a wrestling match with the woman. Lucille Ball revealed that, due to the language barrier and the fact that Lucy accidentally fell and hit her, the fight escalated quickly, and got more intense and hilarious than they could’ve anticipated.

#10: He Doesn’t Even Get Us, Man

“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (2005-)
How hilarious is Charlie Day? In this episode, we see that the Paddy's gang is up to another one of their schemes, which causes Mac and Dennis to explain to Charlie that they don’t need him to be a wildcard. As they continue explaining their reasoning, Charlie says “he doesn’t even get us, man.” He’s clearly zoned out and not paying attention to them, prompting the boys to remind Charlie that they’re actually talking about him. Charlie Day slayed his cast mates with this line in the original take, and they ended up featuring it in the episode. While we’re left wondering how this original conversation was supposed to go, we can’t imagine it being any funnier than this.

#9: The Feeny Call

“Boy Meets World (1993-200)
Eric Matthews has never hesitated to take his many problems to his teacher and neighbor, George Feeny. The original script only called for Eric to shout Feeny’s name. Actor Will Friedle couldn’t just leave it at that, though. Friedle has talked about being given a lot of room to play around and improvise on the set of “Boy Meets World.” With that freedom he apparently took a lot of pleasure in exploring the many ways to deliver what would be known as “The Feeny Call.” Eventually, what started out as a simple directive would become one of the most memorable running gags of the entire series, and gradually evolve from a single line to practically a monologue in its own right.

#8: The Tea Set

“Veep” (2012-19)
Given the world class comedic talent of this cast, it’s not surprising that they were encouraged to improvise in front of the camera. During the episode “Special Relationship,” set in London, actors Tony Hale and Matt Walsh got a more unexpected opportunity to show off their abilities to think on their feet. While filming a scene, Hale backed into a table and actually knocked over the tea set on top of it. Rather than call cut, the two actors ran with the accident. Even more hilarious than watching them scramble is seeing their efforts to hide the damage. Knowing that their attempts to keep Selina from noticing are happening in the moment just makes the scene that much more fun to revisit.

#7: The Death of Marshall's Father

“How I Met Your Mother” (2005-14)
Though this show is remembered more for its lovable sense of humor- and its divisive finale- than for its heavier emotions, “How I Met Your Mother” could sometimes get intensely real. By far the most devastating moment of the show comes when Marshall discovers that his father has died. Throughout the episode, aptly titled “Bad News,” we see a running countdown to some uncertain milestone. Wanting to deliver a genuine performance, actor Jason Segal chose to be as oblivious as the audience. When Lily delivers the news, his reaction in the scene is 100% authentic. He even ad libbed the heartbreaking final line. If you don’t feel something watching this, you might be made of stone.

#6: Schmidt’s Perfect Girl

“New Girl” (2011-18)
This series kept us hooked with the friendships between its characters, and especially with the bromance between Nick and Schmidt. Even if Nick wasn’t always the easiest person to get close to. In the series finale we see a flashback to their first night in their loft as they are looking forward to their futures. Schmidt sweetly dreams of falling in love. When Nick encourages him to describe his dream girl, Schmidt has an answer ready to go. And it sounds...a little familiar. While the conversation point was scripted, Schmidt’s response was created on the spot by Max Greenfield. His playful ad-lib was the perfect note to reflect the dynamic between Nick and Schmidt. Beanie’s off for great instincts.

#5: Abed’s Nicolas Cage Presentation

“Community” (2009-15)
Abed Nadir is not someone to back away from a challenge, and clearly neither is actor Danny Pudi. When the character is presented with a question he’s told has no answer- Is Nicolas Cage a good or bad actor?- Abed devotes himself to cracking the case. Though his presentation was planned for in the script, the performance that Danny Pudi delivers was created as cameras were rolling. Seemingly broken by his quest for answers, Abed’s outburst is unhinged, slightly disturbing, and painfully hilarious. And we’re just as impressed with the rest of the on-screen cast, who managed to keep straight, albeit stunned, faces throughout the entire thing. By the time Abed makes his dramatic exit there’s only one thing that can sum up this scene.

#4: The Q-Tip Line

“Friends” (1994-2004)
With its talented cast and their commitment to their lovable roles, “Friends” had its share of unscripted moments over the years. For fans of the series though, this is a heavy favorite. The scene starts out in classic Chandler fashion. Joey’s unhelpful response is also typical of the character, and apparently the original script for the episode directed Chandler to treat it that way. Instead, Matthew Perry had his own response to the situation. We’re not sure which is better, Perry’s brilliantly snarky comment, or the physical gesture he added to punctuate it. Either way, this moment is held up as an example of “Friends” at its best.

#3: Elaine’s Dance

“Seinfeld” (1989-98)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is no stranger to improvisation, and she shows off a lot of those skills in her role as Elaine Benes. One of her most famous is her overly aggressive shove, which is inspired by something she does in real life, and it has caused some serious laughs throughout the series. (xref) But, it’s her ‘little kicks’ dance that we are focusing on here. Dreyfus was not given any instruction on how to dance, and made this terrible boogie all her own. During production, they didn’t even play music and instead added it in post so she could be totally off beat, and we think the final product is legendary.

#2: The Filibuster

“Parks and Recreation” (2009-15)
Of all the brilliant celebrity guest spots on “Parks and Rec” this has got to be one of the best ever. Patton Oswalt’s Garth Blunden has an objection to Leslie’s proposed amendment of the Pawnee town charter. In an effort to stave off the vote, Blunden does the only thing he can do: He filibusters with his own fantastically nerdy proposal. Oswalt improvised an entire eight minute spiel about his ideas for an epic Disney branded saga. Unfortunately, most of his speech had to be cut for time purposes, but what’s left still makes for one of the series' best scenes. Also, as it turns out, weirdly prophetic. Maybe somebody WAS listening.

#1: Oscar & Michael’s Kiss

“The Office” (2005-13)
No show has ever done cringe comedy as successfully as “The Office.” When Michael accidentally outs Oscar to the Dunder-Mifflin team, his efforts to make up for his behavior go painfully awry. Things eventually culminate in a seminar that is downright disastrous. Of course, Oscar and Michael are able to reconcile, but Michael being...well, Michael, just has to take it to the next level. In real life it was Steve Carrell who suggested elevating the script’s kiss on the cheek to the excruciatingly awkward kiss on the lips that we see on screen. The reactions of the other cast members are almost better than the act itself. In a show full of unforgettable moments, this stands out as comedic history. No problem there, Michael.

Which moment were you surprised to find out was not in the script? Let us know in the comments!