<P> The show is currently in the middle of airing its sixth season, and it was announced by TruTV that the show would be renewed for a seventh season on May 12, 2017 . </P> <P> It was also announced that the show will be syndicated to broadcast television outlets via Trifecta Entertainment & Media . It will be cleared in 85% of the U.S. markets . </P> <P> Joseph "Joe" Gatto, James "Murr" Murray, Brian "Q" Quinn, and Salvatore "Sal" Vulcano, four high school friends who attended Monsignor Farrell High School, from Staten Island, New York, formed the live improv and sketch comedy troupe, The Tenderloins in 1999 . After a long and successful history, including winning the $100,000 grand prize in NBC's "It's Your Show" competition, the group went into television . In 2008, they filmed a pilot episode for a scripted sitcom for Spike TV, but the show did not go to series . TruTV announced the series Impractical Jokers, originally slated to be named Mission: Uncomfortable, on April 12, 2011, eight months before the show's debut . Murray explained how the hidden camera format made sense based on the jokesters skills . "We needed to find the right format...thing is, we've been doing this for years, but when it's on camera, the embarrassment is amplified ." Q and Sal have said when they gave their pilot episode to TruTV, it was recorded on their iPhones . At the time they pitched the idea to TruTV, Murray was VP of Development for NorthSouth Productions, the company that has produced the series since its inception . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Season </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> Episodes </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> Originally aired </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> First aired </Th> <Th> Last aired </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 16 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> December 15, 2011 (2011 - 12 - 15) </Td> <Td> May 4, 2012 (2012 - 05 - 04) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 28 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> September 6, 2012 (2012 - 09 - 06) </Td> <Td> December 12, 2013 (2013 - 12 - 12) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 31 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> January 2, 2014 (2014 - 01 - 02) </Td> <Td> October 30, 2014 (2014 - 10 - 30) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 26 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> January 29, 2015 (2015 - 01 - 29) </Td> <Td> October 22, 2015 (2015 - 10 - 22) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 5 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 26 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> February 11, 2016 (2016 - 02 - 11) </Td> <Td> November 3, 2016 (2016 - 11 - 03) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> 6 </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 26 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> February 9, 2017 (2017 - 02 - 09) </Td> <Td> November 2, 2017 (2017 - 11 - 02) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> Specials </Td> <Td_colspan="2"> 18 </Td> <Td_colspan="1"> February 2, 2012 (2012 - 02 - 02) </Td> <Td> TBA </Td> </Tr> </Table>

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