Watch Crank Yankers
- TV-MA
- 2002
- 7 Seasons
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6.2 (3,213)
Crank Yankers is a half-hour show on Comedy Central which features puppet versions of real people, prank calling businesses and individuals with outrageous requests or questions. The show originally ran from 2002 to 2007, before being revived for a new season in 2019. The puppets featured on the show are designed to look like the celebrities providing the voices for the prank calls. These voices include comedian and actor Tracy Morgan, who lends his voice to the character Spoonie Luv, who uses his smooth-talking ways to prank call unsuspecting women. Sarah Silverman also contributes to the show as Hadassah Guberman, who is often seen calling up businesses with bizarre requests. Other celebrity voices featured on the show include Kevin Nealon as caller Jim Rash, Wanda Sykes as Gladys Murphy and Tony Barbieri as Special Ed. One of the more memorable characters on the show, Special Ed is portrayed as a mentally handicapped young man with a tendency to yell and make inappropriate comments. In addition to the regular cast of voice actors, the show frequently features guest stars who make prank calls under their own names. Some of the guest stars who have appeared on the show include Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Carolla, and Dane Cook. The show's format is centered around the prank calls, which are broken up by brief skits featuring the puppets. These skits usually involve the puppet characters performing some kind of outrageous act or song, often with adult themes or explicit language. While some may question the ethics of prank calling and the potentially harmful effects it can have on the people on the other end of the line, the show takes care to ensure that the victims of its pranks are not made to look foolish or humiliated. Instead, the focus is on the bizarre and ridiculous situations that the callers create, adding an element of absurdity to what would otherwise be a mean-spirited prank. The revival of the show in 2019 saw the addition of new voice actors, including Jim Florentine and Bobby Moynihan. The new season also introduced a more topical focus, with the puppets making prank calls to political figures and celebrities. Overall, Crank Yankers is a show that is not for everyone, but for those who enjoy crude humor and irreverent comedy, it is sure to provide many laughs. The show's use of puppetry and celebrity voices adds an extra layer of absurdity to the already outrageous prank calls, making it a unique and entertaining viewing experience.
