One ofBreaking Bad’smost heartrending import was a misunderstanding .
1.In thisclassic cold openfromThe Office, where Jim pops Dwight’s exercise ball and he falls, the ball wasactuallyexpected to slowly deflate (and did so successfully in 13 takes prior!). But on one take, when John Krasinsky stabbed the ball with scissors, it immediately popped, leading toRainn Wilsonimmediately falling to the floor. It ended up being funnier that way, and they kept it in. You can even see Phyllis trying not to laugh right afterward and Krasinski running away.
2.In another scene fromThe Office, Angela gets angry after Kelly kisses Dwight at a Christmas party andstartsthrowing ornaments at a brick wall outside. However, whenAngela Kinsey, the actor playing Angela, was throwing the ornaments, they wouldn’t break. She decided to go with it, hilariously giving up, screaming, and stomping on them.
3.OnFriends, Ross said the wrong name at the altar because of David Schwimmer’s real-life mistake. In a rehearsal for a different episode,David Schwimmeraccidentally called Emily “Rachel,” saying, “Rachel, the taxi’s here” instead of “Emily, the taxi’s here.” Writer Greg Malinssays this is the momenthe came up with the Rachel/Emily name-switch idea.
4.A hugeParks and Recreationplotline also happened because of a brief unplanned moment. In the Season 1 finale, after Andy attempted to describe his band’s music to the group,Aubrey Plazaad-libbed, “I totally get what you mean.” Series creator Michael Schursaid, “It was just a tiny, little throwaway thing, but when we saw it, we were like, ‘Oh, maybe there’s something there in the future.’ And then halfway through season two, we had started to pair them up and see what happened.” They ended up working perfectly together, leading to April and Andy being a major couple throughout the series.
5.Speaking ofParks…the hilarious moment when Ron falls as he’s running to warn Leslie and the others about Ben and Chris coming wasaccidental. Nick Offerman played it off and kept going with the scene, and it was so funny they decided to keep it in.
6.In the first “Jersey Floor” skit onThe Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, one hilarious moment sees Rachel Dratch – playing her Jersey Shore alter ego “Drootchie” — fall on a table. The tableactuallyhad a trap door, and Dratch accidentally stepped on it, causing her leg to fall through. It was so funny, they kept it in.
7.This is a small moment, but in one ofSupernatural’sChristmas episodes, Dean makes a face after drinking eggnog. It turns out, as a prank, Jared Padalecki hadspikedJensen Ackles' eggnog with “an entire bottle of rum” — they ended up using the take because they liked how real his reaction was.
8.One of the most devastating moments for Walt inBreaking Badwas when he kidnapped Holly, and she called out for her mom. This happened organically on set — the child actorwas calling outfor her real mother, and Bryan Cranston just went with it. The episode’s writer, Moira Walley-Beckett, said, “What was extraordinary was that Bryan went with it. … It broke his heart wide open. It was more than I could ever have hoped for in the writing.”
9.Lamorne Morris alsoreally didstub his toe in thisNew Girlscene where Winston and Schmidt circle each other like they’re about to fight. He and Max Greenfield hilariously improvised around it, with Schmidt claiming credit for Winston’s toe pain.
10.InSchitt’s Creek,Catherine O’Haracalled it"a joke or a mistake" the first time she pronounced the word “baby” as “bébé.” It became one of the most hilarious jokes in the series.
11.The scene inFriendswhere Chandlerbangs his headon the metal drawer (while cuffed in Rachel’s boss' office) was accidental, and Jennifer Aniston’s reaction was real.
12.In another Friends episode, Chandler was supposed to say, “Donald Trump wants his blue blazer back,” to mock Joey. However, Matthew Perryaccidentally said, “Donald Trump wants his blue blazer black,” and the cast went with it, mocking him. It was so funny they decided to keep it in.
13.The moving scene inHouse of The Dragonwhen Viserys loses his crown and Daemon helps him wasunscripted— his crown really did fall, and Matt Smith improvised around it.
14.Dwayne’s iconic “baby, please!” line inA Different Worldwas actually because Kadeem Hardisonforgothis line — he was actually asking costar Jasmine Guy for help. It became one of the most quotable lines of the series.
15.Victoria Justice struggling to catch the mic in theVictoriousopening credits was completelyaccidental— it was such a naturally funny moment that they kept it in.
16.InStranger Things, the hilarious moment where Murray drops his eggs and looks at Jonathan to say “oops” suggestivelywas a happy accident— Brett Gelman dropped his eggs accidentally and just went with it.
17.One ofModern Family’srunning jokes was the result of a happy accident — Ty Burrellactually trippedwhile going down the stairs in a Season 1 scene and improvised, “Gotta fix that step!” The trip and ensuing line became one of the show’slongest-running gags.
18.While no one referenced a specific moment, the cast ofSeinfeldhas said that Jerry Stillerwouldfrequently forget his lines in the moment or look up while he tried to remember them.No oneever corrected him or had him redo the take because “it would make for some really funny line readings,” according to costar Jason Alexander. Fans havespeculatedthat the below scene was one of such moments.
19.Inthis classicSeinfeldscene where Jerry discovers Poppie has peed on his sofa, hedidn’trealizeMichael Richards was holding an open water bottle. When he grabbed him, the water flew everywhere, including into Jerry’s mouth, causing him to spit it out as he yelled at Kramer, making the funny scene even more hilarious.
20.One moreSeinfeldmoment: the carwas supposedto start at the end of “The Parking Garage.” It stalling out was a complete coincidence, but it ended up being the perfect end to the episode. You can even see George turning away to hide his laughter at the end of the clip if you look closely.
21.And finally, since SNL airs live, things often go wrong — like in this Bill Hader skit featuring a man and his young bride attempting to procreate. Hewasn’t supposedto back into the table, leading to a hilarious moment where he backs into Melissa Villaseñor and literally pushes the entire table backward, leading to the cast breaking.
