When it comes to our favorite TV shows, almost everything is rehearsed and acted just so . Directors will redo an entire scene if something isn’t exactly right, so it’s relatively rare to see unscripted moments make it to the final cut.
Sometimes, however, things work out better than expected.
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1. Parks and Recreation
For a show that’s so hilarious, you’d think a lot of the actors make up their own lines, but that’s not usually the case .
However, there was one unscripted time when Andy (Chris Pratt) tells Leslie that he typed her symptoms in the computer, and then he says that she could have “network connectivity problems.”
Hilarious!
2. Parks and Recreation (again)
There’s another scene in the show where Patton Oswalt was given nine minutes to improvise a filibuster , and he did just that.
He takes the opportunity and runs with it, going on and on about a Star Wars and Marvel movie crossover. It’s nothing but amazing.
3. The Office
It’s hard to forget that famous kiss between Michael and Oscar in the episode “Gay Witch Hunt.”
According to the script, Steve Carell was actually only supposed to give Oscar a hug, but he took it to the next level with the world’s most awkward kiss.
4. Friends
Out of all the hilarious scenes throughout this show, I was most surprised that one of the few improvised lines came from Rachel.
During “The One After Vegas,” when Ross and Rachel realize they got married, Rachel declares, “This isn’t a marriage, this is just the world’s worst hangover!”
5. Riverdale
Remember the scene where Archie has to dramatically rescue Cheryl when she fell through the ice?Obviously, it wasn’t real ice he was punching in this scene (it was actually just a prop), but even the props can cause injury.
KJ Apa got a little too invested in the moment.
He punched the prop ice so hard that he broke his hand and didn’t realize until after.
The final shots definitely show his passion, though!
6. Breaking Bad
During the scene where Walter and his son are watching Scarface, Walter says,”Everybody dies in this movie.”It was later revealed that Bryan Cranston came up with the line himself, and because it fit the scene so well, it got to stay.
The symbolism is actually all too real here.
The show creator, Vince Gilligan, actually once explained that Walter White slowly and eventually becomes Scarface, so Bryan’s comment about the movie was actually pretty deep!
7. Breaking Bad (again)
There’s a scene where Walter takes his daughter, Holly, away from Skyler.
He stands her up, and right on cue, we hear her first words, calling for her mom. It’s pretty heartbreaking.
It turns out that the moment was completely unscripted (because, you know, she’s a baby), but Bryan just rolled with it.
They got especially lucky because the actress who played Holly was just a baby, and there are very strict rules for how long children can be on set for.
It all worked out in such a short amount of time!
8. How I Met Your Mother
Easily one of the saddest moments in the series is when Marshall found out his dad had died. If you didn’t cry during this scene, then you’re completely made of stone.
Apparently, Jason Segel wanted Marshall’s reaction to be as genuine as possible.
So he didn’t know what Lily was going to say to him beforehand — he just knew her last word in the dialog was “it.”Those emotions were raw.
9. Bob’s Burgers
Yes, even animated shows can have unscripted moments!In Bob’s Burgers, the “Thanksgiving Song” sung by Linda (and voiced by John Roberts) was totally made up on the spot.
It actually became the writers’ favorite song in the series!
An indie rock band by the name The National ended up releasing a downbeat cover of the song on Vulture because it was so well-liked.
After listening to it a few times now, I can say it’s pretty catchy!
10. Sherlock
During the episode “The Sign Of Three,” Sherlock and Watson wind up pretty intoxicated. Benedict Cumberbatch forgot one of his lines and ended up saying, “Apologies on behalf of my…thing.”
Of course, he wasn’t actually supposed to say “thing”.
But given the circumstances (being intoxicated and all), it was too perfect and ended up making the final cut! I guess forgetting your lines can pay off.
11. Scrubs
Basically, anything and everything that came out of the Janitor’s (Neil Flynn’s) mouth was improvised . He wasn’t even supposed to be a main character, but he was so good at his role that they had to keep him on.
12. Community
Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi) completely improvised the scene where he talks about Nicolas Cage.He starts acting just like him — a little too convincingly, if you ask me — and he totally nailed the scene.
13. The Simpsons
Another great improvised moment in animation is during the episode “You Only Move Twice.”
Guest star Albert Brooks improvised the line telling Homer where you can purchase hammocks, and Homer’s reaction is totally genuine as well.
14. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The scene where Oz and Willow (Seth Green and Alyson Hannigan) joke about animal crackers is both totally adorable and completely improvised .
Okay, is anyone else ready to rewatch this series now?
15. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
I think we all know what scene we’re about to bring up.Yep, that one where Will finds out his dad left without warning, and it’s all kinds of emotional.
James Avery hugging Will after the speech was unscripted, as well.
It was once believed that this speech stemmed from Will Smith’s difficult relationship with his own father, but that’s just a rumor. The man is just really good at acting!
16. M*A*S*H
The scene where Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake was killed off was a pretty major one in television history, especially for an era of television in which killing off characters wasn’t all that common.
The operating room full of actors is eerily silent during that moment.
And while the actors knew that this news was going to be announced, they didn’t know about it until right before filming the scene , so their emotions were all pretty raw.
