Top 10 Funniest Running Gags in Drake & Josh
Keeping up with all these jokes? “That is not my job.” Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Funniest Running Gags from Drake & Josh.
For this list, we’re busting our guts over some of the best recurring jokes, catchphrases, and gimmicks centered around our favorite Nickelodeon step-brothers. Just a warning, there will be spoilers along with the hilarity.
#10: Crazy Steve
Out of all the oddballs in Drake and Josh’s lives, none have been as consistently funny as Crazy Steve –Josh’s co-worker at the Premiere Theatre. He definitely lives up to his nickname in spades – in every episode he appears in, he’s guaranteed to either engage in some absurd behavior or blow his top with his violent mood swings –there’s a reason he’s not allowed to work on Mondays. It’s not made known why Helen hired him in the first place or how he got his job back after quitting, but what was supposed to be a one-off character blossomed into a recurring asset to the series –even being referenced outside the show.
#9: Helen’s Favoritism
Josh loves his job at the Premiere Theater, but his boss Helen doesn’t give him the respect he deserves. Instead, she insults and berates him, barely acknowledges everything he does for her, and treats Drake like a prince –Drake always DID have a way with women. Helen lightens up on Josh over time, but she still doesn’t realize how lucky she is to have him under her employment –though admittedly, it is hilarious to watch Josh get frustrated. What makes this even funnier is how Josh’s Helen trouble is the polar opposite of Drake’s situation with their mean teacher – she respects Josh and absolutely despises Drake –and she doesn’t even try to hide it.
#8: Evil Little Girl
Evil exists in Drake and Josh’s house – and her name is Megan Parker. All day long, little Megan goes out of her way to prank the boys and make their lives miserable – and her tricks often range from semi-innocent mischief to borderline sadistic and manipulative. Unfortunately, she’s a smart girl who knows how to cover her tracks by putting on a sweet little girl façade in front of their parents –usually when she wants to make her brothers look bad when they try to call her out on it. While it’s infuriating that she has her parents wrapped around her finger, it’s funny to watch our favorite boobs fruitlessly try to outdo their little demon sibling –too bad she’s always one step ahead of them.
#7: Josh’s Big Head
Out of all the insults Megan can think up, she always finds a way to bring up Josh’s “giant head.” After a while, many of the other characters started to take note of how his head is slightly bigger than average. To be fair, once Josh loses weight in Season 3, his head size is a lot more noticeable – so it’s not just a recurring insult at his expense. While he can’t argue that he has a bulbous cranium, it gets tiresome fast when he has to be reminded by literally everybody of something he’s fully aware of – but we can still get a chuckle out of the reminder and Josh’s responses.
#6: “Megan!”
Whenever trouble arises and the boys realize they’ve been bamboozled, all they can do is mutter the name of the demon responsible, “Megan!” Their lividness is made loud and clear in their voices when their devious little sister strikes –whether through frustrated grumbles, or furious declarations. Funny enough, it’s almost similar to a gag in “Seinfeld” where Jerry would exasperatingly shout or mutter the name of HIS arch nemesis, Newman. While the boys have clearly had their fill of Megan’s trickery, she doesn’t care; she’ll just carry on her merry way making their lives miserable –hearing them grumble her name with a devious grin on her face.
#5: Drake’s Girlfriends
It is plain to see that Drake is the ladies’ man of the twosome. He is almost always able to win over a girl’s affection – even if she already has a boyfriend. However, Drake’s not really one for commitment, and is hardly ever seen with the same girl twice – sometimes he’ll even wind up with MULTIPLE ladies in one episode alone. There are multiple factors for this – his fear of being tied down, his small attention span, or sometimes the girl just hilariously doesn’t work out. Drake’s dating resume is so long that even if he DID find a long-term lover, it’s only a matter of time before the awkward comedy gold of her meeting his many, MANY exes.
#4: Josh Loves Oprah
In Season 2, we find out that Josh used to have a crush on Oprah Winfrey – can’t say that we blame him. Throughout the rest of the series, we see that Josh never quite got over that crush – he’s got a cardboard cutout of her that he’ll talk to, he’ll sing her praises, and he’ll tear apart anyone that disrespects her in any way. Unfortunately, the only time Josh got to meet the talk show host of his dreams is when he accidentally hit her with his car. She filed a restraining order against him, but he DID get an autograph so that cushions the blow – so to speak.
#3: “Boobs!”
When Megan isn’t pulling her insane pranks on Drake and Josh, she can usually be seen referring to the twosome as a pair of “boobs” – her most recurring insult. To be fair, they do occasionally boob it up when things go asunder for them, so it’s a fitting nickname. But with how much she refers to them as such, it often feels uncalled for – sometimes she’ll just throw the insult at them JUST to get under their skin. Compared to Megan’s more devious tendencies against the boys, a little name-calling is actually a lot more innocent – plus from a certain angle, her nickname for them could be seen as a term of affection… she must like SOME part of them, right?
#2: “Emphasis!”
Being the lovably dorky guy he is, Josh sometimes likes to dramatically repeat stuff for emphasis. He could be expressing his excitement over a new gaming system, stressing how dangerous or evil something or someone is, or even showing just how much someone or something hurts him; whatever the case, he makes the importance of whatever it is loud and clear. What makes the gag even funnier is how much comedic power Josh gives his voice when he’s emphasizing – and it fits even more considering Josh is an eccentric guy as it is. While others can try their own spin at emphasizing, no one has quite the energy to really sell it like Josh can.
Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions… HONORABLE!!
“I Hate You, Drake.”
“I’m Eric!”
Josh’s Rash
“I Got It”
#1: “Hug Me, Brother!”
For all the things that go wrong for our favorite step-brothers, occasionally they’ll manage to pull off a victory. When they do, one of them –usually Josh- shouts those three little words and they join together in a massive bear hug. While it’s hilarious to watch these two tussle it out, it only makes the moments of them showing brotherly affection when things go their way all the more worth it – though they may want to cool it when in public. This gag has become so iconic for these two that it managed to sneak its way into the sitcom “Grandfathered” during an unexpected Drake and Josh reunion.