The best moments aren't always in the script. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for moments that were reportedly improvised or not included in the original script, which made their scenes that much more memorable.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for moments that were reportedly
00:13improvised or not included in the original script, which made their scenes that much
00:18more memorable.
00:27Number 10.
00:28Michael Gets Emotional – The Office
00:37As Steve Carell prepared for his final day at Dunder Mifflin, the team behind The Office
00:41had a special farewell planned.
00:44During one last Dundee's award ceremony, Andy announces they have a surprise for Michael.
00:48What follows is a sweet and hilarious parody of Seasons of Love from Rent.
01:15According to Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey in their book, The Office BFFs – Tales
01:19of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There, Carell suspected, quote, something
01:23was up, but had no clue what to expect.
01:26His reactions during the song are authentically Carell.
01:30There are 525,600, oh, we mean, 9,986,000 reasons we love this scene.
01:40Number 9.
01:51Schmidt's Dream Woman – New Girl
01:53The New Girl cast was often encouraged to improvise, leading to some of our favorite
01:58moments.
02:05For instance, Schmidt's mispronunciation of words, like the iconic chutney, was ad-libbed
02:10by Max Greenfield.
02:13However, one of our favorite examples takes place in the series finale.
02:19We flashback to when Nick and Schmidt first move into the loft and chat about their futures.
02:23Apparently, only the first part of the dialogue here was scripted.
02:27Nick actor Jake Johnson then threw in an extra line that allowed Greenfield to wax poetic
02:31about Schmidt's dream woman, only he's basically describing Nick.
02:43If that doesn't define these two's friendship, we don't know what does.
02:46How could they not keep it in?
02:48Number 8.
02:49Therapy Session – The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
02:52If you've ever been in therapy, you know it's a place to be your true, authentic
02:56self.
02:57Apparently, TV therapy's no different.
02:59In the Marvel miniseries, Sam and Bucky go to therapy to process the weight of being
03:03superheroes.
03:04Thankfully, a little improv by the stars added levity to what could have been a very heavy
03:18scene.
03:19Amy Aquino, who played Dr. Christina Rainer, revealed that the actors were given a rough
03:23outline of the scene, while much of the rest was pure Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan.
03:28In my miracle, um, he would, he would talk less.
03:31Exactly what I was gonna say.
03:33Isn't that ironic?
03:34You guys are leaving me with no choice.
03:36It's time for the soul-gazing exercise.
03:38I like this one, though.
03:39Oh my god, he's gonna love this.
03:40Thank you for a minute.
03:41The actors' strong rapport made their dynamic believable, and made us love this pairing
03:45even more.
03:46We're just amazed that Aquino got through it without breaking.
03:50Wait, what are you doing?
03:52Are you having a staring contest?
03:57Blank.
03:58Sweet Jesus.
04:00Number 7.
04:02Ghost Sighting – The Haunting of Hill House
04:03You'd think starring in a series with haunting in the title would make you unshockable.
04:15That is, until someone changes the stage directions at the last minute without warning you.
04:20Remember the scene where Nell's ghost appears in the car while Theo and Shirley argue?
04:24How could you forget?
04:25It still haunts our nightmares.
04:27Tell me.
04:28Try again.
04:29Anyway, the actors knew they'd be getting a ghostly surprise, they just didn't realize
04:34how soon.
04:36Series creator Mike Flanagan shared that he told Nell actor Victoria Pedretti to enter
04:40sooner than was originally scripted.
04:42Apparently, it didn't just genuinely terrify the actors, but also everyone behind the cameras.
04:48Even those who were in the know.
04:49I'm trying to tell you.
04:50I don't need to hear your excuses.
04:51I'm not making excuses.
04:52I said stop it.
04:54Number 6.
04:59The reaction to Lt. Col. Henry Blake's passing – MASH
05:07In one of this war dramedy's most devastating moments, the hospital staff finds out that
05:18the recently discharged Lt. Col. Henry Blake's plane was shot down.
05:23was shot down on its way home.
05:24While this plot point was planned,
05:26the actors weren't told about it until right before they had to film the scene.
05:30Yes, that's right.
05:31No one, not even McLean Stevenson,
05:33who played Blake, knew his character would be permanently written off.
05:37No, I just want to say goodbye.
05:38Oh, okay.
05:40The chopper's about 10 miles out, sir.
05:42Thanks, sweetheart.
05:44Killing off a series regular was practically unheard of back then,
05:48so the somber silence that follows the announcement is completely real.
05:52We're basically watching the cast process the news in real time,
05:55and we feel every ounce of it.
05:58Lieutenant Carl Henry Blake's plane
06:04was shot down over the Sea of Japan.
06:10It spun in.
06:15There were no survivors.
06:18Number 5.
06:19One last joke.
06:20Friends.
06:21First things first,
06:22we have to shout out this brilliant bit of improv from Jennifer Aniston.
06:25Oh, Ross, come on!
06:26This is not, this is not a marriage!
06:28This is the world's worst hangover!
06:31However, our actual pick comes from the series finale.
06:35In his memoir, the late Matthew Perry shared that having the final line of the series
06:39meant a lot to him,
06:40so he asked co-creator Marta Kaufman for permission to make it happen.
06:43I have no idea what's going on, but I am excited!
06:47In the final scene, Rachel asks Monica and Chandler
06:49if they have time for coffee before moving to their new place.
06:52We can't imagine anyone better than Chandler Bing and his actor
06:56to turn our tears of sadness into happy ones.
06:58Knowing what we know now,
07:00we're so glad this will always be part of his legacy.
07:03Okay, should we get some coffee?
07:05Sure.
07:08Where?
07:12Number 4.
07:13Holly's first words.
07:15Breaking Bad.
07:16Never work with children or animals, they say.
07:18They don't take direction well and can be rather unpredictable.
07:22In this Season 5 episode, Walt flees with his daughter Holly.
07:25308 Negro or Royal Lane?
07:27You gotta come quick, hurry!
07:29Hurry!
07:30Oh my god, no, no!
07:34Oh my god, no!
07:36Walt!
07:37No!
07:38In one scene, in a family changing room, he coos over his daughter,
07:41but she calls out for her mama.
07:43Well, apparently the baby really was calling out for her mom,
07:46who was standing on set.
07:48Out of sight, of course.
07:49Wouldn't that be nice, Holly?
07:53No, mama.
07:56Mama, mama.
07:58Mama.
07:59According to director Rian Johnson,
08:01this was one of, quote,
08:02those pure lightning strikes of luck that you probably don't get twice in a lifetime.
08:07Bryan Cranston followed his young co-star's lead and stayed in character,
08:11making Walt's ultimate decision all the more heart-wrenching.
08:15No, mama, mama.
08:18No, mama.
08:24Mama.
08:26Number three.
08:27Marshall learns about his father, How I Met Your Mother.
08:30Hey, can I borrow your phone?
08:31I want to call my dad.
08:33Yeah, go ahead.
08:33How I Met Your Mother isn't typically known for gut-punching storylines,
08:37but one of its most memorable moments is also one of its saddest.
08:40In the Ingenious Bad News episode,
08:43viewers could follow a countdown to the titular bad news,
08:46only when it was revealed it wasn't what we or actor Jason Segel might have expected.
08:55You're here.
08:56Oh my God, I love you so much.
08:58Can you believe it?
09:00Marshall, something's happened.
09:05Segel deliberately avoided reading that part of the script
09:08so that he could give a 100% real and raw reaction in the moment.
09:13Indeed, it felt incredibly real,
09:15even to the crew.
09:16Series co-creator Carter Bayes shared that he and director Pamela Freiman were so moved,
09:21they felt almost obliged to turn away to give the actor some privacy to grieve.
09:25Your father, he had a heart attack.
09:30He didn't make it.
09:34My dad said?
09:42Number two.
09:43Filibuster.
09:44Parks and Recreation.
09:45Parks and Rec has plenty of iconic moments rooted in improv.
09:49Is this everybody?
09:50Anne took a cab.
09:51Tom's in the trunk, Jerry's on the roof.
09:53All right, where to first?
09:55Your mother's butt.
09:59However, one of their best comes from guest star Patton Oswalt.
10:02He plays a Pawnee resident who blocks Leslie's efforts to update outdated laws with an
10:07epic filibuster.
10:08Oswalt was simply told to talk about anything he liked,
10:11and he took it to a galaxy far, far away, crossing into the MCU and beyond.
10:16The floor is now open for public comments.
10:18Oh, here we go.
10:19My name is Garth Blunden, and I object to your ridiculous proposal.
10:23The Pawnee Charter shall not be changed, not today, not ever.
10:29Once he got rolling, it was nearly impossible to stop him.
10:32Eventually, Poehler just directed everyone to adjourn, bringing his rambling to an end.
10:37You can still watch the full, unedited version on YouTube.
10:40Tony Stark realizes that there is a…
10:44Tony Stark realizes that there is a…
10:46I know who that is.
10:48Co-creator Mike Schur compared the moment to a surprise Beyoncé album drop, and we
10:53totally get it.
10:54Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:58Rue's fight with her mom.
10:59Euphoria.
11:00All that raw emotion is 100% Zendaya and Nika King.
11:05You're not a good person, Rue.
11:10You smell it?
11:12Really, you're proud of that?
11:14Bebe.
11:15Schitt's Creek.
11:16Catherine O'Hara cracked everyone up the first time she dropped her unique pronunciation,
11:21so she decided to stick with it.
11:22Does Bebe enjoy the theater?
11:25How about two complimentary, partially obstructed view seats to Cabaret?
11:32Gibs Lap.
11:33NCIS.
11:34Mark Harmon recalls first giving his cast back to Bebe.
11:38Barbershop chat.
11:39This is us.
11:40Apparently, we're just listening in on a real conversation between Sterling K. Brown
11:43and Ron Cephas Jones.
12:08Instead of a Gumby, I had a ramp.
12:10Low to high, back like this.
12:11It certainly ain't the Jerry Cooler.
12:13I got the good stuff, man.
12:16The Dance.
12:17Wednesday.
12:18Jenna Ortega researched the 80s goth dance scene and Fosse to come up with this now-viral
12:22dance.
12:24Now, I'll get you, baby, with a little love.
12:31Cause I'm a teenage tiger and I love you, baby.
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12:53Basically anything the janitor says.
12:56Scrubs.
12:56It looks benign to me.
12:58Benign?
13:00Benign and a half.
13:01Don't get us wrong, we love the whole gang, but no one could liven up a scene like the
13:05janitor.
13:05What's your name?
13:07Oh, boy.
13:07You really are new here.
13:11Uh-oh.
13:12The janitor.
13:13Howdy.
13:13Played by Neil Flynn, the writers clearly knew they had an improv genius on their hands
13:18and made the most of it.
13:20Often, Flynn was encouraged to stray from the script.
13:22Sometimes, as Zach Braff shared, the writers didn't even write his dialogue.
13:27Trusting Flynn's spontaneous lines would be comedy gold.
13:30Why did you have to trip me?
13:31Let me answer that question with another question, because I wanted to.
13:35Flynn once joked that the writers knew they'd still get the credit,
13:38even if his ad-libs were funnier than whatever was scripted.
13:42We bet there was never a dull moment with him on set.
13:44He probably kept everyone on their toes.
13:47So anyway, you said you liked mine, and I had the wife whip you up a pair of your own.
13:52You like them?
13:53Do I like them?
13:54Why, just the other day I was asking myself,
13:56how can I display my package in a way that's both alluring and professional?
14:00Well, there's your answer.
14:02Which unscripted moment can't you imagine your favorite TV show without?
14:05Let us know in the comments.
14:07There she is, Amy.
14:08Where have you been?
14:09We've been worried sick.
14:11Do you care to explain yourself?
14:12I'm just 70 seconds late.
14:13It's not a big deal.
14:14Don't worry about it.
14:15Santiago, you will tell us, and you will tell us now.
14:19There was a problem at the bank.
14:21Hot damn!
14:22Do you agree with our picks?
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