This new comedy show, sort of a spiritual successor to Whose Line is it Anyway, is an Australian import. Guest comedians are sent into a scene with no more preparation than than their character's costume – they've got to improv their way to comedy gold! It's funnyish, but unfortunately it strikes something more like comedy bronze. Maybe comedy brass.The setup is sound, but the execution is... safe. As host, former In Living Color player David Alan Grier fawns all over the guests and tries to come up with synonyms for the door he sends the comedians thru. "Enter the Portal of Possibilities" and such. Kids in the Hall alum Dave Foley is ostensibly the judge, but it's like American Idol with all Paulas. "Ohhh, so wonderful – I can't decide which is funner!" Hm. I can.
Even the improv feels approved for network family hour. Comedy ought to be a little dangerous and plenty provocative, and the first two episodes of TGYH won't do anything to upset your V-Chip. The show also got less funny as it went on; past the initial gimmick it's a bit devoid of life.
It's pleasant enough watching; ok to have in the background, but not worth clogging space on your DVR.
6 comments:
I thought the show was funny.
Perhaps because my day started out with a trip to the pediatrician for BOTH kids, followed by difficulty at the pharmacy, then a visit from Best Buy Delivery on the wrong day, blah blah blah.
I enjoyed the show with a nice glass of wine and laughed with glee when Wayne Knight's superhero brief started to slide down and eventually ended up on the floor.
But we're all entitled to our opinion. ;)
This from the guy that clogs his DVR with oodles and oodles of unwatchable television?
I didn't see this show, but my thoughts from the commercials were nearly identical: Good idea, but difficult to do well on network TV.
Valerie: I thought it was funny, but not funny enough. And by the end of the two hours of it, I was completely done. A nice glass of wine (or several) could've helped, tho ;)
Frank: It's all terrifically watchable, particularly because so much of it has hot teenagers. Doing hot things. But seriously, this is replacing Black Donnellys? No.
Grant: Would definitely be funnier in person. As the (seemingly paid) studio audience would attest to.
re: your comment to Grant, was it me or did it seem like the audience was filled with better than average looking people (i.e. unemployed actors/wannabe actors)?
It seemed a little scripted to me. I only watched it once, and that was enough.
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