Whose Line Is It Anyway: Season 1 (1998)

07Feb07

Whose Line Is It Anyway: Season 1 (1998)

Netflix Synopsis: Drew Carey hosts the first season of this hilarious improvisational comedy show based on the British series by the same name, featuring the talents of comic regulars Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles. A rotating lineup of improv comedy games that incorporate singing, dancing and the use of ridiculous props includes “Let’s Make a Date,” “Sound Effects,” “Hats,” “Party Quirks” and “Foreign Film Dub.”

Review: Oh My Lord this is funny. Cough, cough, choke, wheeze are typically the sounds coming from my poor old body as I lay on the couch watching these episodes. Because I tell you, if you somehow managed to miss this one when it was on TV – you’re missing a lot of laughs. Done in a “game show” style, Drew Carey (by far the most UNfunny person on the show) hosts a collection of 4 improv comics during each episode. Typically at least 3 of the comics are regulars with one rotating guest comic. Anyway, there are a series of “games” played over the course of the show: “Guest at a Party”, “Funny Hats”, “Sound Effects”, “Foreign Film Dub”, “Irish Beer Song”, and many others. These games just serve to set up a situation in which the comics improvise their way through a scenario – almost always with ridiculously funny results. Then, Drew Carey gives “points” to the winners but the points don’t actually serve any purpose. Anyway, there’s a reason most of the comics are regulars on the show. Their chemistry is fantastic and what might start only mildly humorous quickly becomes so funny the comics themselves can’t keep a straight face as they bounce off each other in some sort of comic/atomical reaction. Christ this can be funny… (I’m actually laughing a bit as I remember all the choking I’ve done in the past over this show).Surely this isn’t for everyone but I couldn’t tell you why. When season 1 finally came to DVD (about 3 months) ago, I immediately put it in my queue to have and to hold and to call it George. I just finally got disc 1 (of 2) last week. Demand has been very high so you can likely expect a wait if you’re interested. Fortunately, it has been out for a while now (NF should have ordered more copies is my suspicion) so perhaps your wait will be shorter than mine was.

The Good -
Awesome chemistry between the comics,
Hilariously funny improv.

The Bad -
Some “games” are funnier than others,
Drew Carey is a dork.

The Ugly -
Many times I was unable to breath after laughing so hard,
Often times people in the room were still laughing loudly causing me to miss what was said next.

Rating:

Submitted by: Brian 2/7/07

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