Thank God You're Here

This is Australian comedy at it's best.

Now currently in it's third season, Thank God You're Here (TGYH) gives four guests a costume, a set, a few props and only one thing is missing... a script! Put into a costume, they must improvise their way through the scene.

After the individual performance, they gather together for one final showdown: the All-In Group Challenge, in which they must improvise together in a scene.

This is why I love Aussie comedy. It's fresh, original, and absolutely brilliant. While the US version didn't go as well as the Australian version, it's still a great show to enjoy!

I don't think I can say any more than what people have already said about this show. It is groundbreaking, the best show on TV. It has an appeal for absolutely everyone. I have no doubt that in a few years' time the concept will be picked up by networks from other countries.

One thing I'd like to comment on is everyones' attitude towards the "judge" of the show. Now, is it just me or is this aspect merely another part of the comedy? Tom Gleisner is there simply to send up the Reality TV concept of a judge and to inspire more laughs. He's not a real judge. It's not a real contest. This is a sketch comedy show, pure and simple. Perhaps the closest thing to it is "Who's Line Is It Anyway?" Even then, it's in a genre all its own.

And, damn, it's funny.

I don't know whether this is just a problem with the latest season but most of the people in the scene (except of course the select comic) are literally reading from a script, meaning they decline most offers that the improviser makes, so there's very little actual room for improvisation and it ends up unfunny. For example, in the episode with Marty Sheargold, his character is asked for his name and he says he's Tommy. The other performers then shoot that down and say he's being silly and his name's Nathan. Like why??? It doesn't make sense. Cannot even be compared to Whose Line, which is actually great.

The problem with Australian's television industry is that too much American crap fills up the channels. With the arrival and well deserved success of "Thank God You're Here", it may not have overcome OZ TV crisis, but it did help and in a time where Australian TV comedy was at an all time low. Another new comedy show has premiered, "The Wedge"- It's Australian, but it really sucks, so watch Thank God... instead. The best "bullsh*ters" as such would have to be Akmal Saleh, Peter Rowsthorn, Angus Sampson, Frank Woodley and Josh Lawson (the equivalent of what John Wood had been for 9 or 10 years, great but never winning any prizes).

Which brings me to my next point, the incompetent judge Tom Gleisner. He always says to the guests that it was a "fabulous performance" despite some guests not being really funny-mediocre at best. And with the exception of the first one or two episodes, the winner Tommy has selected was not the right decision, leaving the performers ACTUALLY WORTHY OF THE PRIZE going home empty-handed.

Therefore, I leave you with this. "Thank God You're Here" is a really funny show (most of the time), but has its really dud and good but not great performers, and if you feel like spitting the dummy at Mr Gleisner, then I can't blame you!

Australian TV has been (and probably will be for some time) quite lacking in the comedy department. Which is why shows like Thank God You're Here, are such a pleasure to watch. This show takes a comedian/actor (all Australian) and puts them in a random situation where they must interact with other supporting actors (who know what the scene is and have questions ready to throw at the actor when it's suitable) and improvise to fit in the scene. The supporting cast will ask the actor questions or say something about their character to which the actor must do their best to improvise. After all the actors have performed individually, they perform together in the one scene and after wards a judge will decide which one of them wins. Although his decision can sometimes seem incorrect, it's best to not let this ruin the show for you. The judge does tend to repeat himself but he makes enough funny jokes to keep his place in the show.

There is one main flaw with the show and that is to do with the situations. Sometimes the actors will fit perfectly in the situation and you can just sit back and enjoy it. In other situations though, the actors will seem very awkward and that takes enjoyment right out of it. One thing that tends to make it awkward is the little control the actor has over the scene. When the supporting cast are the main one's talking, it makes it less entertaining. Sometimes this is the own actor's fault in the sense that they don't try and take control of the scene but in others, the supporting cast and the scene itself make it too hard for them to take control. For example, if they were to put the actor on a talk show, rather than having the actor be the host of the show, they will put them as one of the guests therefore meaning that if the actors want control of the scene, they must work for it.

Even with the flaws however, Thank God You're Here is a greatly enjoyable show which can sometimes be hilarious. As of yet, there haven't really been any 'bad' performances, however some are far better than others. If you get the chance to watch this show, don't hesitate!