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!

Thank God Your Here is an awesome Australian comedy that is original, clever and bloody hilarious. The plot of the show is 4 famous Australian Comedians step in to a room in to a situation they know nothing about. The shows originialty is enormous and is a laugh a minute show (literally). The show is good probably because of the people on the show which is kinda nice as they have people like Frank Woodley, Glenn Archer and many more. Overall I think that this show deserves a lot of praise and I will rate it 96%. So I recommend watch it on TV buy it if you will because you will not find many better Australian Comedys.

Living here in Australia, settling down in front of the television each night is a somewhat tedious task, knowing you have to chose to watch either a repeat of CSI or another damned reality show! To turn on the TV one Wednesday night I was shocked to see that a new show had appeared - all the cast had Australian accents and the show was actually funny! It's basically an hours worth of improv acting - 4 guest stars (who have also dabbed in comedy) have around 4 minutes to turn sheer terror into comedy. They walk through a blue door, and are greeted by an ensemble cast member (usually unknown) and greeted by the tag line "Thank God You're Here". There are all different scenarios which the actors are greeted with - medieval times, cruise ships, Cleopatra, circus etc. Its just an awesome show to sit back and really watch the actors struggle or have a great time. And the actors are actually funny which is a real change from those sometimes boring American sitcoms. Some of the regular cast members are Angus Sampson, Peter Rosethorn, Akmal Saleh, Shaun Macalif and Frank Woodley. Ten out of ten, an awesome show! Bring on Season Two!

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.

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!