All That

Back when this show started in 1995, the cast, mainly the players like Keenan Thompson, Lori Beth Denburg, and Kel Mitchell, were all very talented and extremely funny, which made All That one of my favorite shows on Nick.

However, fast forward to 2005....and it's simply not the case. What was once a smart, funny show has now been replaced with a bunch of talentless teens running around on stage, pretty much saying "Look at us, we're funny! Laugh at us!" I watched an episode of All That on tape from 1995, then caught a new one from 2005. The differences are vast and very big. The 2005 All That episode was filled with unfunny sketches, and actors and actresses who were basically trying waaaaaaaaaay to hard to be funny and not succeeding in the least. (It's pretty much the same thing as the god awful "Amanda Show".) At least the 1995 version had funny sketches like Good Burger and such.

Overall, avoid the All That of now like the plague, but try and hunt down the older episodes if you can.

Where have the good times gone, with the fear of getting in trouble with the FCC or (gasp) getting in trouble with the parents of the young viewers, has led to a very dumbed down version on what used to be a great sketch comedy show. Be warned this is just a long overdrawn complaint. When I was a kid this show was classic, It made us kids feel like we had a show just like SNL, and it was funny. Now, we have fear factor like antics, no talent actresses that seem to ride the coat tails of their older sister, and no imitations, what happened to kids imitating their older actor counterparts. Much like new SNL, new All That has gone down the crapper, metaphorically speaking, Nick needs to bring back their classic shows for their younger viewers, soon.

The older episodes were much better. Nowadays it SUCKS BIG TIME. I miss the old cast. The only funny thing nowadays is "Know Your Stars", which is getting old already. I remember seeing a really funny episode when a guy played by Kenan Thompson askes for a large fry, and accually gets a really big fry. Good Burger was good too! This newer stuff is trash. On air dares? Don't make me barf! BRING BACK THE OLD ALL THAT!

I adore Lori Beth, she should come back with her advice thing. Amanda Bynes was great but when she was younger she was kind of annoying. I like Lori Beth in the library when she says to be quiet and then is all noisy. Keep it up Lori!

I completely agree, when "all that" first aired with it's original cast back when Kenan and Kel were on and that one girl who went on to do the Steve Harvey show, it was so funny! Remember the cooking show skit where everything is made out of chocolate! ha. Now it is the most ridiculous show to watch, it's very short, and all of the cast members aren't funny, they just act all cute and sit there all pretty and it's just stupid. It's a waste of air-time if you ask me. At least the old cast was funnier and more unique! I think Nickelodeon has run out of good ideas... I really wish that they would play some of there old shows like all that, and I used to love are you afraid of the dark!

When I first saw this show on my aunt & uncle's Cable TV system, I wondered, "Who are these kids, and what is this show besides the funniest variety show this side of Saturday Night Live?" Now I watch it any chance I can get. Some of the funniest skits include "Vital Information," with Lori Beth Denberg(...and now Danny Tamberelli), and "Ask Ashley," starring the seemingly irrepressible Amanda Bynes, a young girl so outrageously hilarious, she HAD to get spun off on her own show. In fact, if Lorne Michaels wants to bring SNL out of it's slump, he should hire her as a guest host. I'm serious. She's that good.

Improvisational comedy for kids didn't begin with this show, nor is it likely to end with it, but in the history of variety television, "All That" should stand out, as a landmark show, due to it's ability to make kids and adults chuckle, and achieve a level of success that shows like "Flip" (1988) and "Way Cool" (1991) could never have had.