Whose Line Is It Anyway?

I once had a conversation with some people about "Whose Line Is It Anyway". One intelligent, educated young man said he didn't like to watch it because "you have to pay attention." In other words, for him (and a few tens of millions of others) television entertainment is meant only to pass the time, not to keep you interested. On the other hand, for anyone who wants to be totally glued to the set, listening carefully for every line, this is a wonderful show.

The original, British MC, Clive Anderson, is far superior to the American version's Drew Carey, who seems to kill some of the humor (or humour, if you are British). But the cast of four improv comics are astonishing, and are funny more of the time than sitcom performers working with a carefully written script.

If you want your comedy really laugh-out-loud funny rather than just amusing enough to spend a half hour with, this show is for you.

As many people have pointed out before, this is one of the very few IMDb entries with absolutely no completely negative reviews. This honor is well deserved. IMHO, "Whose Line" is the funniest show on TV, and it's great that we are once again seeing the British version in America. I missed it the first time around, so it was a new experience to me when I sat in front of the TV on New Year's Day watching the marathon which heralded its return to Comedy Central. I had been hooked on the American version ever since it started, so I was curious as to how good the British ones were. I was not disappointed in the least. The British version is just as funny as the American, at times, even funnier. I just wish I understood more of the British references, like those to Jeremy Beatle or the movie "El Dorado" which I have yet to figure out.

It's kind of funny to see how the performers who we still see on the American version have changed and aged since the British ones. Josie Lawrence is the biggest example. When she made an appearance on the American "Whose Line", she had whacked off a lot of that long, beautiful hair of hers. Also, she looked a lot paler and her voice was deeper. Seeing these changes just testifies to the lasting power of the show, which barely missed a beat coming to America from England. May it be on as long in America as it was in England (even though its timeslot across from "Friends" won't help much)!

That's right, I said it. I normally wouldn't be this honest, but this is the internet, so no one knows who I am anyway. Mike McShane said something about a German U-boat once, and I was already laughing so hard, that did it. I couldn't hold it in anymore. Luckily, I was watching it alone in my room at the time, so no one saw (this was when I was still in high school and in my parents house). I don't see how you couldn't laugh at this show. To do improv is a truly hard thing, but these people pull it off. One of the greatest shows EVER.

This is a great show. You never really know what is going to happen next, particularly if Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, Greg Proops and/or Tony Slattery are playing. All the same, I still think the British version is funnier than the American version.

The best thing about this show was Tony Slattery. He was the best improviser on the show, ever since he did he first show. He brought unpredictability to the show. He even did crazy impersonations, funny dances, and was not afraid to do anything. He even comes up with the best hoedowns.

Yes, Ryan and Colin are classic performers, but Tony was the real deal. He made me laugh the most. He defined Whose Line. Some word of advice to ABC: BRING TONY BACK.