Thank God You're Here

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.

Thank God You're Here is a great concept for a show and it's obvious that a lot of work goes into its preparation. It's good to see such a broad range of Australian talent having a go at this kind of improvisational comedy. The episodes with Shaun Micallef are exceptionally funny.

One of the things that I don't like about the show is the lack of creativity when it comes to involving the guest into the pre-written script that the ensemble cast are following. There is a little too much of the fill-in-the-blanks kind of thing happening in which the ensemble cast member starts a sentence, and then stops before the end so that the guest can complete it.

Here's a few examples of what I mean, from the segment Dailan Evans did as co-host on a "The Movie Show"-style film review program:

Ensemble Cast Member: "We're also looking at a great new Australian Classic, The Story of..." (turns to guest star to fill in the blank) Ensemble Cast Member: "At Canne this year it didn't win the Palme d'Or but it did win the..." (turns to guest star to fill in the blank) Ensemble Cast Member: "Which goes to the film for..." (turns to guest star to fill in the blank)

Very unimaginative. To make the show more believable (and more funny) they could perhaps leave it more open for the guest to do a little more improvising by means of starting and finishing their own sentences instead of just adding the punchline to something that's already been scripted.

Great show otherwise and I'm sure we'll see it improve immensely as it evolves.

Its mix of different guests is clever ,Adam hills is a genius host .Just full of great ideas ,good laugh never get sick of it.

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.

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!