Season 13 (2017) Discussion

[FormerMod-a1]

A place to discuss season 13 episodes.  For more in-depth discussion on specific improvisors or past seasons, please use other threads in the forum.

[FormerMod-a1]

Season 13 starts May 29th!

Guests: comedian Heather Ann Campbell, plus X-Games athlete Tony Hawk.
 

[Amarsir]

Helping Hands. Couldn't have a new episode without more Helping Hands. Ryan was on top of his game and Tony was a good guest, but come on. Is there some CW devotee focus group that's telling them they can't get enough of this?

That aside, good show. I liked using the guest in Themed Restaurant. One might even argue it was good enough that they didn't need him for a 3rd scene *cough*. And I always love seeing Heather Anne Campbell and as with everyone in that chair I only wish we'd gotten to see more.

BTW, CW lists this as episode 1213 for some reason. No idea their reasoning, but that may confuse people looking for 1301 at some point in the future.

Edited May 30, 2017 by Amarsir

[Loandbehold]

Loved seeing Themed Restaurant, and it seemed that Ryan and Colin were surprised as well. My one disappointment w/ that game was nobody mentioned the Soylent Green. When Colin delivered the salad (instead of bread!), that would have been the perfect time.

[ae2]

Did Tony Hawk make up a completely reasonable, realistic sounding order for Heather as if nothing else was going on around him? The way he ordered was so matter of fact it really threw me off.

He may also be the first guest in history who seemed to actually want to eat the food from Helping Hands.

Probably the best Scenes From a Hat in awhile. (And no 'things you can say about your X but not your significant other'!)

Still not a big fan of Weird Newscasters when the performers don't even try to make it a news segment. The fun in the segment is trying to fit a stupid character into a newscaster role, not just running around shouting banana! Although Ryan's Deliverance re-enactment was kind of funny.

Best line of the night?

"Hey, you are well hung!"

[callie lee 29]

On 5/30/2017 at 8:39 AM, Amarsir said:

BTW, CW lists this as episode 1213 for some reason. No idea their reasoning, but that may confuse people looking for 1301 at some point in the future.

It definitely confused me. For some reason my DVR deleted it and I had to watch it OnDemand and between the weird production number and the secription not having an original showing date (just 2017) I had to come here to match the guest stars to see if it was new. 

I know I'm the only one who likes it, but I never get enough of Helping Hands!

Tony was kinda funny. And quick! 

[FormerMod-a1]

Adding to the confusion, the TVDB and Wiki call this season 13, IMDB calls it season 5.   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I did like tonight's ep, even though they went to the "tried and true" dirty well a few times.

[Good Queen Jane]

I like penis jokes as much as the next person, but not when they are the only jokes being made. These guys are so clever that they really don't have to rely on them so much.

[Winter Rose]

At least it was a break from Helping Hands. If I had to choose, I guess I'd rather sit through Living Scenery. But those can't be the only games the celeb guests are capable of playing. I wish the show wouldn't rely on them so much, I've enjoyed it outside of those two games.

[TheRabbi]

The format of this version of Whose Line is really wearing thin. The same damn games with the celebrities every time. Living scenery turning into 'Lets make creepy sexual jokes about the female guest' every single time. Penis jokes every other line. Questions was the only tolerable game from this episode.

I was the biggest Whose Line fan in the original show, but I am really wavering in this installment.

[ae2]

42 minutes ago, TheRabbi said:

The format of this version of Whose Line is really wearing thin. The same damn games with the celebrities every time. Living scenery turning into 'Lets make creepy sexual jokes about the female guest' every single time. Penis jokes every other line. Questions was the only tolerable game from this episode.

I was the biggest Whose Line fan in the original show, but I am really wavering in this installment.

Agreed - it's not even so much that the games themselves are bad, or having guests is bad, but having a guest nearly every episode really limits the repertoire of games, and takes time away from the performers we actually want to see.

[FormerMod-a1]

48 minutes ago, TheRabbi said:

Questions was the only tolerable game from this episode.

I loved everyone's reactions to the blow-up doll mask Colin put on.  Yes, it was sexual in nature, being a blow-up doll mask, but Ryan's reaction especially made it worth it.  Plus Colin didn't go right to the dirty jokes with it.  And then Jeff coming out with the creepy baby mask!

[BookThief]

I agree with the majority of the comments. I've been feeling that way for a while, and my enjoyment of the show diminishes with each episode it seems. I don't even dislike the majority of the guests but they are unnecessary and take too much time away from the group. Use people from the audience as needed. Do they have guests with the hope they are big enough to bring viewers in, or are they giving CW shows a chance to gain more viewers? And it gets sexual too often. I realize how prudish I sound--there is always a time and place for sex/genitalia jokes, but these people should be able to be more clever than that and not always need to dip into that well. Maybe they should switch up the chairs more often. I love Colin and Ryan but they are always there. The other chairs rotate more frequently. Maybe they need a break. It's just all very...stale...I guess is the word I'm looking for. I used to dislike when Drew would be part of the skits but I found my mind wandering to other people I'd like to see on and he was one of them.

[Good Queen Jane]

The games I really like are when they give the players an absurd characteristic to play around with, like in Let's Make A Date, Party Quirks, and Weird Newscasters. Maybe put all four chairs into the scene and have the guest celebrity decide what each one is acting out.

[ABay]

Speaking of repetitive, they've done Aisha falling down the stairs and Aisha is really a man before on the same night, in the same game.

[Souris]

Last night's ep was the best in ages! World's Worst, Props, Scenes from a Hat AND Hoe-down in the same ep??? It's like improv Christmas! AND NO BLASTED HELPING HANDS!

[Miss Dee]

I was surprised they only had Candice out for one game. Although I still enjoyed the show.

[Whimsy]

On ‎6‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 7:18 AM, Miss Dee said:

I was surprised they only had Candice out for one game. Although I still enjoyed the show.

I was thinking the same.  Maybe she suuuuuuucked and had to edit her out.

[Amarsir]

One is always plenty for me. That's not even a reflection on the guests so much as that their presence always limits the subset of games. Mix in Moving People and Sound Effects more often and I'd be much more open to it.

[The Luvly Junkie]

Can't believe no one in the discussion thread pointed out the slight change of lineup for Hollywood Director. I thought Gary did an ok job for a director. He has the French-Canadian accent down and he's already bald to take Colin's place X3. 

On June 6, 2017 at 6:09 PM, BookThief said:

I agree with the majority of the comments. I've been feeling that way for a while, and my enjoyment of the show diminishes with each episode it seems. I don't even dislike the majority of the guests but they are unnecessary and take too much time away from the group. Use people from the audience as needed. Do they have guests with the hope they are big enough to bring viewers in, or are they giving CW shows a chance to gain more viewers? And it gets sexual too often. I realize how prudish I sound--there is always a time and place for sex/genitalia jokes, but these people should be able to be more clever than that and not always need to dip into that well. Maybe they should switch up the chairs more often. I love Colin and Ryan but they are always there. The other chairs rotate more frequently. Maybe they need a break. It's just all very...stale...I guess is the word I'm looking for. I used to dislike when Drew would be part of the skits but I found my mind wandering to other people I'd like to see on and he was one of them.

 You're not wrong, BookThief. I think with lax regulations in censorship on modern day television Whose Line is pushing for much edgier, sexual content, which is fine if taken in smaller portions per episode. I'm hoping one day, too, Drew will make a guest appearance and reclaim his role as the monkey butt of the other cast members' humor, which is probably why his hosting role plays a role in the success and relevance of Whose Line. Sure, Drew contributes the least in participation, but the fact that he had hosting duties while he was in his own sitcom and is rich as hell played for endless jokes by the cast. And he's always such a good sport despite his authoritative role in the show's conception. 

 I always believed that if a show doesn't want to get stale, they should push the envelope of improv television, not by shoehorning celebrities that have a popular following or an audience who normally doesn't associate with the Whose Line Brand, but by playing around the format. They are taking baby steps by having Gary in the Hollywood Director role, but still... TAKE RISKS. In addition to episode marathons on holidays, have a special holiday episode akin to the UK version with more than 4 regulars participating. Since most of them do live shows on tour, maybe Whose Line should record a live episode or something, uninterrupted and unedited, to give those who haven't experienced a Whose Line taping or show the chance to watch in real time, then release it as usual on their website. Aesthetically pay homage to the past reincarnations in any way possible so that it mends the broken base who favors one version over another. Need more funds to keep Whose Line running? Put all the improvised songs from the show into one compilation album and sell it on iTunes or something, because I'm sure there are plenty of women and girls who will open their wallets to have Wayne, Jeff, Jonathan, Gary and Brad's vocal prowess in their speakers. All these ideas are practically gift-wrapped for the show and they use NONE of it. I can only wonder how long until the show realizes how predictable the format is and push riskier, media-focused ideas beyond the television matrix.

[Winter Rose]

Another issue, for me at least, is that there actually are a ton of games to choose from but they rely on the same ones all the time. It's only in the rare episodes without a celebrity guest where they actually mix it up and the show reaches closer to its full potential. I'm guessing the CW requires the celebrity guests, and while I get that for those who aren't adept at improv, there's a much smaller selection of games they can participate in, but all they do is alternate between Living Scenery and Helping Hands. For something like improv that's all about making it up on the spot, it's boring to already know what you're gonna get just by hearing what game it is.

I still think it wouldn't kill them to take a break from Scenes From A Hat either.

[BTBAM310]

On 6/3/2017 at 4:40 AM, ae2 said:

Did Tony Hawk make up a completely reasonable, realistic sounding order for Heather as if nothing else was going on around him? The way he ordered was so matter of fact it really threw me off.

He may also be the first guest in history who seemed to actually want to eat the food from Helping Hands.

Probably the best Scenes From a Hat in awhile. (And no 'things you can say about your X but not your significant other'!)

Still not a big fan of Weird Newscasters when the performers don't even try to make it a news segment. The fun in the segment is trying to fit a stupid character into a newscaster role, not just running around shouting banana! Although Ryan's Deliverance re-enactment was kind of funny.

Best line of the night?

"Hey, you are well hung!"

Just caught the repeat of this last night.  The reason Tony Hawk sounded that way when he ordered was because he was quoting a line from Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Go to :50 mark if it doesn't automatically start there):

Edited June 27, 2017 by BTBAM310

[Miss Dee]

Honestly, for a non-actor, I thought Tony Hawk was brilliant.

[roctavia]

I do think the celebrities can work when they are game for anything... Tony Hawk was good, and happy to play along, goof around etc.   But I agree that the same old games to get stale. I love Ryan, he's always been my favorite, but helping hands is just the same thing over and over- here, eat something disgusting and make a mess!

I like the quick fire games better like worlds worst, props, and scenes from a hat, because it's rapid fire and they get a lot of jokes in, plus they can go in almost any direction. Party Quirks is also one of my most favorite games, so I wish they'd do that one more. I miss the super hero one they did on the original run, where they had to name the next super hero who arrived.

I do think the guys go for the more vulgar jokes more often in part because they are so comfortable with each other and like to push boundaries with themselves- I grabbed his butt, I put my face in his crotch and made a small penis joke etc... 

But yes, please change it up! Lets do some different games! I'd think the cast is getting sick of the same old games as well, especially because they film all the episodes in a pretty short span, from what I understand.

 

The episode with Props did have me laughing so hard I was crying... it was a great episode all the way through, but some of the gags with the props were hilarious.

[Robert Lynch]

Wil, lay off the beard, please! 

[Good Queen Jane]

I HATE Helping Hands, but Wil Wheaton actually made it fun to watch. Thank you, Mr. Crusher. And Secrets was priceless.

[FormerMod-a1]

Yes, Wil Wheaton was a great guest.

[Winter Rose]

It also helped that Helping Hands focused less on food than it usually does. That said, I enjoyed Wil Wheaton a lot. He looked like he genuinely had fun.

[cpcathy]

Secrets was awesome, Colin and Ryan are just so quick, I never know how they do it.

Will Wheaton really was a great guest!

[jhlipton]

On 5/30/2017 at 8:39 AM, Amarsir said:

Helping Hands. Couldn't have a new episode without more Helping Hands.

I would be sooooo happy to never see Helping Hands again (or for them to just lay off the food and drink).

On 6/6/2017 at 9:02 AM, Good Queen Jane said:

I like penis jokes as much as the next person, but not when they are the only jokes being made. These guys are so clever that they really don't have to rely on them so much.

The way Wayne likes to indicate how big his is makes me think he's over-compensating.

On 7/11/2017 at 9:12 AM, Good Queen Jane said:

I HATE Helping Hands, but Wil Wheaton actually made it fun to watch. Thank you, Mr. Crusher. And Secrets was priceless.

Wil was great at Hoe-Down, too!  "Gary Gygax, bitches!"  (Gygax invented D&D)

[TV Anonymous]

The episode with Wil Wheaton, this may be the funniest Helping Hands segment in all 5 seasons of Whose Line on CW.

[BookThief]

The funniest thing in last night's episode was unintentional...  So I was brushing my teeth with my electric toothbrush as the one segment was playing. Jeez, can't even remember what it was about--maybe songs about the coast guard sailor water guy type person. Kearran went on the ground and took Wayne's hands, and obviously Wayne didn't know what to do, but pulled him up so Kearran just hit his face right in Wayne's junk! Then Kearran was like "no no" and "swam away". Wow, I practically choked on my toothpaste and had trouble even rinsing because I kept replaying that moment in my head and laughing! That moment was funny for how unexpected it was. And I still wonder what Kearran was going for... But it was an honest to goodness laugh out loud moment for me so I'm overall happy with last night's episode.

[Amarsir]

I believe that was Jonathan Mangum trying to wrap himself around Wayne as a sort of Life Jacket. Jonathan is very physical and has a long history of working with Wayne, but I can't imagine how he was expecting to hold himself up by his toes. It was indeed very funny.

 

Brad Sherwood and no guest this week! (I've been liking the guests themselves more lately, but that means no Helping Hands and no Living Scenery full of inappropriate contacts jokes.)  I love the weird duets in Compilation Album and Bruce Springsteen / Nikki Minaj certainly qualifies.

Noteworthy: Ryan actually did a little bit of weather in Newscasters! And only one winner. (Colin)

[Miss Dee]

Holy crap, I'm gonna have to watch School of Rock on Nickelodeon. I literally hurt my throat and got stomach-sick, thats how hard I laughed at this episode.

Props to you, Tony Cavalero. If what I saw is any indication, Jack Black's most beloved role is in good hands.

[Amarsir]

"You're cavemen. Here's your cell phone."

Film dub with Greg Proops! Two under-utilized treats.

[ABay]

"That's my second ball tonight." 

[Loandbehold]

Charles Esten!!! Along w/ Jeff Davis. So great seeing Chip after all this time. Loved how they brought him in to so many skits. Really, they should just bring back Josie Lawrence, et. al. as the "special guest" rather than  a CW star or other celeb. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I kind of thought Chip was going to be the 4th chair.  But we also got Jeff this way, so that's good.  And no Helping Hands!

[seacliffsal]

CHIPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!

I have stopped recording this show (after being a die-hard fan since the first Drew Carey season) and just happened to watch the episode when Aisha announced "Charles" Esten as the guest!  What a treat.  And, the guys seemed really surprised and pleased to have him back.  I had been hoping for this reunion for quite some time.  I always liked him with Wayne in the compilation skits.  So, So happy to have him back.  I feel like they should have made him the 4th seat as Jeff almost seemed redundant this episode.  Maybe they just really wanted the surprise or his availability was last minute.

I may start recording this again.

Happy, happy, happy.

[Miss Dee]

I loved having Jeff there as well as Chip - sorry, Charles. The guys seemed really shocked, but happy to see him.

That 80s song was classic.

[Amarsir]

That Tire Salesman song was amazing. Not only was Wanya Morris great (in the Restaurant sketch too), but Jonathan subverting the bit had me rolling.

[FormerMod-a1]

"Woa Woa Woa Woa Woa Woa Woa..  I'm going to leave since I don't belong" (massive paraphrase)

[AllAboutMBTV]

Wayna Morris can get it. He was terrific. There's a very small list of guest stars that I wouldn't mind seeing rotate in and out occasionally (not as the fourth chair, just as guest). He's one of them (and, of course, I can't think of the rest right now).

[Sarah 103]

On June 6, 2017 at 9:09 PM, BookThief said:

I agree with the majority of the comments. I've been feeling that way for a while, and my enjoyment of the show diminishes with each episode it seems. I don't even dislike the majority of the guests but they are unnecessary and take too much time away from the group. 

I agree. The celebrity guest is a waste. I'm sure CW agreed to produce the show in exchange for getting another place to promote CW original shows, but it's wearing thin. 

On June 7, 2017 at 9:12 AM, Good Queen Jane said:

The games I really like are when they give the players an absurd characteristic to play around with, like in Let's Make A Date, Party Quirks, and Weird Newscasters. Maybe put all four chairs into the scene and have the guest celebrity decide what each one is acting out.

On June 19, 2017 at 4:24 PM, Amarsir said:

One is always plenty for me. That's not even a reflection on the guests so much as that their presence always limits the subset of games. Mix in Moving People and Sound Effects more often and I'd be much more open to it.

I love these ideas. It would give us more time with the players we care about and still give CW a chance to promote their shows. I think the celebrity guest would also be good in sound effects. I like the game where they have celebrity in the scene, but someone else doing the voice. I wish they played that game more often. 

Here are the games I wish they would bring back/play more often:

Super Heroes

Sound Effects

Mission Not That Impossible

Greatest Hits

Party Quirks

Sitting, Standing, Lying Down

Also, there's a game I've never them play but would love to watch. It's called celebrity cafe. Each performer has been assigned a celebrity, but the catch is that the performer knows who the other three people are, but not who he or she is, so he or she has to figure out who he or she is. 

[Sarah 103]

I loved the game where all of their lines had to be text messages from the cell phone they were holding. I really hope they play that again. 

[Amarsir]

13 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I loved the game where all of their lines had to be text messages from the cell phone they were holding. I really hope they play that again. 

It's a neat idea. Not everyone's conversations would lend themselves to that, but the right people certainly worked. It reminds me most of the game they played in Vegas where one person is reading lines from a script and the other is improvising. (Although the similarity to Two-Line Vocabulary is strong too.)

[Amarsir]

So they did do the text message game again, which is great. I didn't like the texts quite as much, but perhaps it depends on the performers jumping around enough as well. (Brad's seemed like they were all coming from the same conversation, if I remember correctly.)

I also like that they're mixing up the roles in some of the classic games. Colin isn't always the director in Hollywood Director, and Ryan did the sports in Newscasters. (Although I noticed Ryan actually did some sports in his role, and Wayne didn't say anything weather-related. Uncanny.

Edited October 5, 2017 by Amarsir