Watched the Conan O’Brien one and while there were some funny sections, it was very improv-ish.
I will note that it’s pretty clearly a single-camera show, so they’re filming multiple takes of these scenes…
Yeah, my problem with it is that it’s not very improv at all.
Yep, I almost made it to the end of the first episode, but it just seemed too structured and the improv stuff wasn’t really good.
Reckon the idea itself has potential. Create 3-4 scenes with a multi-cam / studio type environment, so the guest can move around and not be restricted to specific camera setups. Then have the improv content actually relate to the case or narrative, not just stupid unconnected content.
If the guest “detecting” itself is not funny enough, then have the cast be weird and funny, don’t put the onus on the guest to make funny statements but instead actually try to figure out whodunnit.
For what it’s worth, of the three episodes I watched, the first was by far the weakest. (Though I’m also a Seahawks fan and thus especially amused by Marshawn Lynch’s contribution.)
I thought the first two were painfully unfunny, but I really loved the Kumail Nanjiani one.
I love Will Arnett and my kid liked the show in general. When I find something she and I can watch together now that she is 16 and her sister is in college, I usually enjoy it a bit more.
That said, since portions were scripted and it was edited, I would have expected to be funnier.
I’ll still watch another season should they have one, unlike Space Force.
I liked this show quite a bit. I’ve only watched the first episode, but it was amusing seeing the the framework of a TV show, and then tossing in Conan who basically ran his bit within that ‘serious’ framework.
Good filler TV
Yeah, the Kumail Nanjiani episode is my favorite so far, and I think the Annie Murphy episode was the weakest. She might have been actually having a good time for all I know, but I kind of felt bad for her.
The episodes are one-offs, right? So just tell me the good ones to watch. I saw the Conan O’Brien episode and it had a moment or two, but Conan wasn’t all that funny. There is very little appeal to me in watching a celebrity improv in an otherwise scripted episode unless the improv is really funny! First episode failed.
I think the episodes with Kumail, Sharon Stone, and Ken Jeong are all good.
The Marshawn Lynch episode was incredible. That should have been the first episode by a mile. The Conan episode was fine, but Marshawn absolutely committed to the bit, and was charming as hell.
The only episode I thought was really bad was the Annie Murphy one. She had zero personality.
All the others were pretty good for me. Kumail was my favorite.
I didn’t mind Annie Murphy, but I agree that her episode was the weakest of the lot.
The Kumail Nanjiani and Marshawn Lynch episodes were great. I don’t think it’s enough for the guest to play a straight man against Seattle, because that character isn’t funny enough on his own. Both Kumail and Marshawn had a great give-and-take with Arnett.
I thought the last two episodes were the worst. Which was a bummer, because I figured Ken Jeong would bounce off that stuff pretty well.
It’s a clever concept for a show, but didn’t quite come together.
Yeah, this is feeling like something that could be funny a couple times a year on a late-night talk show, but watching a bunch in a row gets old fast.
I think it’d also be way funnier if everyone had to improvise. But then I guess it would be called Who’s Line is it Anyway.
Yeah, much like the UK version.
That one had an additional layer that I kind of missed here, where all the characters besides the detective and rookie are (impersonated) celebrities. Chief Gordon Ramsey is just funnier than Chief Ex-wife. :)
That’s actually what it reminds me of. One of those skits that Jimmy Fallon might do with a guest, but blown out to 30 minutes.
Will Arnett is much funnier than Jimmy Fallon, but not enough for a season of 30-minute episodes.
If anyone is considering watching, just go enjoy the Marshawn Lynch and Kumail Nanjiani episodes. They don’t wear out their welcome, and everything else is just weaker versions of the funny stuff from those.