When it comes to home entertainment, most people have a go-to outlet. Whether they prefer to watch a sitcom or catch a live show on the stage, many of us enjoy a healthy dose of comedy to help wash away the stress of our day. And improv has found its way into nearly all of our favorite formats. From reality TV and scripted sitcoms to mockumentaries and even social media, improv has become an integral part of popular culture.
Some of the most common improv formats to be featured on television are game shows. Whether it’s Whose Line Is It Anyway? or the more recent reboot of Thank God You’re Here, game shows like these have brought improvisation into the mainstream with games that are commonly played at improv theaters. Similarly, shows like Parks and Recreation followed the professional and personal lives of employees at the parks and recreation department in Pawnee, Indiana. The show boasted a stacked cast of well-established comedians, all well versed in the improv medium.
Mockumentary shows have also embraced the improv genre to create hilarious shows like Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. These shows give actors a rough outline of a perceived outcome for each scene and allow them to weave in and out of predetermined characters that help to develop the storyline. Other shows such as Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and SNL alum Christopher Guest’s Documentary Now! use the same format to reimagine classic documentaries such as Grey Gardens, Jiro Dreams of Sushi and Final Transmission.
While some of these improv shows have a higher percentage of truth and actual events than others, they all showcase how improv can make viewers laugh without feeling like they’re being tricked. The same is true of home improv, as the best teams know how to perfectly customize any format for their players and how they want to perform. This makes the experience as enticing as ever to audiences at home and abroad.