Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza | |
---|---|
Created by | Drew Carey |
Directed by | Liz Zanin |
Presented by | Drew Carey |
Starring | Drew Carey Ryan Stiles Colin Mochrie Jeff Davis Chip Esten Jonathan Mangum Greg Proops Kathy Kinney Brad Sherwood Heather Anne Campbell Sean Masterson Bob Derkach Wayne Brady |
Narrated by | Rich Fields |
Music by | Bob Derkach |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 40 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Joe Roth Drew Carey Scott Hemming Vince Totino |
Producers | Ryan Stiles Mike Sarkissian |
Production location | MGM Grand Las Vegas |
Running time | 20–24 minutes |
Production companies | Three Foot Giant Productions Revolution Television International Mammoth Television |
Original release | |
Network | GSN |
Release | April 11 – June 3, 2011 |
Related | |
Whose Line Is It Anyway? Green Screen Show |
Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza is an American improvisational comedy television program that aired in the United States on the Game Show Network (GSN). Produced at the Hollywood Theatre at the MGM Grand in Paradise, Nevada, the series was hosted by Drew Carey, host of the original American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? , a similar show that featured several of the same cast members. The show premiered on April 11, 2011, airing 40 episodes in total. The series completed its eight-week run on June 3, 2011. Despite only lasting for one season, critical reception of the show was generally positive.
Similar to Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Drew Carey's Green Screen Show , the program features the performers acting in improvisational comedy sketches in front of a live audience using suggestions and participation from the live studio audience viewers. Many American Whose Line alumni return for this show. Each episode consists of three or four improv games, each one introduced by a different cast member, with each game taking up an entire segment. Unlike Whose Line, the series is filmed at the MGM Grand Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. Carey himself is a performer and takes part in games with the other cast members. [1]
The series also interacted with the viewing audience by allowing viewers to enter a sweepstakes to win a trip for two to Las Vegas and a stay in the MGM Grand Hotel. One random winner was selected per day for each episode aired. [2]
In addition to hosting the show, Carey also serves as one of the main performers. Other members of the cast include Heather Anne Campbell, Jeff Davis, Chip Esten, Kathy Kinney, Jonathan Mangum, Sean Masterson, Colin Mochrie, Greg Proops, Brad Sherwood, Ryan Stiles, [1] and series musician Bob Derkach. [3] Guest performers include Wayne Brady, [4] Charlie Sheen, [5] [6] Steve Kamer, [3] series announcer Rich Fields, [3] and The Price Is Right models Rachel Reynolds, Manuela Arbeláez, Gwendolyn Osborne. [7]
The series, its cast members, and its premiere date were announced on January 10, 2011. [1] On February 16, 2011, GSN announced that the show would premiere alongside Love Triangle . [8] The show premiered on April 11, 2011, at 8:00 p.m. EDT. [9] [10]
On August 25, 2011, Carey announced through Twitter that the show was effectively canceled as GSN would not be ordering any more episodes of Improv-A-Ganza. [11] From November 16, 2012 to January 4, 2013, reruns of the show aired on GSN. The two-hour time slot allowed GSN to air the entire 40 episodes in a 10-week stretch. [12] Laff acquired the rights to the show in 2015, airing it on Saturday nights. [13] The series has never been released on DVD or Blu-ray, although as of June 2023 it's available to stream on TubiTV. [14]
The A.V. Club 's Ryan McGee believed fans of improv would enjoy the show, writing, "what escapes through this series' run should give fans of improv enough pleasure to justify checking in whenever possible." [4] Melinda Houston of The Sydney Morning Herald found the premise of the show "deceptively simple,” but she was "in awe of the intellectual effort involved." She added, "When the laughs do come, they're all the more satisfying for being so surprising and spontaneous. Thoroughly entertaining." [15]
Game Show Network (GSN) is an American basic cable channel owned by the television network division of Sony Pictures Television. The channel's programming is primarily dedicated to game shows, including reruns of acquired game shows, along with new, first-run original and revived game shows. The network has also previously aired reality competition series and televised poker.
Ryan Lee Stiles is an American-Canadian comedian and actor. His work is often associated with improvisational comedy. He is best known for his work on Whose Line Is It Anyway? and for his role as Lewis Kiniski on The Drew Carey Show. He also played Herb Melnick on the CBS comedy Two and a Half Men and was a performer on the show Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza.
Colin Andrew Mochrie is a Scottish-born Canadian actor, writer, producer and improvisational comedian, best known for his appearances on the British and American versions of the improvisational TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
Wayne Alphonso Brady is an American television host, comedian, actor, and singer. He is a regular cast member on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series Whose Line Is It Anyway? He was the host of the daytime talk show The Wayne Brady Show, the original host of Fox's Don't Forget the Lyrics!, and he has hosted Let's Make a Deal since its 2009 revival.
Gregory Everett Proops is an American actor, stand-up comedian and television host. He is widely known for his work on the UK and US versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway?. He has also voiced the titular character on the US version of Bob the Builder: Project: Build It in series 10 to 14.
Bradley Sherwood is an American actor, singer, comedian, game show host and writer. He is best known for his work on the British and American versions of comedy improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
Drew Carey's Green Screen Show is an American improvisational comedy television series that aired in the fall of 2004 on The WB, and the fall of 2005 on Comedy Central. The show was hosted by Drew Carey, and was somewhat a follow-up to the show he formerly hosted, Whose Line Is It Anyway?. The distinguishing feature of the show was that the improv games were performed in front of a "green screen", with animation, music and sound effects inserted in post-production. The show was otherwise very similar to Whose Line? and featured many of the same performers and games.
Kathy Kinney is an American actress and comedian. After appearing as Prudence Godard on the CBS sitcom Newhart (1989–1990), she achieved fame with her portrayal of Mimi Bobeck on ABC's The Drew Carey Show (1995–2004). Her film credits include Parting Glances (1987), Scrooged (1988), Three Fugitives (1989), Stanley & Iris, Arachnophobia, This Boy's Life (1993), and Picking Up the Pieces (2000).
Charles Esten Puskar III, also known professionally as Charles Esten, and as Chip Esten, is an American actor, musician, singer-songwriter, and comedian.
Jeffrey Bryan Davis is an American actor, impressionist and comedian. He is known for his work as a recurring performer on the improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? From July 2016 until October 2019, he has starred as the Goblin Hero Boneweevil on the VRV Direct original production HarmonQuest.
Jonathan Mangum is an American actor and comedian. He was a cast member of the variety show The Wayne Brady Show and is the announcer for the game show Let's Make a Deal.
Heather Anne Campbell is an American writer, comedian, podcast host, and actress.
Drew Allison Carey is an American comedian, actor, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey gained stardom in his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and as host of the U.S. version of the improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, both of which aired on ABC. He then appeared in several films, television series, music videos, a made-for-television film, and a computer game. Carey has hosted the game show The Price Is Right since October 15, 2007, on CBS.
Whose Line Is It Anyway? is an American improvisational comedy television series, and is an adaptation of the British series of the same name. It originally aired on ABC and ABC Family from August 5, 1998 to December 15, 2007, hosted by Drew Carey. A revival of the show, hosted by Aisha Tyler, began airing on The CW on July 16, 2013.
Love Triangle is an American dating themed game show–talk show crossover broadcast by Game Show Network. Hosted by Wendy Williams, the show premiered on April 11, 2011, and aired its final episode on August 28, 2011.
Sean Masterson is a comedy actor, writer, director and producer known for his work with Drew Carey, writing on The Drew Carey Show, and as an improvisational performer on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Drew Carey's Green Screen Show, and Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza. He has a wife and two children and he is currently living in Los Angeles, California.
"Drew Live" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the American sitcom The Drew Carey Show, and the 109th overall. The episode's plot focuses on Drew trying to stop his friend, Kate, from pursuing a relationship with a mystery man, as Drew is in love with her. However, Drew is unaware that he is stopping Kate from pursuing him. Meanwhile, Drew's brother Steve Carey and his fiancée Mimi Bobeck hold a joint bachelor and bachelorette party.
Beat the Chefs is an American television cooking game show broadcast by Game Show Network (GSN) and hosted by Matt Rogers. The series features contestants preparing a home-cooked family recipe, while professional chefs Beau MacMillan, Antonia Lofaso and Jeff Henderson make the same recipe in an upscale restaurant version. The two dishes are then judged by a panel of food critics who are Christy Jordan and Brad A Johnson. The series premiered on August 23, 2012, and aired its last episode on November 26, 2012.
"Drew Live II" is the fifth episode of the sixth season of the American sitcom The Drew Carey Show, and the 132nd overall. It first aired on November 8, 2000, on the ABC network in the United States. The episode's plot sees Drew open an employment agency, but he has trouble finding jobs for his friends Lewis Kiniski and Oswald Lee Harvey.