Taskmaster (American TV series)

Last updated

Taskmaster
Genre Comedy
Panel game show
Based on Taskmaster
by Alex Horne
Presented by Reggie Watts
StarringAlex Horne (umpire)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Running time30 minutes (including advertisements)
Original release
Network Comedy Central
ReleaseApril 27 (2018-04-27) –
May 18, 2018 (2018-05-18)
Related
Taskmaster (British TV series)

Taskmaster is an American comedy panel game show which aired for one season in 2018. The series was adapted from the original British version of the same name.

Contents

The series stars comedian and actor Reggie Watts in the title role of the Taskmaster. The Taskmaster issues simple comedic and bizarre tasks to a panel of five celebrities contestants who attempt to complete the tasks and earn points. The tasks are administered by British comedian Alex Horne in the role of the Taskmaster's assistant. Horne created the original format of Taskmaster, and reprises his assistant role from the British series.

History

The Taskmaster format was originally created by Alex Horne for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010, with Horne tasking several of his comedian friends with performing tasks, and then assessing their performance. He presented the results at the festival.

The format was picked up for a UK television show on in 2015 with Greg Davies hired in the role of Taskmaster, the figurehead ostensibly assigning and ultimately judging the tasks, and Horne acting as his assistant.

After several seasons of the UK series, an American adaptation was commissioned in 2017 to be aired on Comedy Central. Comedian and actor Reggie Watts was cast in the title role of the Taskmaster. Horne acted as Watts's assistant. [1] [2] Besides Horne, other elements of the UK series were incorporated into the US version including the theme and interstitial music, the ornate thrones the Taskmaster and Horne sit on, the form of the sealed tasks, and the general style of the Taskmaster house (including the satirical artistic portraits of the Taskmaster).

The first season of the show was recorded in California. [3] It premiered on April 27, 2018 [4] The series was not renewed for a second season. [5]

Format

As with the original UK series, Taskmaster pits five comedians against each other in a competition to earn points by completing assigned tasks. Most of the tasks were filmed over a period of time on location at a house that is purported to be one of the Taskmaster's many houses. The contestant filmed their tasks separately from each other and don't know how the others' performed.

Many of the tasks are time-based, rewarding the fastest performance. The tasks are often worded such that creative or "lateral" thinking may allow contestants to perform a task faster or better; such as by completing the task in a way that is not the obvious way implied by the wording of the task, but is not prohibited by the wording of the task. For example, a task that prohibits contestants from crossing a line may not explicitly restrict them from moving the line. Some of the tasks are re-used from the British version of the show.

Each episode consists of the five contestants, Watts and Horne seated before a live audience in a theater. Horne presents edited footage of the five contestants completing one of the pre-recorded tasks, and Watts judges their performances and awards points, generally with 5 points for the best performance and 1 point for the worst performance (or 0 for failures or disqualifications). Each episode consists of several pre-recorded tasks followed by a final live task performed on stage before the Watts and the theatrical audience.

The winner of each episode receives a prize brought in by one of the contestants, Horne or Watts as an object that is meaningful to them, though generally of little value to anyone else. This differs from the UK series where each episode, all five contestants contributed a prize fitting a certain theme, and the winner received all five prizes (these prizes were themselves ranked for points as the first task of each episode).

Points are also totalled over the course of the season, with the highest scorer winning a trophy in the shape of the Taskmaster's head. This follows along the lines of the British series, though the US head trophy is not life-sized.

The titular Taskmaster ostensibly sets the tasks, which are delivered to the contestants typed on folded task cards that are sealed with a wax seal.

Episodes

The contestants for this series were Dillon Francis, Freddie Highmore, Kate Berlant, Lisa Lampanelli and Ron Funches, [6] with Berlant being the overall winner of the season.

No.TitleWinnerOriginal release date
1"Physics"Freddie HighmoreApril 27, 2018 (2018-04-27)
2"Ebony"Kate BerlantApril 27, 2018 (2018-04-27)
3"Bubbles"Kate BerlantMay 4, 2018 (2018-05-04)
4"Die, Die, Die"Lisa LampanelliMay 4, 2018 (2018-05-04)
5"Magnets & Magic"Dillon FrancisMay 11, 2018 (2018-05-11)
6"Engineering"Kate BerlantMay 11, 2018 (2018-05-11)
7"Hostage"Kate BerlantMay 18, 2018 (2018-05-18)
8"101 Ducks"Lisa LampanelliMay 18, 2018 (2018-05-18)

Reception

The show received mostly positive reviews, [7] [8] [9] [10] though some critics compared it unfavorably to the original series. [11] [12]

Greg Davies and Alex Horne (Taskmaster and umpire of the British version) later said the show would have worked better with fewer changes from the UK format. [13]

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References

  1. ↑ "Interview: Alex Horne". Great Central. December 3, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Comedy Central USA buys Taskmaster format". British Comedy Guide. April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  3. ↑ Nelson, Alex (September 11, 2017). "Taskmaster: how Alex Horne's Fringe show became a transatlantic comedy hit". i . Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Comedy Central's TASKMASTER Hosted by Reggie Watts Will Premiere April 27". Broadway World. March 23, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Q&A: Reggie Watts talks auto tune and VR music videos". Missoulian. January 23, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Taskmaster". On Camera Audiences. Archived from the original on June 18, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ↑ Anotado, Cory (April 28, 2018). "Taskmaster USA: The Noob Review". BuzzerBlog. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  8. ↑ Abrahams, Elazar (April 11, 2018). "Taskmaster: Game show review hosted by Reggie Watts". FanSided . Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  9. ↑ Lyons, Margaret (April 26, 2018). "How Much Watching Time Do You Have This Weekend?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  10. ↑ Slaton, Joyce. "Taskmaster TV Review | Common Sense Media". www.commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  11. ↑ Mellor, Louisa (May 1, 2018). "Taskmaster: how does the US version compare to the UK original?". Den of Geek . Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  12. ↑ Anotado, Cory (April 18, 2018). "Taskmaster USA: The Fan Review". BuzzerBlog. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  13. ↑ Roberts, Andrew (April 15, 2022). "'Taskmaster': Greg Davies and Alex Horne Address What Went Wrong With US Version (Exclusive)". PopularCulture.com. Retrieved January 3, 2023.


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