In some grand cosmic gesture of peace and awesomeness from the comedy gods, Whose Line Is It Anyway? has officially returned to American airwaves.
The spastic improv series was cancelled by ABC back in 2003 after an eight-season run, effectively crushing my soul (along with the careers of most of its cast members). Who could live without Wayne Brady’s James Brown impressions and his glistening, far-too-white-to-be-real smile? Who will fill the void left by Colin Mochrie’s awkward non-sequiturs? Who can replace the smoothly clever styles of Ryan Stiles?
The answer is as clear as Drew Carey’s glasses are square: Nobody. Nobody can replace these comedic gods. So when the CW Network recently revived the franchise for its Summer 2013 schedule, Whose Line buffs like myself were skeptical, to say the least. Though the show’s core trio (Stiles, Mochrie, and Brady) are set to appear in 10 new episodes, Carey’s hosting chair has been filled by comic Aisha Tyler. Suddenly, my childhood never seemed further away.
But I was wrong. Yesterday, I managed to catch up on the three episodes that have aired thus far — and to my utter shock, the show hasn’t lost an ounce of its zany magic. As host, Tyler adds a much-needed female perspective (And don’t mention the show’s previous female improvisors — at best, they were pleasant set decorations). Mochrie is still the weird, bald ying to Stiles’ gangly straight-man yang. Brady, meanwhile (sporting a shaved head and soul patch), is somehow even sharper and more charismatic than he was in his jerry-curl prime.
A couple quibbles. First, the guest performers. Part of the show’s magic is its audience participation, and using celebrities is nowhere near as funny. Watching Lauren Cohan from The Walking Dead awkwardly fumble through a bit is nowhere near as enjoyable as watching a star-struck grandma do the same. Also, what’s up with the whole not-doing-the-Hoedown thing?
(Also, if they don’t revive Three-Headed Broadway Star, I’m gonna be really pissed. Check out this hilarious edition of the game, featuring David Hasselhoff.)
Overall, though, it’s just ungrateful to complain all that much. Whose Line is back, and I feel fine.
