Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza

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.

Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza
Created byDrew Carey
Presented byDrew Carey
StarringDrew 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 byRich Fields
Music byBob Derkach
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes40 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time20–24 minutes
Production companiesThree Foot Giant Productions
Revolution Television
International Mammoth Television
Release
Original networkGSN
Original releaseApril 11 (2011-04-11) –
June 3, 2011 (2011-06-03)
Related
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Green Screen Show

Format
Drew Carey, host of the series and one of its performers

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]

Cast

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]

Production

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]

Reception

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]

See also

References
  1. "GSN and Drew Carey Announce Cast Members for Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza Premiering April 11, 2011" (Press release). GSN Corporate. January 10, 2011. Archived from the original on April 16, 2011.
  2. "GSN Gives Away a Trip for Two to Vegas Each Weeknight During "Drew's Clues Watch and Win" Sweepstakes, Running Now Through June 4" (Press release). GSN Corporate. April 21, 2011. Archived from the original on May 7, 2011.
  3. Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza. Season 1. Episode 23. May 11, 2011. Game Show Network.
  4. McGee, Ryan (April 11, 2011). "Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  5. de Moraes, Lisa (March 30, 2011). "Charlie Sheen to try improv on Drew Carey's new GSN series". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  6. "Charlie Sheen Joins the Cast of Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza April 12 on GSN" (Press release). GSN Corporate. March 30, 2011. Archived from the original on April 16, 2011.
  7. Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza. Season 1. Episode 28. May 18, 2011. Game Show Network.
  8. "GSN Announces New Premiere Dates for Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza and Love Triangle with Wendy Williams; Both to Launch April 11" (Press release). GSN Corporate. February 16, 2011. Archived from the original on March 5, 2011.
  9. Keller, Rich (April 8, 2011). "Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza to Premiere Monday on GSN". TV Squad. AOL. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011.
  10. Keller, Joel (April 20, 2011). "Ryan Stiles on Improv-a-Ganza and Why Charlie Sheen Is Pulling an Andy Kaufman". TV Squad. AOL. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011.
  11. Drew Carey [@DrewFromTV] (August 25, 2011). "Bad news today. #GSN won't be ordering any more episodes of #Improvaganza. Many thanks to them for giving us the chance anyway" (Tweet). Retrieved May 6, 2018 – via Twitter.
  12. Davis, Alex (November 7, 2012). "Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza Returns to GSN Starting November 16th". BuzzerBlog. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012.
  13. "Laff: TV Schedule". Laff. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015.
  14. "Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza (2011)". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  15. Houston, Melinda (October 14, 2012). "Critic's choice: the week ahead in TV". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
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