EdieMcclurg
Thank God You're Here, Aussie style - VIDEO
I've been thinking . . . yes, yes, you smell something burning. Ha, ha. Done laughing? Thank you. After watching a few episodes of Thank God You're Here, I got to thinking about some of the commentators on my review of the premiere episode who said that the Australian version of this program was much funnier. So, using our trusty pal YouTube, I was able to turn up a plethora of clips from the Down Under version of TGYH. And, after viewing a number of them I can truly say that it is funnier. Well, in most cases, that is.
Once again, it comes down to how the unscripted actor reacts to his or her unknown environment. Most of the Aussie TGYH clips I watched had performers who took control of the situation and messed with the scripted actors. Then there were others who just seemed to be thinking for the right answer to the question the scripted actors were giving them. In the American version of the show it seems the improvising actors are not grabbing onto the whole scene. They're still thinking as actors rather than going with the flow of everything. There are exceptions, though, like Kevin Nealon in the second episode, and Harland Williams this past week.
Don't take my word for this, though. View these two clips from the Australian version of TGYH and let me know if you think they are funnier or not. Both scenes were used in the American version of the series, with Edie McClurg and previously mentioned Harland Williams.
Thank God You're Here: Episodes 1 & 2 (series premiere)

(S01E01/S01E02) I'm about to give you fair warning. In addition to being a husband, father, writer at TV Squad, and Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist I have also been in improv for 5 years. So, my review is may be slightly tainted.
That being said, I didn't think Thank God You're Here was an utter disaster. I also didn't think it was a laugh-until-you-pee hit, either. It was interesting to watch and mildly entertaining, even in those scenes where you knew the actors were waaaayyyy out of their element. And there was plenty of that.
TV Squad Hot Topics
Most Popular Articles
Most Popular Tags
From Our Partners
- Nikita's Melinda Clarke Previews 'Fascinating' Amanda Flashback: 'She Is a Ruthless Creature'
- Ratings: The Mentalist Sees a Season High, Grey's Rises, 30 Rock Pops and The Office Falls
- Matt's Inside Line: Scoop on NCIS: LA, Person of Interest, House, Big Bang, White Collar and More
- Vampire Diaries Boss Talks Offing Originals, Teases 'Major Jeopardy' for All by Season's End
- Project Runway All-Stars Recap: Seasonal Subjective Disorder
- More From TVLine
- Watch Gloria Estefan's Campy New Video, ‘Hotel Nacional'
- Movie Review: The Imagination-Lacking Journey 2: Mysterious Island
- DreamWorks Is Remaking Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca
- ‘We Take Care of Our Own' Video: Sing Along With Bruce Springsteen
- Air's Nicolas Godin on A Trip to the Moon, Working With the Dead, and Space Travel
- More from Vulture
