What Went Wrong: Taskmaster US Adaptation
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- Опубликовано: 7 май 2024
- Taskmaster is a hilarious, unique, and long-running game show that has taken the UK by storm, but why did the US adaptation fall short? In this video, I'll break down the key differences and issues that plagued the American version of Taskmaster and explore what could have been done differently.
🕒 Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction to Taskmaster
01:08 - UK vs. US Spinoffs and Why They Often Fail
02:20 - The Impact of Shortened Episodes
03:07 - The Hosting Challenge
04:13 - Contestant Dynamics and Competitiveness
06:29 - Comedy Central: The Wrong Choice
07:57 - Differences in American Humor
08:53 - How Did It Go So Wrong? + What Can Make It Right?
#Taskmaster #USvsUK #entertainment
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The closest US thing to TaskMasker is Game Changer on Dropout, rather than the actual Task Master adaptation.
I'll give you that, game changers has the deranged essence of taskmaster
I recently learned through an interview that Sam Reich (owner of dropout and host of game changer) is actually friends with Alex Horne. So ya know, a fun fact regarding that similarity in style.
None of the remakes (in my opinion) have been a patch on the original. Greg and Alex's chemistry (with each other and the contestants) make the show. You end up rooting for the contestants, many of whom you'd never heard of before.
The NZ or Australian one's haven't been bad.
I grew to really like the Australian version.
New Zealand, season 2!
I watched the NZ version, no idea who any of them are, but ended up growing to love them (the Taskmaster is much hotter in the kiwi version than the "binbag full of coleslaw" that is Greg Davies).
New Zealand is excellent.
Apparently Alex is acquainted Sam Reich, owner of Dropout TV, which would be a great network to host a US Taskmaster. Sam Reich also has big Alex Horne energy; diabolical and underhanded. He'd make a great assistant. I think Sam would be better at crafting tasks and a format for a US audience, as well. I'm not sure they could afford Conan though.
One of the big problems seems to be Alex being on the US show, period. To me, it indicates the producers didn't know how to do Taskmaster and instead of finding a host who was more in tune with US sensibilities, took the path of least resistance. Tom Cashman of Aus Taskmaster and Paul Williams of NZ are the creators of the tasks in their shows; the US needed to find someone who wasn't Alex to fill the same role.
The US "Taskmaster" was overly scripted and Reggie Watts had basically zero control. He couldn't be himself. Reggie Watts could have been great, but in all the early stuff he was literally just reading UK dialect phrasing like "I have set a task" instead of something like "I made these people do stuff."
Most of the contestants on the UK task master are normally fairly well known, while not A-list, they are recognisable either though the comedy panel show scene or via acting in a comedy. They are not really unknowns for the most part, they have been on big shows and gone on tours and stuff.
Yeah I agree, this is a huge thing the creator of this video got wrong. Just because this American person don’t know who the panelists are doesn’t mean that the panelists are unknown in the UK, what a weird leap to make.
@@hagbau the comedy scene in the uk is in a way where if they have been in one show they will be on them all, so they will be people you would have seen on this show or that show already
You have to be really switched on to the comedy scene to know who most of the Taskmaster contestants are.
@@acex222 for some maybe but lot I may known if you have seen cats does countdown or similar shows
While not quite a panel show, I think the fact Americans just fail at doing panel shows is the reason - as you say points and winning are not the point but merican TV show makers don't seem to get that concept.
It could work if most of the people in the show know each other, like how series 2 has Joe, Jon, and Katherine who you often see on shows together. It helps with the chemistry and familiarity of the crew, connecting them to the audience. Or, like in the video, give them more time to interact with each other.
@@herlastborn I think it would need a total rethink. The US office worked as it is a totally different style of comedy - Americans don't get subtle comedy like the UK Office. Steven Fry explains it really well - americans comedians are wise crackers that are above their material and their audience, British comedians want to play the failure with no dignity but celebrate it. I think the US one would have to have it wher epoints actually matter but put people in pairs for the positive interaction.
Have to agree with your idea of Conan O'Brien for US Taskmaster. His recent appearance on Hot Ones (the spicy wings challenge interview show) was amazing: he's got an American take of Greg Davies' mix of cocky, sardonic and vulnerable. He would absolutely make that work :)
So who would be his assistant? Schlansky, Sona, Gurley, or Richter?
I would love to see Sona as his assistant. She’d be nothing like Alex
@@Lyam84Aaron Bleyaert (the guy Conan does Clueless Gamer with) has good Alex Horne energy.
@TheAppeyes except he's not so funny himself, more its Conan who is funny and knows how to mine him for material. I think whoever the assistant is should be able to respond to the contestants during a challenge in a comedic way, on the spot. Thats why I would probably choose Andy Richter, Gourley, or just for the sheer deadpan absurdity, Schlansky, in that order
@@Lyam84 Schlansky would be amazing.
Before watching my personal opinion is: The gameshow works best with 'British style' humor (where the comedian frequently is the butt of the joke. Compared to the american style where boasting/impressive stories are more frequent).
People having fun together, while taking the piss in turns. Chemestry between contestants is a must, as well as a authoritative yet, relaxed but attentive taskmaster.
But the American cast was very focused on making themselves shine, and didn't bother with having a good time or creating chemestry. Both the contestants and the Taskmaster had that problem (though iirc there was one bloke who was actually pretty fun and who matched the vibe of the British version).
Especially the feminist insult comic brought down the feelings of the show.
She took a sadistic type of pleasure in bringing Alex down in uncreative and crude ways. It wasn't a teasing "Lets see how far I can push this and tease my friend" like the bare-ass-in-cake or Rhod's quick change or the frequent "lets get Alex to eat something weird" moments were in the British version. It was just unadulterated "I want to take someone down a peg, and he's acting like an easy target".
And often when anything went wrong she brought gender into it, even if it was completely irrelevant. It just felt so unnecessary.
But maybe that opinion will be expanded/changed, so I'll finally go and watch the video now :p
Edit: Now that I've watched it I do see a lot of familiarities and agree with your views (or at least see where they're coming from if there are small differences). Though I definitely overlooked the impact of the runtime and the more general tasks.
All in all a very fun, informative, and well put together video.
There was a US adaptation? (I think that says it all.)
I'm American and will stick to watching the UK version.
I had to make sure this wasn't on 2X speed. Good video... but take a breath!!
Hey thanks for the feedback! I have a speech issue called cluttering that causes me to speak pretty quickly among other issues. It's a big part of why I'm making videos in the first place so I can practice my speech. I can't gauge how fast I sound so when I get comments like this it helps me learn to speak slower next time!
I'm just glad she didn't do the RUclipsr thing: putting the word "super" in every damn sentence.
@@marsiswatching It was refreshing to hear a human's voice and not some AI text-to-speech which is what a lot of YT videos are now-a-days.
My first issue is one you pointed out. Reggie didn't work as host. We didn't need a copy of greg, but Reggie seemed really sterile and it seemed almost like Alex was having to walk him through it all. The second issue was how American comedy works. In England comedians are just normal people. In america, they're all vying for celebrity status. So, these nobody's who I don't care about are giving me their political statements as if I'm going to cheer like some type of trained baboon just because they said who they do or don't like. I have told my wife often times that what I think would work for taskmaster in the US is to have the cast of an upcoming movie do a single one-off episode to promote the movie. Can you imagine how perfect it would have been to have the Rock and Kevin Hart as the taskmaster in his assistant while the rest of the cast of Jumanji 2 were the contestants? Karen Gillian, Jack Black, Nick Jonas, Danny Glubber, Awkwafina and Danny Devito? If I got celebrity names wrong sorry.
There's a balance to be struck between being competitive (without having to also fail) and trying to find a funny way of completing the task. If a contestant phones it in them failing feels lame and if they succeed it can be underwhelming. Listening to the Taskmaster podcast, it does seem that the majority of contestants actually were trying to win; part of the brilliance of the show is that the tasks are so strange that regardless of that competitive drive the brain just shuts down.
I agree with the other comment saying keeping Alex was a mistake, but I also honestly think if they had Greg AND Alex for the US show it would've worked, for 2 reasons. First, I think both American and UK audiences would react well to a group of American comedians being given tasks by 2 British hosts. It plays well into existing tropes and archetypes and it works well even as a standalone premise. Second, I think having 2 British comedians on the show, especially in the hosting role, would allow them to steer the atmosphere to be the correct level of ribbing and lay the groundwork for self-deprecating British style comedy. If Alex is alone, in the assistant role, he sticks out as out of place, and can't help direct the tone of the show.
With Aus and NZ it's different - first of all, Aus & NZ have similar comedy styles, AND they're very familiar with British TV, panel shows, and the audiences would have been familiar with the original Taskmaster. So, a new set of hosts isn't as much of a problem because they know the source material well enough to adapt it. With the US, they would've needed more guidance from someone familiar with the original format.
I agree with most of your reasoning why the US version was such a massive flop. I've enjoyed the Brits version from the begining. I've also greatly enjoyed NZ, Australia, and even other international versions despite having to read subtitles (and somehow still get much of the humor and charm). I've known many of the contestants for years for their stand up and/or presentations on many shows and greatly admired their contributions. But, the US version I'd never heard of 3 of the 5 contestants, and was disappointed when seeking their comedy, as I found most of their humor offensive, shock value, ignorant, and/or generally uncreative (similar to what they portrayed on Taskmaster US and would be shocked if Alex approved those 3). I really hope there is another attempt to make a US version (and hope they ask Ron back for another go, and Reggie to be a contestant as he would be a brilliant, lighthearted, entertaining puzzle solver), and perhaps as in the other versions, have a different Alex for the US (though I love his creativity and brilliance in conjuring up Taskmaster and feel he should be fully able to direct his creations projection).
I agree with you wholeheartedly and I hope they reboot the US version too. It would be great if Alex had full creative control even if he isn't hosting. His mind is what makes taskmaster great.
I think a lot of these reasons can be summed up as the people in charge of this version didn't have a clue about what works in the original. It seems like even though Alex Horne was in it, he didn't have the creative control he usually has. He probably had more control in the Australian and New Zealand versions.
Unfortunately doing what they've done in other countries won't work as well here in the US because the money people have too much say. I think that's why US adaptations fail so much. They need to let the creatives make a good show and the money will usually follow. Worrying too much about the money just bogs everything down.
Literally got into watching the original Taskmaster this Week. Very informative video, I didn't even know that there were Versions of it in other countries.
You should look into them
I highly recommend the New Zealand version
I watch the New Zealand and Australian versions because I need my fix! They are pretty good. As close as you can get to the original.
I have religiously been watching Task Master on RUclips (and elsewhere *cough*) for all of its 17 seasons, and even quite like the Australia and New Zealand spin-offs as well.
The fact that I didn't even KNOW there was an American spin-off here in the US should tell you everything!
Hell, I thought Series 17 was going to be filmed in the US when it was announced that Greg Davies and Alex Horne would be doing the premier from New York City!
American TV execs are knob heads.
As an American that's been watching Taskmaster for years... TIL there was an American taskmaster.
Great video! I've been watching Taskmaster ever since the first episode aired here in the UK and I have to agree with pretty much everything you said.
Thank you! I appreciate it
In what season were the contestants shown @ 9:44 ? I dont remember seeing those and I'm pretty sure I've watched all the original show's seasons, just not the adaptations.
That's from the annual TM new years treat. They get UK celebrities and comedians for a one off every year. This cast is from 2023's version.
@@marsiswatching Holy shit I'm so glad I'm reading this... I have missed all these new year's specials so far, didn't know about them! What a treat! :D
@@paddotk so many for you to enjoy, and don't forget champion of champions either!
I watched an episode of the US version and it just lacked the banter of the original. It felt like they were trying too hard to win whereas the contestants didn't bother trying to be taken seriously.
What made you think the UK version had mostly unknown comedians??? 95% of contestants are highly recognizable and well known by a UK audience.
95% is a bit of a stretch. I can understand contestants like Lee Mack, or Dara O Briain are used as recognizable anchors to bring in more eyes, but most aren't.
It would defeat part of the purpose of the show, which is to introduce the masses to talented lesser known/unknown comedians and help get shine in their careers.
Just like you, I was being hyperbolic. But if we're being honest the casts definitely skew towards lesser known entertainers, especially as the seasons go on.
@@marsiswatchingto be fair, they kinda right, maybe not 95% of total contestants, but definitely not unknown comedians/entertainers, particularly if you're familiar with UK comedy shows like 8 out of 10, WILTY, etc. This clearly shown in previous series where there's only one or two lesser-known names in the group, the rest is A-list. In Series 12 alone, Desiree Burch is arguably the least known contestant, although that's only if you (like me) aren't following the stand up scene.
But yes, like you said, as the show goes on, they branches out more.
@@pluviosity again I disagree, because these generalizations are based on if you consume all this media. Most people don't.
Not being combative, I'll even agree in saying unknown is not the best word to use but my sentiment still stands. There's a better chance the cast is not recognizable.
@@pluviosity I agree with you, I'm from Norway and even I have heard or at least seen most of the contestants in the UK version.
Great video
Thanks for watching
I dont know why, but i've got a hunch that Thomas F. Wilson could be a good US TaskMaster...
He's pretty tall, just like Greg Davies, and i think that their personalities are quite the same as well ..
Another great bit of Alex Horne content is No More Jockeys on RUclips, in which he and his friends (Tim Key and Mark Watson, who have both been on Taskmaster) record their zoom calls playing a memory game and chatting. Very funny feel good show. Quite dense with in-jokes so not ideal to start halfway (although the zaniness doesn't fully kick in until a few episodes in).
Tim Key is also the Task Consultant on UK Taskmaster for all seasons since the one he was on.
@@hagbau I would so love to see them together thinking stuff through. Key makes me guffaw like few can
I love taskmaster, I've seen all of the uk, new zealand and australian version, and while I think the uk version is the best, those other two are quite funny.
Keep scrapping. You have a great voice for RUclips. Fine-tune your craft and you’ll grow. I’m subscribing so I can watch how big you get.
I've watched the first two seasons of NZ and have loved them. Decided to give the UK version a shot while I'm waiting for NZ S3. Weirdly enough, the culture presented in NZ feels more similar to the US than the UK one does.
well, its the as with the Office... UK version was inspired, dorky, just lovely... US version was high octane, loud and often overplayed... not better, just "more". which might be a good think in an americans eyes, but really just mostly isnt.
No way to copy Alex and Greg, or their chemistry. It's not complicated.
Also important to point out that two of the contestants, Dillon Francis and Freddie Highmore are not comedians. One is a musician and one is an actor. I know a few of the UK Taskmaster contestants are also not comedians, but the one's who aren't have at least done other panel shows so they are used to the banter and style of show. And Lisa Lampanelli is a well known insult comic that has been on a lot of Comedy Central roasts and other programming so she was likely one of the network's picks for a contestant. I could see some of the more sensitive folks who don't know this from the get go having a problem with her. The show could work in the US very easily if they treated it similarly to the UK show
Loved it
Thank you!
You know who could have filled in for Greg Davis as a slightly mean, stern, funny man? Jon Stewart, or maybe Craig Ferguson.
Thanks for the review. I've been watching the OG Taskmaster for the first time and had heard about the American version being bad, but not really why. They should have just taken a clue from Whose Line and been really funny. So simple 😂
The UK contestants were mostly all very competitive for British people. US contestants being more competitive, I think is totally fine. I can't find full episodes of the US version, but from what I've seen, the biggest problem is the US show is so lazy. There's no lore, no attention to detail, no US historical references, and no "Taskmaster" in general. Replacing Greg for US was not a horrible idea, and I see what Alex was trying to do. But he didn't go all the way and make it into a full true US version. The show should not be on TV. It should be on the Internet/RUclips, live, funded by Alex, with complete creative control. And he should wait on the US version. Taskmaster will explode in global popularity in coming years. The next US version will be much better if he waits, and takes his time with everything.
I agree on all points. Weird as it may sound, I think whomever had control of the US remake ruined it. They deviated too far from the original vibe.
You have to have chemistry and culture to make it happen. (...) The culture isn't there, and the chemistry was completely removed.
I still haven't bothered watching any of the regional remakes & my country is one of those that makes one... Just can't imagine it working.
They're pretty decent and I like looking at the differences in culture that show up in the comedy. I'd suggest New Zealand and Australia for sure
Panel shows don't translate to the American sense of humor. We don't want earnest trying and relatable personalities, we want effortless perfection with a nonstop torrent of quips. Americans don't like the process, we like the result.
Japan also had a show called Documental which was hilarious as fnck. And NA did a similar show called Last one laughing(LOL) and it was unwatchable.
The aussie version isn't too bad. But I've only watch clips of it.
Craig Ferguson would be another great choice for an American Task Master. He's been around for a long time and knows all the comedians and is a great comedian in his own right. I love Conan, but his bread and butter is self depreciating humor and that's just not a great match for the position. Craig could knock it out of the park.
As far as I'm concerned "the US version" isn't the official one; it's Taskmaster:Minnesota, a fantastic amateur version that captures the humor and cleverness of the original UK show. Here's a sample task from it: ruclips.net/video/I_1xOXSZnb8/видео.html
You know what's funny? I live in Minnesota and have never heard of this! I'm gonna binge watch this right now thanks
That's not Minnesota, that's college kids having a go at it.
I have made comments on their feed too about expanding and making it truly a Minnesota Taskmaster.
Coming from the live theater and improv background and knowing many stand up comedians in the area, I know they're not utilizing the community. They are just focusing on the UofM and their friends.
The audio is amateur as well as the taping, which is disappointing since it's such a great idea, just executed like a high school A/V club project we would have done in the 90s.
I was so flummoxed by the choice of Reggie as Taskmaster. He's obviously the US Alex. He's known as a weird multi-instrumentalist. The taskmaster should be - a taskmaster. Huge and imposing, dictatorial.
Conan would be good, even more so if Alex' role was taken over by Andy Richter.
Steve Harvey would also be great, his trademark silent judging of people would work wonders
REALLY agree on Lampanelli. Her insult-comedy style is so incredibly dated. As crowdwork it may be fine, but it's completely idiotic to try this style of comedy in another setting.
This is a great breakdown and it saved me from having to actually watch the US version (ha) - so thank you!!
Totally agree with the contestants, Lisa was aweful to watch.
Lets just face it straight on... Hollywood is a show off trying to impress all markets. While British comedy has always just been funny. No shits given!
I hate all taskmasters other than the original one. There is no "taskmaster" in any of them. Greg is simply irreplaceable. Even Alex is irreplaceable. They're huge comedy geniuses. Both in size and persona. They tried to pick largest person they could find in other taskmasters, but it's not just about height. Greg is big daddy. He dominates EVERyone. Not just in taskmaster but in life. All the other taskmasters are so lame and submissive try-hards. Now about the participants. When it started the participants were almost embarrassed to be on it. Like it would ruin their career or something to be seen being dominated and humiliated. Other taskmaster participants (and even the ones in later episodes now on the original) are just so complacent and eager to be there like it's an opportunity of a lifetime for it. We don't wanna see contestants who wanna be contestants. This isn't your age old regular competition show. That's what made it different. The competition is supposed to be a mere facade. That juxtaposition of it being the most useless gameshow with the sarcastic seriousness Greg and Alex give it were key components to making it such a masterpiece.
The number one reason I stopped watching the US version was Lisa Lampanelli. She can be funny, but she is often loud and abrasive. Just not what I’m looking for in a panel show. It should be an ensemble, and she made that impossible.
With few exceptions, Americans ruin great British shows trying to adapt them. Taskmaster is a show that requires time. Comedy Central cutting running time in half literally cut the shows balls off. The project turns into a Frankenstein's Creature and viewers can't figure out wtf is going on. Besides, the original uncluttered version of any hit sho is usually the best.
Plug for Qi….! What great show. Or 8oo10c does countdown. So many.
absolutely not, u.s. nearly always ruins great UK shows
@@tinay9491
True…. They like to pander to a dumb audience. 🤷🏼♂️
Big fan of the UK version, never seen any of the others but just watched 2 minutes of a US show. Yeah, it's awful isn't it. Why would anyone like that? Why is it filmed in a huge set? it's so cringy and distant.
omg Conan would have been perfect!
geeze, s-l-o-w down
The US is also just really bad at reality TV in all its forms. We try to sensationalize everything for some reason.
I can tell you why I stopped watching partway through episode 2. One of the contestant's personas was just to be a raging asshole all the time. (Not ridiculous mean like how Greg is to Alex, just like a run of the mill awful person.)
I believe you can be a funny asshole, but you can't be an asshole and expect it to be funny. She was the latter.
I didnt see the American Taskmaster but I can promise you Lisa Lampinelli has been an awful person for decades. Definitely would not help get a show off the ground by including her. It's on the level of including Andy Dick, no one is going to enjoy that
Slow down your narration. Practice enunciation. The intelligibility of much of what you say is compromised because you're racing through your script.
Hey, I have a speech disorder called cluttering that makes it difficult for me to slow my speech. Part of the reason why I am making videos is to get better at speaking. I would appreciate some patience. Thank you for your feedback regardless
@@marsiswatching I was fine with your narration.
1:12 Coupling! I didnt know they did a US version. I really like that show! Sucks that Jeff left. It definitely went to heck after that.
Ha I never even knew there was a US version.
3:43 I agree with Conan O'brien being a good idea for a Taskaster. He definitely doesn't take things too seriously and knows loads of comedians.
Something I LOVE about UK TM is that Greg and a lot of the contestants know each other from working together or other things. Considering Conan knows a ton of US Comedians, I think he'd be excellent, funny, and comedically ruthless, like Greg can be.
30 minute episodes was all i needed to hear. Impossible to cover enough with that time.
And who the F is Reggie Watts? What a terrible choice.
I'm so glad someone said it, Lisa effin sucks, what a B. I did not like Ian, and I haaaated Guy.
Anyway, good video. 👍
Great video
Thanks!