Why Taskmaster is the Best Show on TV (and Why the American Version Failed)
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- Опубликовано: 11 янв 2022
- The UK panel show Taskmaster has become one of my all-time favorite shows. I'm not going into any spoiler territory with tasks, but speaking broadly on why the show succeeds, and why its US counterpart did not.
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There were a whole slew of additional thoughts that I cut from this video just to keep things feeling leaner and more focused (initially I DID go into spoiler territory to speak about Champion of Champions and a few peak moments in the show). One element that got left on the cutting room floor that I would like publicly known (if only in this description) is that my personal MVPs across the whole show are Sally Phillips, Mike Wozniak, Morgana Robinson, James Acaster, and Rhod Gilbert. I guess the trend is I like the psychopaths. They come in all forms.
#Taskmaster #GregDavies #LittleAlexHorne 
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"Edited to perfection"
"some will take the first 45 minutes to realise they should be wet"
"I just realised I should wet them!"
Best bit of editing in the show and it happened right at the beginning.
Wait, can you tell me what you're talking about?
@@hiendkle for one of the tasks in the first season, they had to throw a teabag into a mug from the furthest distance and had an hour to do it. When showing the clips, one of them, Frank, immediately knew that wetting the teabags would make them easier to throw longer distances. In the clips, he's very confident and then says that some of the contestants will take the first 45 minutes to realise that the teabags are easier to throw when wet. It then cuts to Romesh who, 45 minutes into doing the task, realising he should wet the teabags. It's a pretty iconic moment demonstrating the perfect editing in the show.
As a British person, it's always a delight to watch an American explain why the English version's better.
As an American who loved the UK version, I may assert that the New Zealand version is a little better.
@@SandLantern I absolutely love the NZ version, Paul Williams is a fantastic assistant (as a brit because we're doing that I guess)
@@SandLantern touché
I will say that the NZ version has a chaotic energy that the UK should also adapt. I love both, though!
@@SandLantern same, i like the nz version better because theres absolutely no rules or things to avoid just because its on tv. The uk version is great too, but i really enjoy that all the nz comics are apparently lifelong friends
Here in Denmark the Danish Taskmaster is THE biggest show atm.
We're all eagerly waiting for the 6th season. It's hillarious!
and the Taskmaster has so many houses ;)
@@sirameaEven if two of his houses are the same house. (NZ and Australia are filmed in the same location.)
I went to a recent recording (New Years Treat). First full audience show since the pandemic began and it was so much fun. Mad thing is that it was three and a half hours of non-stop hilarity with very few filming breaks that got chopped down to just 50 minutes. So many funny moments cut!
Favourite moment early in the evening might have been Alex and Greg having a tender hug whilst walking everyone through how the evening was going to work. An audience member asks to join in and Greg goes "yeah of course". They have their hug and then Greg says words to the effect of "Well the producers weren't happy about that... I'm sure we haven't caught COVID."
Really any show with James Acaster on it becomes the best show. Dude is a comedic king
Repertoire on Netflix is just incredible. I still need to see his latest special.
@@belatedmedia you are in for a treat! I love 'Repertoire' but I think 'Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999' might actually be even better.
@@belatedmedia That's how I found him! Also haven't seen his latest yet either but I have gone through repertoire many times and will go down the rabbit hole of youtube montages of his funniest tv moments regularly
I believe that the idea was, Alex would be the assistant for the first season, to "get the show on its feet" but if it did well and wanted to continue, he'd be replaced with another assistant.
I think this kind of show was somewhat destined to fail in the US, even if the same format was kept. I love the UK version, but I think part of why it works is that it is built around the comedians laughing at themselves, the audience laughing with the comedians, and ultimately the audience laughing at ourselves (as you say - often the comedians do silly things we also would do under pressure). Likewise, some of the best bits are the dryness of the humour particularly Alex's performance. Some might describe this brand of humour as "British humour", but I think that its present in various other countries as well (perhaps why the NZ version has done so well, the Commonwealth countries have inherited a lot of similar comedy beats).
Culturally, I find that US comedians on the whole tend to struggle with this kind of humour (dryness, self-deprecation), and I could rattle off countless examples of US adaptations that have failed because US comedians are mostly better at laughing at other people or particular situations. There are of course some exceptions to this, eg people like John Mulaney who have a fair amount of self deprecation in their jokes. Perhaps it could have worked with very careful casting of US comedians.
Brilliant take. You mention Mulaney. There's also Neal Brennan. Bo Burnham. Maria Bamford. I can't for the life of me think of American comedians who would be better suited for this format. I also cannot think of any others. Not a single other. Could you imagine the horror of the typical SNL-type cast on Taskmaster?
search for stephen fry on the difference between british and american humor for more of the same thread of thought.
I think this show would work in Canada well
Conan and Andy would have been perfect! 7, and 11 are my favorite too! James getting mad at Rob during the "build an addition to the taskmaster house" task, is legendary. My all time favorite moment is Joe finding out he stepped in the red green, in series 2 haha
Haven’t watched the American version, but I think you’re right that Conan and Andy would be great.
A friend of mine said Drew Carey as the Taskmaster with Colin Mochrie as the assistant, and I think he’s also right.
I don’t know if Drew Carey would host. He’s not hosting Whose Line (despite being apparently capable to do so), so I don’t know if he’d be able to do Taskmaster.
i think it isnt taskmaster without greg and alex... and thats why the american version ultimately failed... ive seen it, it was not pleasant. Although i will say in the NZ version Paul Williams is a fantastic Alex lite. In foreign language versions (foreign to me) i think it does have to be local comics.
@@Rymc2 Nahh, the American version sucked because they tried to change it up but not make it better. The NZ version is pretty great although one could argue a little "lesser", without Greg or Alex. Taskmaster US just pulled a "Kitchen Nightmares" and destroyed a perfect setup for no good reason.
@@Rymc2 No, I don't think that's it. What make Paul great as the assistant in TM NZ is the fact that he's NOT being an Alex lite, he's himself. Same goes for Tom in TM AU, and Oli on TM Norway. They're NOT emulating Alex, because obviously there can never be a second Alex.
Someone once commented that Penn Jilette would make a great taskmaster, and I can't get it out of my head.
In the US version the "banter" is a performance to the audience when it should be between the people on stage. That's what makes UK panel shows work, it's funny people talking to each other and they rarely perform to the audience.
The world needs more of your video essays man. Glad you wrote and filmed this! I hope we don't have wait nearly as long for your next piece!
I can't believe you are talking about Taskmaster, didn't think these two worlds would collide!
I genuinely think Patton Oswalt would be incredible on this show in any role. My random choice for the Taskmaster would probably be Matteo Lane. He’s hilarious and is absolutely not afraid to call people out on bullshit.
This is great! I find it so hard to articulate why Taskmaster is so delightful but i think you've hit the nail on the head.
I think 7 is the best series, it has many of my favourite moments (Rhod's creepiest thing, Cul-de-sac, James's Extension Task Outburst, the whole computer game task, "A LIIIIIME", the list goes on and on) but series 5 has my favourite narrative arc; that of Mark 'The Heron' Watson and Nish 'Bubbly Fuck' Kumar. Their journey from appalling Basketball attempts, £400 hats, through to Coconut businessmen, the best splat and the absolute zenith of 'I'm Always Seeing You (Do Cool Stuff)' which was a genuinely wonderful moment at which I may or may not have cried.
Not to get too heavy about a show that is genuinely daft, but I had a family bereavement in 2020 and rewatching Taskmaster in the after times was such a balm. Especially because the 'rona meant I couldn't be with family, it was perfect to laugh at in an awful time.
Anyway, in the words of my hometown hero "Big up Cov and the West Mids Mandem".
Conan would be a GREAT taskmaster for an American version
It is an awesome show with some great panel members and hilarious tasks. It's one of those shows that I can watch over and over again and never get tired of.
RETURN OF THE KING! See you again in a few years man. :'(
Hometasking during lockdowns were brilliant ! When you have soooooo much time on your hands it's amazing the inventive ways people think of ' getting a piece of paper in the bin in the most investive way possible '
New Zealan Taskmaster somehow found a better understanding of the show than the UK one. I LOVE the show so much and I 100% agree with you on all the faults of the US attempt
Great video! You know, a lot of people have called Taskmaster: Minnesota the "true US adaptation of Taskmaster". Alex Horne has even said it's great!
Also, I've been saying that Conan should be the US Taskmaster for years! I even emailed Conan's fanmail to tell him that! No response though...
Having you back in my feed feels so good. Welcome back!
Really appreciate you recommending this show on your year end list, been watching it with my wife and we love it!
Man, I'm glad someone else knows about this show. I tried showing a friend what had me so hooked but the only yt videos I could find were a couple awful clip collections that didn't really show anything off.
Really, only the full episodes work. There's a flow to it which you cannot capture from clips.
Good lord. Conan and Andy would be amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing
Missed your stuff man , glad your back . Have you been up to projects ?
so happy to see more content from you especially since this show sounds amazing and yes good sir you are correct that we could all stand to laugh at ourselves way more and embrace the task master like moments in our lives
I started watching this one your recommendation and its amazing. We absolutely love it.
I feel like Nick Offerman as the taskmaster, Aubrey Plaza as the assistant, on NBC with the full hour format, 10 episodes, would be an excellent summer hit.
Nick has done hosting on Making It, so this would be more him than Ron Swanson. Aubrey could be herself with a dash of April, which would make her very similar to Paul from TMNZ.
NBC would open up more money and bigger names to be contestants, as well as a bigger audience. Summer would put less pressure on it to succeed.
I think doing it on comedy Central was a bad choice, and so was airing series 8 on CW.
As for contestants, I think bigger names might have helped. Alex had wanted Sarah Silverman. Bo Burnham might be a good fit. Somebody young who is big on TikTok would be good to bring in a younger demo, as well as maybe a former athlete or a singer, and maybe a twitch gamer like Ninja.
Conan O’Brien and Jordan Schlansky as the assistant would’ve worked. I would’ve had Ziwe, Bo Burnham, Bobby Lee, Stavro Halkios & Aubrey Plaza on the first season
Taskmaster genuinely got my wife and I thought most of the pandemic. The joy of each episode brightened up our day just a little every time we watched. Then we watched the first 10 minutes of the American version and immediately turned it off.
Yay! Thank you for talking more about Taskmaster!
The GOAT returns I always look forward to seeing you in my sub box man !
In my opinion, a lot of the reasons you said about why the American version failed, the Swedish version has the same problems and it's still very successful. *Not getting to know competitors, only tasks tasks tasks, no smalltalk, the Greg has no purpose but to say scripted lines and move on to the next task*.
Another bad thing it does is having the 5th competitor always be a guest-contestant every episode, this makes it easier to get bigger names since they're only on for one episode but it ruins the whole group dynamic since only 4 of the contestant form a relationship and instead you have this celebrity guest which makes the contestants don't seem like equals. In Taskmaster, even if there is a bigger name than others on the show, you over the course of the series see everyone as equals since they all bring something different to the table and you know them as people. In the Swedish one it feels like the focus is on looking at this big celebrity and spotlighting what they do over the other "normal" contestants each episode.
So basically I don't think format issues are why the American version failed I think it's a bit more complicated. I've seen both the American and Swedish versions and dislike both but maybe it's just because my introduction was the British one and my standard was set too high.
I started watching Taskmaster because of your recommendation, and I've come to really adore it.
I'm really don't think I could top your idea of Conan and Andy as the American Taskmaster and the assistant, but I think Jack Black and Kyle Gass could work.
We just started watching Taskmaster a couple weeks ago! Already starting series 7, it’s phenomenal
Actual in Denmark the prize task look a bit like the american, one of the contestant bring a item they don't want lose, and the winner of the program take that home. The Danish version still have talke before, after and inbetween task. And a live task at the end. I like it, I think It work great that way also.
love that you're back.
and love taskmaster.
Series 7 was the best with the pure chaotic energy of Rhod
Would love some more Taskmaster content!
Doing a rewatch on the star wars movies and decided to rewatch your episode 1-3 videos. Then I was curious what else you've been up to.
Glad to see a fellow yank getting in on the Taskmaster fun. Never even bothered with the US version though. I saw a clip and it looked terrible. I like Reggie but I couldn't imagine him being a good Taskmaster.
first! glad to see you back, dude
I think that it would be better just to send some American Comedians to London for three weeks, production would be kinda hell, but have Alex and Greg do their thing.
I've never heard of or seen the shows so I'm just imagining what the setup or stage looks like. I figured he was going to show a few muted clips he'd talk over to show his examples of what worked or what didn't. The talking head on a green screen not showing any of it kind of underwhelms.
Considering entire episodes are free and on RUclips, I didn’t want to run the risk of copyright ID. Check out the show if you’re at least intrigued by the description!
@@belatedmedia I do want to find some of the American one (2017 you said?) and compare its speed. I haven't watched panel shows in years so all this is news to me.
@@TagardMC Start with a bunch of the British ones. The top 5 that Michael gives at the end are a great place to start.
Great video, your suggestion as Alex as the Taskmaster and Reggie as the assistant is genius to be honest, Conan would also be perfect.
And I am here wondering why the shirt is not ironed!
Found the show in my RUclips recommendations randomly one day and binged the RUclips available seasons. The show could work in the US, but as you said, it would take the right casting and the full run time, something US TV studios probably wouldn't put the right amount of effort in for a second try
Thanks for talking about my favourite show.
My top five series are very similar to yours:
1. 7
2. 4
3. 5
4. 12
5. 9
Series 11, was one of my least favourite but it introduced me to the amazing Mike Wozniak.
Good choice of Top 5 seasons! 7 is definitely the best, and the last couple have been a delight even with (or because of) no studio audience.
Great thoughts overall! I actually almost wrote an article last week titled "Why Taskmaster is the Best Show on TV", but instead went with a Top 5 Tasks piece so it could just showcase the hilarity. You did a much much better job in this video explaining why than I would've done in words. Haha.
A massive reason is that the USA is sooo massive it is like 50 countries....
the UK can fit into Montana alone.
Most comedians on TM where friends and collogues to begin with...there is natural banter... support...in the US that does not really exist except within specific "scenes" such as the NY scene or the LA scene.
IF they had done each episode focused on a state perhaps it would have done better BUT most smaller scenes move to NY or LA to get a bigger audience.
That and ego...
Taskmaster is one of those shows where people can quite literally play and hold competitions on their own (*cough hence my channel*)
But its just a great comedy of British humour, and holds that humour across different counties and make it their own, like new zealand. Its a rare show that anyone in the world can play and it works!
The American producers only saw it as a game show, and focused only on the tasks. But TM has a second component: the review and discussion of those tasks, which is just as interesting, if not more so.
No mention of Sweden when listing all the countries?
Welcome back!
Love Taskmaster. Love the channel. Glad to see some action.
Anyone else find themselves wanting to get lost in his beard, or is it just me?
Your are the reason I got into this show. Thanks, man :)
Brit version works best bc Greg loves to laugh, likes crazy, and knows all the comedians. I watch a second time to watch Hornet’s reactions specifically. I love it so much I’ve delved into learning who they all r as ppl with private lives. Those Brits stay crazy busy.
Who should have hosted Taskmaster USA? I think Jon Stewart as the taskmaster would have been awesome (he has the sharp wit, commands the neccessary respect in the comedy community and can muster the whacky pathos (remember his deep dish pizza rant?) in the right situation). And as the assistant Demetri Martin would hit the right mix of meekness, sly comedic energy and being very inventive.
It’s a real shame the US version didn’t do well, as it could’ve been up there with the best versions. Cutting down the run-time didn’t help. I don’t know if they were edited specifically for the service I watched it on, but they were 20-25 minutes, which wasn’t enough. Having lived and worked in the US, and therefore endured their TV, the amount of advert breaks there is an absolute nightmare, so maybe that was why it was so short (they stop live sport over there for tv ad-breaks, to give you an idea of what it’s like). Maybe having Alex on that version didn’t help, as it might’ve been better to have an American as the side-kick.
The NZ version was decent, they had a good taskmaster and his assistant so maybe that’s half the battle.
Anyway, love the show, enjoyed this video essay, so thank you!
I feel like this was the issue with S1 of the Oz version as well. I think they’ve renewed for a second series, so hopefully it’ll be fixed, but S1 felt very rushed. It was basically like: show task, do one minute of banter, quickly hand out points without giving any reason for them, ad break, repeat. It definitely lost some of the magic of the UK and NZ series and they need to look at it before S2. But from what I know of TV scheduling in Aus, it’s more like the US than the UK - they have a LOT of ad breaks they need to work around.
I did notice more points where the ad breaks were but I really and thoroughly enjoyed the Aus version overall.
Very keenly and knowledgeably said - five points!
7, 11, 12, 5, and 4 are a great list. Good job
I think the biggest issue with the US version is that the comedian culture is very different in the UK. It's hard to explain, but it's just different
Agreed. It seems like such shows in the US always have to be about punching up, down, every which way. I recall Billy Bob Thornton commenting on cooking shows, "Why do there have to be cupcake wars?", implying the relentless "pick me whilst I step on everyone" mentality of competition shows. Most TM fans, particularly of the UK original, refer to it as "wholesome chaotic". Sure, some series are better than others (i discovered TM with Series 4 which will always be be No. 1 for me), and some contestants are very competitive, but ultimately they're there for a lark and a laugh and they're in it all together...which the US version was not. With every new (UK) series, I've found I might not know some of the contestants, then by the 3rd episode, I'm totally along for the whole ride. The current series' cast is so wildly different...and they've all been brilliant.
I couldn’t agree more. I’m an American who can’t get enough of British comedy-and it all started with one RUclips video of James Acaster on Taskmaster. Now, I’ve been devouring everything I can find w/ taskmaster contestants in it. I mean, Dais May Cooper in everything-and I didn’t like her at first on TM-she is now a fave of mine. I followed Acaster to Would I Lie to You and then jeez, the Mitchell and Mack doors were opened….. I do love the idea of Andy Richter and Conan doing it here.
I think Larry Wilmore or John Hodgman would be excellent choices as the Taskmaster
Dan Harmon could be a good host for an American task master. Give it a similar feel to harmonquest. I guess that makes Jeff Davis the assistant?
Even though I'm unfamiliar with Taskmaster, the breakdown of the program's strengths & structure (and why the USA version flubbed them) was really interesting.
A lot of Taskmaster is free on RUclips.
A version of Taskmaster without the studio banter and general warmth that we (UK) know and love? Sorry, USA, looks like you missed out!
Taskmaster has brought me together with a couple of very funny people! It's a great fandom :D
Excellent video
Oh wow, I never knew that there was an American version. But I am not surprised that Alex was brought in it to be the assistant.
American remakes of UK shows always seem to bring in one of the UK cast because they realise that no American actor can replicate what the UK did
Taskmaster US something like Craig Ferguson a chance to "reunite" with Josh Thompson
Apparently there's a New Zealand version as well. I haven't seen it - I don't watch TV; but someone did recommend it. It would be interesting to hear your take on it!
The NZ version is terrific, especially the second season when everyone gets in the groove a bit more. I highly recommend it to Michael if he can find a copy.
American taskmasters: David Rees and John Hodgman. With John in the Alex role and David in the Greg role.
I disagree that the tasks work well just by themselves and you only need a half decent editor - the editing in the uk version is a huge part on why the show works so well. Of course the comedians and their chemistry is super duper important and it wouldn't work without them. But the editors in that show really pull their weight, the work that they're doing on the show is incredible and really shouldn't be disregarded.
My top 5:
Series 4
Series 7
Series 5
Series 9
Series 10
but every series is a joy!
I am so so happy you talked about the failure of the American show.
Taskmaster New Zealand and Australia both had existing fanbases, as Taskmaster UK is broadcast in those countries. That probably encouraged them not to change the format. (TM NZ prize task "the worst thing to show the Taskmaster" even lent into that a lot.)
Another option for a "Greg" for a potential american version: Portia De Rossi. Especially in "Better Off Ted" mode.
It's silly, but competitive, but it does not really matter. It's like life.
I think they need Margaret Cho as US Taskmaster, with a return to the 45 minute format.
7, 11, 12, 5, 4 - i feel that
Would love to have seen Greg Davies be the Taskmaster in the US version, he wouldn't have taken any crap from f#%*ing Lisa Lampanelli🤬.
Bobby and Santino should have done taskmaster us
I always thought Taskmaster would be great to adapt here (Germany), interessting to hear they tried and failed. Sounds like the german tv/comedy scene. There are so few comedians that are good. It is sad, but there are some..
As an American who loves Taskmaster, I didn't even know there was an american version
I've always thought John Goodman would have been the ideal taskmaster for the us version.
Conan and Andy are pretty unbeatable as a dream duo. Hard to think of a better American combo.
I understand his reasoning but I could never accept Alex as taskmaster. I don't think he has the right personality for it. But even if it worked it would throw off my impression of the UK version, going back and forth between him being the taskmaster and the taskmaster's assistant. Like drinking orange juice right after brushing your teeth.
Just waiting on a "What if Game of Thrones Season 8 was good"... Or for the Star Wars sequel trilogy pleass
5ook me 3 minutes to realize this wasnt getting tied into the MCU
ugh, it's so hard to find Taskmaster videos because of the Marvel character! lol
As a Marvel fan, I still prefer the show Taskmaster. Tbf, the MCU Taskmaster wasn't that great anyway, even though the comic version was
As an American, I love TM and the NZ adaptation. I think they do a great job of balancing the silly and the absurd. I was maybe 6 or 7 seasons in when I finally learned there was a US version and about flipped, but it was a big let down. Freddie Highmore obviously knew the brief and in general the guys were alright, but the insult comic lady was just so out of touch with the spirit of the game and the other girl making political statements mid judging just kind of rude and bull dozing... it made me sad because TM is where you embrace the silly and poke fun at politics in a comedic way like when Sara Pasco made her domino fall about people not paying their tax. SP didn't just hijack the conversation, she used her comedy skills and made something entertaining with perspective. I think the American version was in general rude, loud, and uncooperative letting the worst parts of American-isms outshine the wonderful intent of TM.
I actually can explain why the german version failed: They took two comedians which only do TV Shows and are not particulary funny spontanious fot the Taskmaster and his assistant. So what I heard from gossip- it was just not funny enough because the comedians were a bit uptight and there was just no flow. Also, the comedic circus in germany was just not as stand-up driven as it is today, so I would guess if we'd redo it again with different people on a different channel and would allow it to be more quirky and niche I think it would work great. Unfortunately the television rights have been bought by RTL and because they want to promote their own RTL-brand comedians (which are "funny" because they have good people writing for them) I don't think there will ever be another go for a german Taskmaster unfortunately
“It’s non-scripted”. It really isn’t. There’s a broad outline, with many scripted jokes, that is intertwined with off the cuff interactions. And this applies to all of them.
I mean it could work for a different palate but I personally would find a Conan led taskmaster to be utter agony... I genuinely think he'd be great in the role, but not for my tastes.
I also thought O'Brien would have made a great Taskmaster.
My wife and brother-in-law don’t like British panel shows and we have all binged Taskmaster. It is so fun. Most of it is on RUclips. No reason not to watch.
Season 4 and 7 standout
Sorry for being so weird about you movie talkshow that one time.
Also, American comedians, by and large, are catchphrase-y, political, punch-down egoists, while British comics are wittier, more clever, and aim smarter.
American celebrity competition-and-karaoke TV is all based on British originals (Idol, Bachelor, Masked Singer, etc.), which proves the point. America lacks creativity and originality.
Full disclosure: I'm a U.S. citizen who thinks the British Taskmaster and its New Zealand spin-off are the best things television has given us in decades.
What if Episode 7 was good, What if episode 8 was good, what if episode 9 was good, what if Solo was good, what if The Book Of Boba Fett was good - take your time