Count Dooku

You have to watch it from (what I am going to call) a meta perspective. The comedy does not derive so much from the text, but from the subtext, which is watching the actors deal with the situation. I would liken it to watching Tim Conway trying to break Harvey Korman. Conway's efforts and Korman's reactions make the actual sketch beside the point.

So it is like a sketch. The most I have ever laughed at an SNL sketch was the first Debbie Downer, not because the written jokes were so funny, but because the situation with the cast trying to keep it together became hilarious.

I can only say that watching Arnett DRAMATICALLY over-react to Wain's magic in an effort to throw Conan off his game was hilarious,

Bandoman

Completely agree. The best part of the first episode was when

MLBFan24

I finished episode 2 (Marshawn Lynch) and guessed the murderer correctly. So it is kind of fun to look for clues along the way, now that I know how they set it up from episode 1.

I'm not sure how the remaining episodes are setup, but I would prefer that not all the guest stars are homicide detectives. For example, the guest actor could be someone from the neighborhood who uses street smarts to help Wil Arnet solve the case (like that Martin Lawrence Blue Streak movie).

RichC2

Weirdly the thing that cracked me up the most in one episode was the dude playing a corpse trying to keep a straight face while Arnett and the guest kept flicking his nipples.

Count Dooku

Finished the series. After a strong start, the returns diminished as the premise and structure became more mechanical, which meant it really relied on the guest star to bring something.

Conan's and Kamail Nanjiani's were the funniest, likely because as comedians they were fast on their feet.
The last episode with Ken Jeong was very good. He was having a lot of fun, which made it fun to watch, if not actually funny.
I'd say Annie Murphy's was next best, followed by Marshawn Lynch.
The Sharon Stone episode was a complete drag. Ugh.

IDK if they will try a second season, but it seems clear to me that the format works best when the guest is someone with some comedy and improv chops.

emanon

Made it through the first four last night. Enjoyed it from the start, but wasn't sure if that was just because I'm a huge Conan fan, and have been missing him...but four in, definitely enjoying it quite a bit. Will trying to get the guest to break is definitely a high point. Look forward to finishing the last two tonight, and hope that it gets a second season.

Deftones

Holy shit the Kumail episode was also amazing. His walk in the hallway and the noise he was making made my wife and I laugh hysterically.

whotony

This ep was laugh out loud funny.
When Kumail told Arnett to imitate a Pakistan accent and not to sound racist, then Ian Gomez said “good luck”
Oh man.

The dead guy was This Close to breaking and laughing.

Great stuff.


Let’s Go Ramblers.

Eric F

“That’s Chucky, they just put a suit on him.”

MLBFan24

Just finished the first season. Surprisingly, Marshawn Lynch was probably my favorite improv. Maybe because it was unexpected.


I thought Ken Jeong would do better, but was disappointed by his performance.

Annie Murphy and Sharon Stone did a decent job.

Kumail's suggestion to do a Pakistani accent, but not sound racist, was my favorite bit.

Cellar Door

Watched the first episode last night and laughed a few times, so I'll keep watching. Arnett was pretty funny--I think he broke a few times due to his own antics.

Vipper II

Maybe I was just in one of those moods, but I was in tears during the scene Arnett and Conan were in the restaurant eating the sloppy jalapeñ-joes. Haven't laughed that hard in ages. I'm not even sure it was that funny - it just hit a spot.

Deftones

No, it was definitely funny because you could see Conan didn't want to break and Will just kept pushing.

How I would rank them:
Conan
Kumail
Marshawn
Ken
Sharon
Annie

bralph

I thought Annie's was by far the weakest. It was almost like she and Sharon tried too hard to actually solve the case, with the comedy/improv taking a back seat. I thought Ken's was great. You could tell he was having a blast. I also loved the setup of the old crime scene, with Arnette saying "Wow, this is a lot of evidence. How did this go unsolved for 15 years?".

MLBFan24

I would like to see how Wayne Brady would do on this show. I think he would just own it.

Any of the Whose Line regulars would probably do better than a majority of the season one guests.

story

I have been randomly laughing out of nowhere all week about sloppy jalapeñ-joes. You've never had a wetter sandwich, it's unbelievable!

cultshock

The first ep with Conan was great. Sounds like the rest aren't quite as good, but it's a great concept (I like improv stuff) so I'll definitely continue to watch.

Oh my god, Wayne, Ryan or Colin would probably be fantastic on this show.

Toddarino

I’m pacing myself on this show. I’ve watched the Conan one twice and the Marshawn today. I really enjoyed them both. That restaurant scene and the interrogation scene made me laugh so hard.
The Lynch episode really surprised me. I thought he was really good. I loved watching his facial reactions.

Trelach24

I remember when Marshawn Lynch was on The League and how stunned I was at how natural and good he was as an actor.

New Lurker

Enjoyed this. Felt like 6 eps was a good call, didn't wear out it's welcome. Him trying to get the name of Kumal's hs gf throughout that episode, even multiple characters asking, was hilarious to me. Hope they get a few seasons out of this. Good concept and executed pretty well.

story

I keep walking around the house saying, "Just slop it! Really slop it!"

Noonan

Watched the first two episodes last night and enjoyed them a ton. Arnett's look when Conan went off the rails for his reason for the killing was hilarious. Lynch was amazing just being himself.

spainlinx0

I think Ken was my least favorite. I expected so much more from him so it was a bigger disappointment.

I was actually shocked at the Sharon Stone episode. She wasn't trying to be funny at all, and seemed to really be focusing on solving, and then ended up completely off on her guess. She even picked the one that I felt was most obviously not correct.

Conan and Kumail were easily my favorite of the bunch, and I liked Marshawn, but the way everyone was hyping him, I thought it would be stronger.

Overall, I liked the premise and the series. Will Arnett was just fantastic.

Mike86

I’ve only watched the Conan one so far. Thought it was pretty funny, but I think the show really needs the right guest star to work. Not necessarily a big fan of the other guests. I might watch the others eventually. Kind of wish Conan was in more episodes.

d2cheer

I watched one with Conan. Not for me.