actaction

I watched the Whoopi Goldberg version a lot in the 2000's and this is at least as good as that. Other reviewers seem pretty mean spirited. From the first two episodes I've known all but one of the celebs & the host. They are all well known stars, the exact level of previous versions. From tv star Drew Carrey to film character actress of 30+ years Debi Mazar, the genius political commentator Triumph the dog, film star Tiffany Haddish... all well known and all known for being smart and some are known for being great jokesters. The questions were always crazy easy.

I admit I have not seen a lot of the original game, so I can't directly compare it to that. I do think the game resembles that as well, but maybe not quite as fresh... which would make sense. Still, not a bad remake.

This show has always been good, even though I was a little disappointed about his not wanting to be a vampire I admit that it does feel correct for the character to reject it and we got a what if scenario out of it. This season was very funny, very untethered to the original dramatic backbone of the other seasons, but just because it put comedy first it didn't feel useless or labored. The endings of the show were all fulfilling, more-so that it was aware of the stigma of ending cliches and still leaned into them with full power. Overall the show accomplished its goals of continuing on and expanding the universe of the original without simply retelling the same story.

It's not a laugh track, it's a live audience tv show in the tradition of a genre going all the way back to radio days. It changes the pacing of the jokes, the energy & presence of the actors and can actually make you feel like you're watching in a group of like minded people... just like you were in a live theater. Audiences need to get over their aversion to this format, plenty of people love and prefer the audience feel and even today classic sitcoms with laughter (some even with actual canned tracks) are still among the highest rated tv shows on streaming and syndication. When the comedy is funny and the laughter is real, it works and always will. I appreciate that this shows still feels staged and live... not trying to be the single camera show in real locations that it's not.

The show is also a true sit-com, situational comedy, as each episode has a situation that leads to comedy. As basic as that concept is, many shows today forget to do so (like the Frasier reboot). I love the show feels fresh and situational, always leaning more into comedy that drama... but with a clear heart that shines through. I didn't watch Big Bang Theory or Young Sheldon, trying this out because it had laughter... I loved it and showed it to my family without knowing it was a continuation of the other series. Worries me that the show might seem destined to be depressing with the death of the father and their marriage break up... but I'm sticking with it.