Most people may not realize it, but everybody loves to watch something unexpected. In an era where many of the best TV shows are complex dramas often showcasing technical prowess, such as “Adolescence,” “The Studio,” and “The Pitt,” there’s a simple beauty in watching people create magic out of thin air. That’s why we watch endless YouTube compilations of newscaster bloopers, follow video game enthusiasts live-streaming for hours on end, and above all else, why there’s still an audience for improv comedy in this day and age.
Though improv may get a bad rap thanks to your worst ex-boyfriend and his friends from college, it’s a highly sophisticated art form dating back centuries, but in its current form was popularized by collectives like The Second City and the Upright Citizens Brigade. Now, major cities like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles are seen as hotspots for improv comics to thrive, so it’s no wonder the art form has made its way to the small screen in numerous forms, from game shows to narrative series.
These ten television shows may not have the expensive CGI of “The Mandalorian” or “House of the Dragon,” but you’d be hard-pressed to find entertainment that’s more re-watchable or laugh-out-loud funny than this. With services like Dropout making improv comedy their bread-and-butter, viewers may gain a new appreciation for both classic and modern shows that rely on improvisation.
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Among the more mainstream sources of improvised television is the panel show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” which debuted on ABC in 1998 and was revived on The CW in 2013. The show, hosted by comedian Drew Carey, featured four comedians performing improv games such as “Scenes From a Hat” (in which improvisers act out audience-written prompts), “Let’s Make a Date” (where one improviser guesses the identities of three bachelors), and “Weird Newscasters” (in which performers play exaggerated roles in an absurd news program).
Throughout all the incarnations of “Whose Line,” the main trio of performers has included Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, and Wayne Brady, with a fourth contestant from a rotating cast. Oftentimes, it’s a recurring improviser like Greg Proops, Keegan-Michael Key, or Heather Anne Campbell, but there has also been a wide variety of special guests on the show, including Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, and David Hasselhoff.
Although “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” ended after 12 seasons on The CW, the over 20 years of programming from the show churned out a near-infinite number of hilarious moments, oftentimes a lot more risqué than you might expect from network TV. If you have yet to see an episode of “Whose Line,” you’re in luck, because there are literally hundreds of compilations on YouTube grouping together some of the best moments from across its history.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Compared to most other shows on this list, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is typically classified as a single-camera sitcom, though its improvisational origins are quite extensive. The show follows creator Larry David, previously a behind-the-scenes force on NBC’s “Seinfeld,” living his day-to-day life as himself, often encountering absurd social situations that frequently make him the enemy of those he interacts with, from coffee shop employers to other celebrities guest-starring as themselves. The show’s tone shares a lot of DNA with David’s previous sitcom, although it’s far less meticulously scripted than “Seinfeld” famously was.
Although the storylines in every episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” are thoroughly outlined by David and his co-writers, nothing is scripted, meaning all actors improvise scenes and their dialogue to give it a realistic feel. Ever watch an interview with David and wonder why it sounds so much like a scene from an episode of “Curb”? That’s the magic of the series on display, turning improvised scene-work between comics into iconic television.
Some of the funniest moments in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” include Larry’s dispute with Michael J. Fox, his tripping of Shaquille O’Neal, and, of course, his motivation for doing a “Seinfeld” reunion as a selfish way to get back with his ex-wife. Though the series officially ended in 2024 after twelve seasons, the show remains an endless supply of incredible comedy that’s so smart it’s hard to believe the actors are making it up as they go.
Reno 911
“Reno 911!” debuted at a time when reality shows starring real-life police officers were aplenty on TV. “COPS” in particular was a popular Fox program chronicling the day-to-day lives of cops, so leave it to actors like Thomas Lennon, Niecy Nash, and Kerri Kenney-Silver to turn these real-life cops into comedic caricatures in a series for Comedy Central. Set in the titular Nevada city, the cast of “Reno 911!” are woefully inept and unsympathetic to the people they’re sworn to protect.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, knowing the cast’s involvement with comedy collectives like Upright Citizens Brigade and The State, that most of the tomfoolery that goes on in “Reno 911!” is completely improvised. Much like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the show worked with an extensive outline of each scene, improvising most of the dialogue and at times taking scenes in a completely new direction.
Though it had a cult following, including three feature films, it was cancelled after six seasons. Eleven years later, “Reno 911” was revived on the doomed streaming service Quibi for one season and has had specials on Paramount+ and The Roku Channel. The entire show is also streaming on Paramount+, so if you weren’t a frequent watcher when it originally aired, you have a treasure trove of improvised genius waiting for you.
Wild n’ Out
Believe it or not, “Wild ‘n Out” was a kind of successor to “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” for a modern audience, premiering on MTV in 2005 and, as of 2026, having moved to VH1 and run for 21 Seasons, with a 22nd under way later this year. The game show pits two teams of comedians against each other in hip-hop-inspired improv games, such as “Deaf Jam,” in which contestants act out song titles for DJs; “Pick Up and Kill It,” in which contestants rap about a topic and opponents must begin their verse with the last line of the previous verse; and “Celebrity Death Battle,” in which two contestants portray famous people in a rap battle.
The show’s talent has included future “Saturday Night Live” star Mikey Day, character actress Alanna Ubach, and stand-up comedian Morgan Jay. The show also features celebrity guests, from acting talent like Kevin Hart and Zendaya to professional hip-hop musicians like A$AP Rocky and GloRilla. However, the show is anchored by its host throughout all 21 seasons, Nick Cannon, who was nearly fired from the job after facing controversy for hate speech on his podcast.
If “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” is too stuffy for you in your search for improv comedy content on TV, then “Wild ‘n Out” might be the fresher alternative, incorporating a similar structure with different talent and a wider range of games.
The League
Who would’ve thought one of the best sports TV shows of all time would be an FX sitcom about friends living in Chicago and passionately competing in a fantasy football league? “The League” premiered on FX in 2009 and aired for seven seasons, moving to the sister channel FXX beginning with Season 5. Its cast features Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, and Mark Duplass, as well as a recurring cast including Jason Mantzoukas, Brie Larson, and Seth Rogen. Guest stars range from comic actors like Keegan-Michael Key, Lake Bell, and Sarah Silverman to athletes such as Terry Bradshaw, Marshawn Lynch, and Jay Cutler.
Aside from being a charming, if not immature and bro-y, network sitcom, “The League” also heavily incorporated improvisation into its structure. Similar to “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” every episode of the show works off an extensive outline that the actors use as a jumping-off point to improvise dialogue. Mantzoukas especially utilized this to make his character, Rafi, increasingly unpredictable as the series went on.
It shouldn’t necessarily be a surprise that “The League” operated this way, given that its co-creator, Jeff Schaffer, was a writer for “Seinfeld” and executive producer of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Still, if you want to see what a show looks like after actors have improvised scenes enough times that the most absurd things you can imagine come to the surface, then that’s “The League.”
Comedy Bang Bang
“Comedy Bang! Bang!” is best known as a podcast, which debuted in 2009. Hosted by comedian Scott Aukerman, the nearly 1,000 Episodes feature Aukerman interviewing celebrity guests alongside comedians performing in character, resulting in improvised, deadpan discussions. The show has featured comedians such as Ben Schwartz, Ego Nwodim, and Paul F. Tompkins, as well as more niche, alternative comedians like Connor Ratliff, Maria Bamford, and Brent Weinbach.
However, “Comedy Bang! Bang!” made an ambitious, albeit short-lived, transition to television in 2012 with an IFC talk show of the same name. Using a similar format to the podcast, Aukerman reprised his role as host alongside a rotating lineup of bandleaders, including Reggie Watts, Kid Cudi, and “Weird Al” Yankovic. The surrealist show incorporates a lot more scripted content than the podcast, but the conversations and character bits are still largely improvised by Aukerman and his guests.
What’s great about “Comedy Bang! Bang!” as both a podcast and television show is that it’s almost like a who’s who of the comedy scene of the 2010s onward. Though the IFC version prioritized A-list guests like Zoe Saldana, James Marsden, and Alison Brie, it still allowed for really off-the-beaten-path characters from lesser-known comedians. Along the way, the show recruited guests like Pee-Wee Herman and Andrew Lloyd Webber, demonstrating how the improvised podcast format could transition to television without losing its identity.
Dimension 20
It’s almost an unbelievable success story that “Dimension 20” began as just one of many “actual play” shows in 2018 featuring talented comedians diving into RPG campaigns, like “Critical Role” or “Harmonquest.” However, there’s clearly something special about the Dropout series, given it has since filled Madison Square Garden and the Hollywood Bowl with ticket prices rivaling the likes of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
Brennan Lee Mulligan hosts the majority of “Dimension 20” seasons, joined by a rotating group of comedians and Dropout performers. Recurring players include Ally Beardsley, Zac Oyama, Siobhan Thompson, Jacob Wysocki, and Lou Wilson. Each campaign parodies an existing genre, such as the John Hughes-esque “Fantasy High,” a George R. R. Martin-esque take on Candy Land in “A Crown of Candy,” and most recently, the wholesome “Mad Max” world, “Gladlands.”
It’s no surprise a live-action “Dungeons & Dragons” series was scrapped at Paramount+, given that it’s hard to find a better representation of tabletop RPGs than “Dimension 20.” That being said, it’s hard to compete with the likes of Mulligan as a game master, whose improv comedy skills are on full display as he leads his cast through a story that’s partly designed, but allows for the players to go in whichever direction they so choose. Improv comedy already has so much in common with TTRPGs; it’s just surprising it took until Brennan Lee Mulligan for it to be combined in a way that feels so seamless.
Murderville
Netflix’s “Murderville” is adapted from an improvised BBC sitcom, “Murder in Successville,” in which a detective (Tom Davis) is paired with a celebrity guest to solve a murder in the titular town where celebrities live, often played by impressionists. The Netflix iteration stars Will Arnett as the inept and mid-divorce detective Terry Seattle, leaving each episode’s guest having to do the bulk of the detective work while his life crumbles around him.
The appeal of “Murderville” comes from watching guests like Conan O’Brien, Annie Murphy, and Marshawn Lynch improvise their way through a crime procedural while the rest of the cast are following a script that, ideally, should be helping them solve the crime. The result is often chaotic, which makes the show’s short seven-episode run feel even more disappointing.
However, one of those episodes is a Christmas special, “Who Killed Santa?,” which features Arnett’s “Arrested Development” castmate and “Smartless” podcast co-host Jason Bateman, along with Pete Davidson and Maya Rudolph as additional detectives brought on to help solve the crime of who killed a mall Santa played by Sean Hayes. Though it’s not strictly game-based or as narrative-driven as some of these other improvised TV shows, the pure enjoyment of watching “Murderville” comes from seeing funny people be themselves in these high-stakes situations, which is always a blast.
Make Some Noise
Easily one of Dropout’s most popular programs is “Game Changer,” a game show hosted by Dropout CEO Sam Reich in which the rules of the show change every episode, with contestants being oblivious until the episode begins. Some of those games have spun off into their own shows, including “Make Some Noise,” where a panel of improvisers are given prompts to act out by themselves and with each other for an arbitrary amount of points.
While it has often featured A-list talent like Ben Schwartz and Wayne Brady, the real stars of “Make Some Noise” are the Dropout regulars, like Lisa Gilroy, Zac Oyama, Anna Garcia, and Jacob Wysocki. “Make Some Noise” has not only been the program that has reportedly drawn the most viewers to the Dropout platform, but it’s also elevated the status of some real up-and-comers in the comedy world, like Jeremy Culhane, who went from a regular on “Make Some Noise” to being a featured cast member in Season 51 of “SNL.”
Memorable moments from “Make Some Noise” that you need to look up on YouTube immediately include “Asking Mr. Mayonnaise For No Mayo,” “A Date That Is Only Red Flags,” “An Election Touch Screen Guy On the Group Chat’s Decision Where To Go For Dinner,” and “McDonald’s New Sandwich: The MacBeth.” Trust us, all four seasons of this show are golden.
Very Important People
Vic Michaelis is probably one of the best improvisers in the comedy scene, having emerged as a recurring comedian at Upright Citizens Brigade before appearing frequently on the Dropout platform. They’ve since starred in Peacock’s “Ponies,” but it’s the Dropout series Michaelis hosts that really shows the full range of their potential. “Very Important People” premiered on the platform in 2023 and features Michaelis interviewing guest comedians who appear in elaborate prosthetics, makeup, and costumes, improvising a character they only had a few minutes to come up with.
It may seem hyperbolic to say, but “Very Important People” features some of the best character introductions in TV history, with its most iconic characters including Spencer the polka-dotted son of Satan (Lisa Gilroy), Tommy Shriggly the motivational speaker (Zac Oyama), and Fanoli the legendary Las Vegas performer (Angela Giarratana). As outlandish as the characters can be, Michaelis grounds the show with a narrative, portraying themself as a wannabe Barbara Walters, complete with a chaotic personal life.
There’s obviously a lot of planning that goes into “Very Important People” to bring these characters to life, but the improvisation on display from Michaelis and guests is bar none the best you’ll find on television. Furthermore, part of the appeal is seeing Michaelis break character when a scene partner invents something unexpected. Ultimately, isn’t that the point of improv comedy? To make us laugh?