What Went Wrong: Taskmaster US Adaptation

Taskmaster is a program that I can safely say is one of the best I have seen in a long time. It's a game show, but it's unlike any other you've probably seen before. The premise is simple: five animators participate in a series of challenges that make no sense, but they are all trying to score points, as determined by the Taskmaster himself. The person who earns the most points in a given episode is declared the winner and takes home prizes from a selection of items the contestants brought for the first challenge, but the real fun of the show isn't the points or even winning the trophy at the end of the series, which is a replica of Taskmaster's head, by the way, it's about the pure absurdity and hilarity of the challenges and creativity.

The ways in which the contestants attempt to complete them, these challenges range from the ridiculous to the seemingly impossible and it's always a pleasure to see how the contestants tackle them in their unique and often bizarre ways. The show has been a huge hit in the United Kingdom, where it originated, and has even spawned international spinoffs in countries like New Zealand, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and the United States. Unfortunately, the American version of the show didn't capture the same magic as the original and wasn't well received today either. I want to delve into the many reasons why I think the show failed here in the United States and

what

could have been done to make it successful as an original.

There are several reasons why British series may not be as successful in the United States as they are in the United Kingdom. Cultural differences, such as different values ​​of humor and social norms, can make it difficult for a show to connect with an American audience. The high level of competition in the US media market can also make it difficult for a new show to break through and find an audience. A Showman be widely available or heavily promoted in the US, which can hinder its ability to gain followers. Finally, the quality of a show can also play a role in success, as the values ​​of writing, acting or Poor production can lead to a program not being well received.

As we all know, the UK and US have a long history of adapting each other's hit TV shows, from The Office to Vep Shameless and House of Cars and even Loose Women in Sight, these spin-offs have been huge hits, but now all spin-offs are created equal, while some managed to capture the magic of their original counterparts, others fell flat on their faces, like the sprawling Church at Grace Point, for example, or masks in the crowd of IT, even the mighty Law and Order could not escape the derived curse. So

what

was the problem? Well, a lot of times it's because these formulas changed too much and that's exactly what happened with the US

adaptation

of Task Masas, while the UK version was a hit, the US version just couldn't compare with the difference. more evident. from Taskmaster was that the episode length was reduced from 1 hour to 30 minutes.

This may not seem like a big deal, but it actually had a huge impact on the show. Firstly, the awarded tasks were reduced from five prizes to just one. This means that only one contestant had something at stake instead of all five. This changed the dynamic of the competition and made it feel less exciting. This also caused a lack of time. For banter between the animators and presenters in the original there was enough time for them to get to know each other and establish a good relationship, which generated great moments in the program. The short episodes meant we didn't get to learn much about the cast in the original format.

We had more time to listen to the strange stories. and get to know the contestants better, we created this strange Taskmaster story and it was one of the best aspects of the show and it was a shame we missed so much of this in the American version. Firstly, it's important to note that Reggie Watts and Greg Davies are two very different comedians with different styles and approaches to comedy, while Greg Davies is known for his powerful sardonic presence. Reggie Watts is known for being more unconventional and his style clashed a bit with Taskmaster's position, which he also seemed a little insecure about.

He himself sometimes doesn't know how to rate the contestants when Greg is more direct. It's worth noting that as the show progressed, Reggie Watt seemed to find his groove and become more comfortable in the hosting role, but by then it was too late. Reggie just wasn't the best choice for the host. There were plenty of people here who felt the same way on Taskmaster Reddit. I've seen suggestions for late night comedians like Conan O'Brien or John Oliver and don't get me

wrong

, they would make great hosts for Taskmaster and it would be interesting to see how they would perform on the show and how they would interact with Alex and how they would interact with Alex via the co-host slidekick and I appreciate the suggestions, but I think it would be the best option for Greg and Alex to host a show.

I think it would be cool to see how they would make fun of and talk about American culture on the show, especially since Americans can't stand British sarcasm at all. One thing that sets Taskmaster apart from other game shows is that the contestants are usually comedians or entertainers who are mostly not well known to the general public. This may be a slight inconvenience for some viewers who don't know who the contestants are, but for me it is actually one of the things I love about the show. I enjoy being introduced to comedians and entertainers that I may not have discovered on my own, and I've found that I often love strangers and their strangeness;

However, the limited time on the US show means we don't learn as much about the contestants as we like, this can sometimes make some of the contestants seem boring like Dylan Francis and Freddy Hore or overly competitive like Kate Berlant. , others like Lisa Lampanelli seem just plain rude and funny to Ron in the On the other hand, the American

adaptation

of the show stood out, it was very enjoyable and brought a much-needed sense of fun and positivity to the competition. One of the things I found a little frustrating about the American adaptation of Taskmaster was that The Contestants seemed too competitive outside of Ron.

The show felt too serious. I think this might have something to do with the fact that Americans tend to take everything too seriously when it comes to competitions. When I watched the UK version, I noticed that most of the contestants are much more laid back and don't seem to care much about winning. Liz Tarbuk, for example, made Alex sit on a cake to show her love for Taskmaster and Rod Gilbert kept sending the same embarrassing photo of Taskmaster. just because it was fun trying too hard can be fun if you end up failing in misery because of it, otherwise it's just not nice to watch now.

I'm not one to criticize other people's comedy style most of the time but Lisa Lampanelli just left a bad taste in my mouth if I'm honest, firstly she reminded me a lot of Ian Sterling or Guy Williams if you watch the version of New Zealand and these are comedians who rely heavily on being abrasive and offensive just for the sake of it. However, unlike these two, Lisa Lampanelli didn't get any sort of redemption arc or growth as a character. It's one thing to be edgy and controversial, but it's another thing to be completely mean and unpleasant for no reason, especially to the host, I'm sure.

Some people may find her style of comedy funny, but for me it was exhausting and I had to fast forward through many of her segments because I couldn't stand the constant negativity, it made me cringe and the worst part was that she was especially mean. Alex, it seemed like bullying and not just kind of tongue-tied and sass, but mean for the sake of being mean, and when she confronted Ron, who was kind and positive, Lisa Lampanelli's behavior seemed especially mean. First, let's take a look at the Central comedy. History In the early 2000s and 2010s, the network was home to some of the most popular and beloved American comedy shows, including Chappelle's Show, The Daily Show with John Stewart, The Cobear Report and South Park; however, in recent years it seems like Comedy Central. has lost its touch and many of its current offerings are reruns of old shows like The Office in South Park.

Now don't get me

wrong

, there have been some excellent shows that have aired on Comedy Central in the last decade, like Drunk. History Broad City Key and Peele Workaholics, but in 2019 it just didn't seem like the best platform for a new show like Taskmaster, especially considering that many Taskmaster fans in America discovered the show through YouTube clips, a big part of the base of fans consume online media. rather than through traditional cable networks, in fact, I personally haven't had cable in 5 years and rely on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu to watch my favorite shows. This trend is also evident in the success of British Imports and is echoed on American streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon BR looks at the British breakout Love Island and the circle of these shows that have found large audiences in the United States and are likely to be because they are easily accessible online, so when it comes to Taskmaster it simply makes more sense to stream the Show online where it is easily accessible to a wider audience and can be easily shared and discussed on social media platforms like Twitter, while Comedy Central might have been a great home for American comedy in the past, in today's digital age it just didn't seem like the best choice for Taskmaster.

American humor is varied and changes from coast to coast and even state to state. It's important to note that the UK has a grittier comedy scene. It seems like everyone knows each other and appears on each other's shows regardless of their style. of Comedy ethnicity, age, race or gender, on the other hand, in the United States it is common for comedians to have very specific niches and subcategories, for example, if you are a fan of Kevin Hart, you may not be a fan of Jeff Foxworthy, This means that it can be difficult to cover the entire United States on a comedy show, and even if you do manage to assemble a diverse cast of emerging comedy talent, you must consider the fact that L.A. or New York humor may not appeal to the public. majority of Americans.

This is especially true for people like I Don't Know in Kansas who may not find B Coastal Millennial humor funny. This is where a program like Taskmaster usually shines. It's a great equalizer. It doesn't matter who you are, what you do to be great at it. In fact, it shows that the crazier you are, the better it is for the audience and the problem with Taskmaster was the lack of creative control given to Alex Horn, the creator of the original UK version of Taxmaster and the host of the UK version. Alex had a lot. More say in how the show was run and was a huge success;

However, in the American adaptation, Alex did not have as much control and many fans felt that the show lost some of its magic, as a result, another problem was the format of the show. In the UK version, the tasks were creative and unique and the contestants really got to show off their personalities in the US version. However, the tasks were very generic and felt like rehashes of the British versions and the contestants didn't have much interest. The opportunity to see all of these factors combined made the show difficult to watch even with its short length. However, I'm still holding out hope that there will be another chance at an American adaptation of Taskmaster.

I think the show has the potential to be a hit, esp. If Alex is given more creative control, I think a 1 hour special is better for the US format and humor, a New Year's Eve type special would be a great way to come back and have Taskmaster in the US In the U.S. because there is nothing on TV during the holidays and two, this can attract more famous comedians or even celebrities who cannot fulfill a longer commitment due to scheduling. If you haven't seen the original UK version of Taskmaster, most seasons are available on YouTube and I'll link them below I think it's worth a watch, so if you're a fan of game shows or just want to For something a little different, try Taskmaster.

I don't think you'll regret it, but not the American version.