Riot
By Joyce Slaton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Improv-under-pressure game show has laughs, naughty jokes.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
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What's the Story?
Executive produced by Steve Carell and hosted by Australian comedian Rove McManus, RIOT brings together two teams of funny people in each episode to perform improvised skits and play hilarious games for a live studio audience. Each RIOT features famous faces like Carell, Cheryl Hines, and Jason Alexander, as well as lesser-known heroes of the improv circuit, like Rob Gleeson and Jessica McKenna. The comics have to try to spin comedy gold on the fly, given restrictions like being located on a perilously slanted set, or fitted out with a harness that pulls them up into the air if they make a mistake with their words.
Is It Any Good?
Fans of Hollywood Game Night and Whose Line Is It Anyway? should be on high alert: This high-concept game show has a similar fizzy, funny, anything-could-happen vibe of both of those shows. And the restrictions posed by the show, such as commanding the improvisers to perform a scene in which each line is a question, or asking them to spell out words using their bodies as letters, are pleasantly absurd and silly enough to be appreciated by most members of your family.
But Riot still exhibits the deficiencies of improv. When something's working, it really works, and you crack up. When it's not, there's dead air, awkward moments, comics talking over each other. Cringe! Some viewers may not be willing to wait out the not-so-good moments to get to the funny stuff. But there is funny stuff to be found here, indeed.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the art of improvised comedy. What is it? Why do some comedians practice improvisation? Do you like it? Does it make for a better or more interesting show than scripted jokes?
Some of the actors and comics who appear on each episode of Riot are familiar to viewers. Do you find the more familiar faces funnier or less so?
Though Riot is filmed in front of a live audience, it doesn't air live. Why? Does this have to do with editing out dull moments, or naughty ones? Or both?
TV Details
- Premiere date: May 13, 2014
- Cast: Rove McManus
- Network: Fox
- Genre: Game Shows
- TV rating: NR
- Last updated: February 26, 2022
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