Middleditch & Schwartz

When it said at the start "everything in this show is improvised and made up on the spot. Nothing is written or prepared beforehand", I thought that might be an excuse. It's really not. This is the only thing for a while to get me literally loling (laughing out loud, overall this has taken more time to type, but I think it sounds snappy - also, you probably already knew what I meant). I really hope they put more of them on Netflix because I'm about to finish them after watching the first 2 yesterday. I see improv get mocked a lot but now I think I'm about to get into it.

This show had me in stitches before the improv even started! I took some drama classes back when I was a kid, but I wasn't really into them beyond the guaranteed 'A'. In those classes we of course did improv sketches, each of which was exactly as groan-worthy as you are imagining teenage acting to be. But these two gentlemen are on another level entirely! Together they demonstrate exactly what mastery over the format entails: the adaptability, the imagination, and the receptiveness to each other's ideas is both phenomenal and a privilege to watch. Even when one of them goes completely rogue and you think there is no way of salvaging a bit, they manage to pull it off with gleeful smiles and tons of purely joyous energy. The zaniness of the individual sketches prove without a doubt that there are no writers involved, because no sane person would put pen to paper to make that s*** up. 10/10 Stars. Great show even if you have no interest in imrov.

I always enjoyed a bit of improv comedy, but man is this fantastic. They weave a full narrative out a few bits of information and don't miss a detail. Even when you think they have reached the end of something or forgotten a piece, which they do at times, they are able to bring it back in a great way. The starts and ends of the segments can be dicy for any improv group and they are no different. But I think it takes only three minutes before they are off and going.

Even if you have never seen improv comedy before this is a fantastic introduction. It is one of the funniest comedy's that Netflix has to offer, and frankly it is joy to watch. I wish they did more of them.

These two are some of the most skilled performers working in Hollywood today, IMHO. They are genius at both scripted comedy (Middleditch in "Silicon Valley" and Schwartz on "Parks and Rec") and now, clearly, also improv. As the two forms require some overlapping but also some differing skills, the fact that M and S excel at both is beyond impressive. I'm confused by some reviews that complain these shows lack storylines (??) or occasionally misstep with a laugh or a plot point. IT'S IMPROV. Also, these two DO craft a story. With a beginning a middle and an end, a conflict, a resolution, multiple characters (more HUMAN-like characters than in many Hollywood films I see), a theme, the whole nine yards. ON THE FLY. IN FRONT OF HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE. If you're complaining it's not perfect, you simply don't understand the years of training and the level of technical skill you're witnessing. This is long form improv at its very BEST Seriously, I bet so many of these guys' Hollywood friends are watching in awe and thinking "holy s**t, I wish I was that good."

If you are interested in seeing how improv looks at its peak, this is the place. These two guys are able to take a two minute story and turn it into an hour long show without missing a single piece of info. They create 5-10 characters they they will interchange and switch between throughout the show which is absolute magic. Couldn't recommend this show any higher.