Game Changer

Obviously by my rating, I'm a fan. But the entire Dropout streaming service is built on the personalities of their cast (and guests (who are usually personal friends of the cast)). If you like character-based gags and "wacky hijinks", this might be for you.

However, there's a learning curve. You must figure out who your favorite recurring cast members are. One appearance in one episode of something doesn't give a great impression.

As far as this show in particular is concerned, there are really great episodes and then there are episodes I probably won't watch again. But the premise is intriguing enough that I want to keep watching and see if my favorite cast members show up.

Yes, the game show is "scripted" to some extent in that there's always some gimmick that the crew is making sure goes as planned, but contestants are always kept in the dark. And as for the host, this is his passion project. Sam is also the CEO of the company and was insistent that he host this show.

Now that's what I call, "Damn good television!"

This show's concept is absolutely brilliant: simultaneously it's own animal and a laboratory with near perfect conditions to workshop other gameshow ideas. But that would mean nothing if the host and contestants didn't provide engaging follow through with charm, cheek, and wit. Luckily, everyone has that, not only in spades, but all the other suits as well. They act like they're not playing with a full deck, but they know exactly what they're doing, and by that, I mean they lean into not knowing what they're doing. It's incredibly refreshing.

Sam Reich (native to Cambridge, Massachusetts) is a genius. He's this whimsical wizard that is a hybrid between a well-dressed teddy bear (probably a descendant of much more posh Winnie the Pooh) and a mad scientist close to perfecting chewing gum that explodes in the mouths of unsuspecting children.

The Dropout writers/usual suspects are also a hoot to watch swing on the pendulum of winning generous gifts from their glorious benefactor and perform Diet Fear Factor tasks, with a twist of lemon.

The show is inconceivably preposterous: warm and well meaning with its gifts, diabolical and fiendish with its punishments, but always tempestuous and hysterical.

Turn on your TV and tune into Dropout, you won't regret it.

I am one of those people who love introducing friends to great comedy shows, but never in my life have I laughed more than this show. Sam is truely a genius when it comes to making one of the best shows on TV. There has not been a single person out of the 15...ish? People I have shown this to that wasn't in tears within the first 5 minutes.

Although some episodes are a miss, I have to appreciate the risks this show is taking in an era of safe, risk-free comedy TV. This is truely revolutionary in the best way.

Out of the dozens of shows I watch, this is one of the few that I will always check on to see if there is another season comming out soon.

Edit: since half stars are not allowed i am officially updating my review to 8.5 after watching the first season. VERY hesitant to give 9 stars because it is evident that there are just combinations of guests that DO NOT WORK while certain guests can carry a whole show. Not that there's been a BAD episode so far (season 1), i fully believe that the premise of the show is entertaining enough even if the gags/bits aren't always dingers. Reich (production team) deserves credit tho for the work they put into the show. So that is enough to push closer to the 9th star.

Alright here's a brand new show (within recent times) that is catching wind on youtube/clip sites

i am only vaguely familiar with, PERHAPS, 2 of the guest stars/contestants: the creator (reich from college humor), and brennan, from other board game related things.

Its a VERY "european/british" show, a comparison that should make sense if you've seen 9/10 cats or any other game show hosted by jimmy carr. The jokes are waaaaay out there, the set design is gamey and campy, there's no real "goal" to the game other than the viewer's (and participants') entertainment. Nobody's becoming millionaires, nobody is getting voted off islands, nobody wins anything; it's a gameshow in a nutshell.

That being said, from the clips i've seen (some funny, some meh, some huh?), i did a little digging: MOST if not ALL the "contestants" are personalities in the streaming/gaming community (brennan GM's some D+D campaigns and if you look up some of HIS work then you'll start to recognize other players in the show) and it's very clear they have a rapport and know how to play off each other. In that sense, it's a very well produced show.

In another sense, the set is clearly just a few cardboard/particle board cutouts on a dark soundstage with no audience so it probably costs pennies to make. What's important though are the bits and jokes that get created on the spot, despite seeming so well planned. As with most improv, i do believe the contestants get a "brief" (>30 min) window to prepare or are at least aware of the topics/theme before hand, and that they film segments one at a time (speculation) to give them time to warm up; despite appearances, if you come in expecting the "traditional" gameshow format, Game Changer may be hard to watch.

This is a preemptive 8 from me based on clips taking into consideration a) ingenuity of answers/responses from contestants, b) the idea of the show itself (as a gameshow within a gameshow), and c) the pedigree of both creator and guests (college humor, et al).

Might change to a 9 after watching full episodes. I do not anticipate lowering my score at all.

I've been watching Game Changer for a few years now and am so frustrated that a show this great isn't being watched by more people.

It's everything you could want in a game show. We've got incredible production design, hilarious contestants and hijinks, clever plot twists, in-jokes and callbacks, and a really genuine heart to it all.

Watching Dropout shows in general feels a bit like watching Buzzfeed or the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen in their primes; here are a group of interesting and funny people doing what they love well and interacting with each other in different combinations to do it.

Not every episode is a 10/10, but there are no bad episodes. And when they're good oh you better believe they're insanely good. Once you can convince someone to try an episode, they're hooked. And somehow each season they manage to outdo themselves and what they pulled off last season. It's criminal these folks haven't won some Emmys yet.

I'm so excited to see what comes next and hoping more and more people can find and appreciate the magic going on here.