TVSquad

(S01E01/S01E02) I'm about to give you fair warning. In addition to being a husband, father, writer at TV Squad, and Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist I have also been in improv for 5 years. So, my review is may be slightly tainted.

That being said, I didn't think Thank God You're Here was an utter disaster. I also didn't think it was a laugh-until-you-pee hit, either. It was interesting to watch and mildly entertaining, even in those scenes where you knew the actors were waaaayyyy out of their element. And there was plenty of that.

As Julia mentioned last month, NBC is launching a comedy improv series with an impressive guest list (details below). Thank God You're Here is adapted from an Australian improv series that's part game show, part Whose Line is it Anyway? Contestants will have to choose doors where a comedy sketch is taking place. The guest will be welcomed with the line, "Thank God You're Here!" and they will have to improv their way into the scene. Judges/hosts will be Kids in the Hall's Dave Foley and In Living Color's David Alan Grier.

Guests scheduled to appear include Jennifer Coolidge, Fred Willard, Bryan Cranston, Jason Alexander, Wayne Knight, Ana Gasteyer, Chelsea Handler, Joel McHale, George Takei, Tom Green, Nicole Sullivan, Tom Arnold, Fran Drescher, Shannon Elizabeth, Paul Rodriguez, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Mo'Nique, and Alanis Morrisette.

I have always been a sucker for Whose Line is it Anyway?, so I'm going to give this one a chance for sure. Thank God You're Here premieres on two Mondays, April 9 and 16 at 8 pm, before moving to its permanent timeslot on Wednesday, April 18 at 8 pm.

(S03E16 / S03E17) "And you want to be my latex salesman."

For the last couple of weeks, I've been reviewing two Seinfeld episodes each Wednesday so I can get them out of the way before the fall season starts. But this one has to stand on its own, because it's one of my three favorite Seinfelds, right up in the pantheon with "The Junior Mint" and "The Contest." It's the culmination of what Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld and the writers had been building since the first episode of Season Three, chockablock with storylines, pop culture parodies, sports references, classic lines, physical jokes, and switcheroos. There's so much to talk about here, that I don't think I'll have the energy to go over another episode.

(S03E14) You may not think this is a landmark Seinfeld episode, but it is. Why? Because this is the first time we hear one of the show's enduring catchphrases: "Hello, Newman."

We had encountered Newman in the Season Two episode called "The Revenge", but we only heard his voice (which was done by Larry David). But when it came time to give Kramer a buddy, Jerry an enemy, and a guy who was supposed to be the building snitch, Larry and Jerry decided to come back to Newman. So this is the first time we see Wayne Knight playing the best side character the show ever created. It almost seems like no one else could play the part now, but the names of some of the other people who auditioned for the part might surprise you...