Originally a British concept, Whose Line Is It Anyway? became a success in the UK in the late 80s and ran well into the 90s. Created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson the improvisational comedy show featured a host in the form of Clive Anderson who would dictate a series of games to a wild cast of performers. These comedians would then act out, in whatever manner they deemed necessary, to complete the game. The idea was so simple, fun, and downright hilarious at times that it was only a matter of time before the series would be released here in America.

Instead of Clive Anderson sitting behind the desk in the U.S. adaptation, the recently appointed Price of Right host, Drew Carey took the reigns. Carey along with Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie and Wayne Brady took Whose Line Is It Anyway? and turned it on its head. The show captured much of the original atmosphere but it's safe to say that the Americanized humor took center stage. Even so, fans on both sides of the ocean were able to find something to laugh about and the show ran strong for good long while, becoming one of the prominent titles in ABC's lineup.

If you've never seen the show then you're probably wondering what all the fuss is about. While this was an improve comedy series the episodes felt more like a game show in nature with the amount of games that are played. As Drew sits comfortably behind his desk the four "contestants" (aforementioned comedians and a guest star) are placed in front of the studio audience waiting for the next game to be called. Once Drew states the name of the game the players get up on stage and do whatever it is they are instructed to. Sometimes a member of the audience was brought into the mix as well, which was a definite change from the British version.

The thing that I found most appeal about Whose Line Is It Anyway? was the pure randomness of it all. It seems that nothing was rehearsed prior to the performance and taping; though after watching some of bonus material it is apparent that there were many (and I mean many) retakes. To put it bluntly you never know what's going to happen. Apart from the content, another great thing about this series is the fact that you can come in at any time and appreciate it. Though the DVD we're talking about today is the second part of the first season you can jump in just fine without ever having seen the show. Sure you probably should have seen the program before taking the plunge but it's nice to know that no matter your experience with Whose Line you're going to have a good time.

Once again we are presented with two DVDs with the first featuring five episodes of the show. Episode 113 kicks things off with Wayne, Ryan, Colin, and guest star from the original Whose Line, Greg Proops. This was a good showing with some skits like "Let's Make a Date" where Colin is supposed to portray someone being eaten alive by ants and a "Hats" version of the world's worst dating service video. The funniest game from this episode was probably "Weird Newscasters" where Greg did a great Captain Kirk impression and Wayne played a sports guy whose tape is being sped up and slowed down.

The next episode was 119 which featured Brad Sherwood as the guest star. If you have ever seen the show then you know already that Brad is a great singer and his episodes tend to feature a lot of games that revolve around his performances with Wayne; this one was no different. "Duet", "Telethon", and "Hoedown" all made it into this episode with some hilarious bits in between. In the third episode 120, Denny Siegel sits in the guest spot and adds her own brand of comedy to the show. Compared some of the other episodes available here I didn't feel this was the strongest on this release. "Weird Newscasters" and "Hoedown" were quite funny but the other games kind of came up short.

Episode 114 kind of shook things up a bit with Wayne's absent seat being filled by Ian Gomez. Brad Sherwood also came back for another appearance with a singing stint in "Greatest Hits". This episode featured some other great games as well such as "Weird Newscasters", "Let's Make a Date", and my personal favorite "Helping Hands". Finally, the last episode on the first disc, 118, brought Greg Proops back into the mix. In my opinion this was probably the best ones available on this release because out of the six games only one, "Film Dub", didn't hit it out of the park.

Moving over to the second disc there are another five episodes to get through and they are every bit as funny as the previous ones. Brad Sherwood appears in episodes 121 and 110, Denny comes back for 109 (sitting in for Wayne) and 115, and Greg guest stars in 109 with Denny. The surprise here is that in episode 116 Stephen Colbert joins Wayne, Colin, and Ryan. This is one of the things I loved about Whose Line when it aired because every once in a while there would be a special guest. If you're a fan of Colbert's comedy then you'll appreciate seeing him sit in here though I must admit that he seemed a little out of his element. This brand of comedy didn't really seem to be his style but his appearance was welcome all the same.

Just as strong as its first release Whose Line Is It Anyway? comes back with another hilarious batch of ten episodes with some of the growing pains being left behind. Compared to the release we saw a little while ago for the UK version these individual DVDs are somewhat disappoint. Despite that fact, these episodes are fantastic and there are many moments where you'll have to pause the disc in order to finish laughing. Add to that some side-splitting uncensored bonus content and you have a release that's very hard to pass up for fans.

With a production date from eight years ago the video content in Whose Line Is It Anyway? holds up pretty well, all things considered. The image is presented with its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio and offers picture quality like you would expect. Compression artifacts and grain are prominent and there can be a soft edge at times. The loss of features was more noticeable depending upon where the camera was focused. A wide shot of the stage displayed the softness in abundance while close-ups certainly offered noticeably sharper details. Otherwise the image is finely presented with natural colors and decent resolution. It's better looking than its broadcast but not by a whole lot.

Just like the video the sound quality is on par with what you'd expect for the most part. With a 2.0 English track the channels aren't very diverse and at times it almost sounds like a mono track instead of a stereo one. The first installment of Whose Line featured an abundance of volume pitching problems and for the most part they seem to have returned. Admittedly they do seem somehow less noticeable this time around but the audience applause still has a way of drowning everything out. The first volume featured only French and Spanish subtitles while this release includes only English for the hearing impaired.

Just like the first Uncensored DVD release this one gets extra naughty during the bonus features. Once again the Gag Reel was the biggest reason to hit the special features menu and thankfully there is a Reel on both discs. Both of them last twelve minutes and trust me when I tell you that they are hilarious. Drew and the gang really let loose and most every joke ends in swearing, a middle finger, or some disgusting bodily function. There are a few good natured spoofs in between but for the most part this isn't family friendly material.

On the first disc there are four unaired games which are basically outtakes of sorts that clock in at just about fourteen minutes. First up is "Greatest Hits" which features songs of the Butcher and puts Wayne on stage singing about rump roast and whatnot. "Whose Line", "Let's Make a Date", and the often deadpanned "Sound Effects" also appear here. The second disc includes the fantastic "Superheroes" and "Greatest Hits" which easily outclass the three other skits ("Stand, Sit, & Lie", "Questions", and "Moving People").

It's safe to say that Whose Line's American version is significantly different in tone from the British one. Even so, if you enjoyed the original you'll still fall head over heals for Carey and the gang. Their chemistry is so great that boggles the mind and the show certainly had a great roster of guest stars to match. These ten episodes offer another fantastic look at the earlier years of the series though I still wish that ABC would just release them as boxed sets like the UK version.

If you were ever into Whose Line Is It Anyway? you owe it to yourself to take the time and watch the uncensored release. Sure the content of the episodes may be the same as broadcast but the bonus features truly steal the show. Fans shouldn't even think twice about buying into the release and newcomers will be pleased by the fact that you can join the series at any point. Strongly Recommended

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