Improv In Pop Culture

Anyone who likes to be entertained (and isn’t that all of us?) has their preferred method of entertainment. Whether it’s plunking down in front of the TV, heading out for a movie, or catching a live show on a local stage, there are many great options. And who doesn’t enjoy a little humor to help wash away the pressure of the day? Whatever your outlet for comedy, it’s likely you’ll find some element of improv there.

Some might say we all partake in improv every day, and when we see it performed by those who have studied the craft on TV or on the stage, that contrast is never more apparent. There are different styles of improv shows, however they all typically are performed by more than one person and often by as many as 10 people as a group or “team”.
Of the different styles of improv out there, “longform improvisation” is the most common one performed in theater’s around the world and what you’ll see (and learn in classes) at the HOME Comedy Theater, Chicago’s newest theater, school, and bar.

With roots in ancient Italy long before our modern options for viewing entertainment evolved, improv is now more accessible than ever. Modern improv was largely developed beginning in the early 1960s by theater pioneers like Viola Spahn and later reimagined by other pioneers like Del Close at The Second City and iO Theaters, and furthermore by affiliated theaters in Chicago and throughout the U.S..

From its inception, we’ve been witness to improv widening its reach and appeal exponentially. From Saturday Night Live celebrating its 50th(!!!) anniversary, to the continued establishment of independent improv theaters throughout the world, and instant viewing of comedy and content creators on various social media platforms, it’s hard to not come across some form of improvisational performance almost daily.

Reality TV, game shows, semi-scripted sitcoms, and mockumentaries are just some of the forms of improv we see on media platforms. Let’s dig a little deeper into some of these examples and learn just how influential improv is in pop culture.

Improv and Reality TV

Some might remember a time when there was not a thing known as reality television. It could, however, be argued the early forms of the medium were somewhat improv theater as all programs were shot live before recording technology was invented for wide distribution. It’s from this era that one of the first known reality TV shows was born, Candid Camera, a hidden camera show that broadcast unsuspecting ordinary people reacting to pranks that was on the air in various forms for an astonishing 66 years.

In the time since, reality TV has evolved with MTV’s breakthrough The Real World in 1992, Love Is Blind, and Keeping Up With The Kardashian’s. While the intent is to display genuine human interactions and emotion, it’s widely known that these shows can be known as “pseudo-improv” because it’s often loosely scripted. While the percentages of truth and improv may fluctuate across these shows, there can be gleaned intriguing insights into the lives of ordinary people and celebrities alike.

Improv in Scripted TV Shows

Unlike the true reality shows above, there are scripted shows that leave plenty of room for improv in a given scene. These types of shows may be the most like what you might see on the stage at The HOME Comedy Theater where you might walk away thinking, “That was scripted, right…?”, when in reality the content was created on the spot.

The Office

Based on the 2001–2003 BBC series of the same name created by (and starring) Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the show was adapted for American TV by Greg Daniels, a veteran writer for Saturday Night Live, King of the Hill, and The Simpsons. This wildly popular TV show ran for eight seasons as a mockumentary style format following employees of a small paper company in Scranton, PA.
With a shaky camera style to give it a documentary feel, and the dialogue to match, the characters were given limited freedom to insert lines into a scene at any time. Similarly to an improv show, the actors listened and reacted to their scene partners and were given permission to react to certain things the way their characters would have done to help insert comedy.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

One excellent example of this loosely based sitcom structure is Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000 – 2024). Running periodically for the past 24 years, this “comedy of manners” features a core of characters who all possess predetermined identities, but their on-camera interactions are improvised nearly entirely by the actors themselves. Each scene was given a rough outline treatment before cameras began rolling and the result is a very natural progression along a storyline.

Parks And Recreation

Helmed by Chicago and NYC favorite, Amy Poehler, Parks And Recreation followed the professional and personal lives of small government employees at a parks and recreation department in Pawnee, IN. With a cast of established comedians, many versed in improv, audiences were treated to some incredible scenes from the likes of Aziz Ansari, Chris Pratt, Nick Offerman, and Rob Lowe.

Murderville

A truly unique conceptual show had “host” Will Arnet playing an inept detective tasked with solving a murder in Murderville. At the beginning of each show an Law & Order-style murder occurs and Arnet is joined by a completely oblivious celebrity partner to help him move through ridiculous scenarios collecting clues and solve the case. Famed comedy writer, performer, comedian, and talk show host Conan O’Brien former NFL Player and Super Bowl champion Marshawn Lynch, and legendary actress Sharon Stone improvised their way through scenes meandering to a climax to finger the killer.

Improv in Mockumentaries

In the mockumentary genre, the basic framework of the story is pre-planned. Characters are developed, locations are chosen, costumes are prepared, and the ending is predetermined. However, once improvisation comes into play, it’s within this loose structure that the real depth and substance of the story emerge.

Borat

An excellent example of a well executed mockumentary film is Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006). The protagonist is a manufactured character developed by known comedian Sacha Baron Cohen who uses Borat’s antics, language, and beliefs to push the boundaries of unsuspecting people. Much in the vein of Candid Camera, the intent is to evoke a response from the chosen subjects by improvising dialogue.

This Is Spinal Tap

Widely regarded as the first of the mockumentary genre, This Is Spinal Tap (1984) was the brainchild of Rob Reiner in his first directorial role. The film follows a fictional group of rock stars “Spinal Tap”, regarded as “one of England’s loudest bands”. Right from the jump you can tell the satirical journey is full of tongue-in-cheek quips.

This Is Spinal Tap is loosely based on rockumentaries of the time such as Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains The Same (1976) and the Martin Scorsese directed The Last Waltz (1978) which followed the final live performance of The Band. Most of its dialogue was improvised and dozens of hours were filmed.

The star is an aloof band member, played brilliantly by Christopher Guest, who works with the world provided around him to fashion hilarious scenes with his co-stars to tell the story of the band. You may have heard the line, “These go to 11” where Reiner is befuddled by an explanation of why the volume on the amplifiers go up to 11 instead of just 10.

Christopher Guest Films

Saturday Night Live alumni Christopher Guest expanded and reinvented the mockumentary genre with films like Best in Show (2000) and A Mighty Wind (2003), relying heavily on improv to build storylines and character depth. Many of the scenes were given a rough outline with a perceived outcome, and the actors are directed to use their character’s attributes to weave their way there. The result is a hilarious thread of quirky encounters with sometimes heartening and sometimes nauseating characters given the freedom to express their improvisational prowess.

Documentary Now!

The brainchild of storied SNL alums Bill Hader and Fred Armisen, Documentary Now! (2015 – present) recreates classic documentaries such as Grey Gardens (1975) called Sandy Passage, Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) called Juan Likes Chicken & Rice, and Final Transmission based on the aforementioned The Last Waltz.
 The goal is to tell a very similar story, but with a humorous undertone. Much like in an improv show, the actors are given a loose goal for each scene and they improvise their lines to reach that conclusion while staying true to the source material.

Jury Duty

One of the more unique uses of improv in media is Amazon’s Jury Duty (2023), a herculean effort to completely immerse an unknowing subject into a completely improvised event. Playing out like a real life The Truman Show (1998), the premise involves a jury trial where the members of the jury are sequestered during the trial’s proceedings while they hear the case before them and deliberate the verdict.

This program is a masterclass in tracking human reaction and emotion as the unknowing subject, Ronald Gladden, is consistently faced with situations regarding morality and right vs wrong. With any number of things that could have gone wrong to expose the hoax and ruin the entire farce, the improv actors had to think incredibly quickly to convince Ronald nothing was ever amiss.

Improvisational Comedy Game Shows

Improv has found its way into mainstream competitive formats like game shows, using some of the very same improv games performers play with each other onstage.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Perhaps the most iconic improv game show to bring improv into the mainstream is Whose Line Is It Anyway? featuring games like “Scenes From A Hat” and “Questions Only” which are commonly played at improv theaters around the world. Originally hosted by comedian Drew Carey, the show features three performers—often including Carey himself—who engage in popular improv games before a live studio audience. Regular cast members like Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady, and Colin Mochrie bring audience-suggested scenarios to life with comedic brilliance. Occasionally, celebrity guests would join in, adding an extra layer of hilarity to the mix.

Thank God You’re Here

This popular game show highlights just a single improv game where contestants enter the stage through a door one by one every minute or so greeted by a rousing, Thank God You’re Here  by an ensemble cast, already in character. From that moment, the contestant must improvise their role within the scene. The ensemble cast often poses in-character questions, challenging the contestant to invent details about the scene, such as names of characters or objects, all while staying in the moment.

Improv in Social Media

Content creators on TikTok and Youtube, among others, have incorporated improv techniques to engage their audiences. Creators like Chris and Jack on YouTube create scenes with unpredictable twists, while TikTok star Sarah Cooper found viral fame by lip-syncing to speeches and improvising exaggerated expressions. This rise in improv-based content reflects the growing demand for genuine, off-the-cuff humor in the digital age.

Improv Embedded In Pop Culture

Improv has woven itself into the fabric of pop culture, influencing a wide array of entertainment formats. From reality TV and scripted sitcoms to mockumentaries and social media, the spontaneity and creativity of improv continue to captivate audiences. Shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway? and Thank God You’re Here have popularized improv games, while platforms like TikTok and YouTube showcase how unscripted humor resonates in the digital age. As improv’s reach expands, its ability to entertain through authenticity and unpredictability remains as strong as ever.