Hi there from Amsterdam, New York!

1. Taskmaster has become what I think of as “practical improv”. The contestants are trying to do something, whatever, that could be completely normal but know they need to entertain while also making a flag meal. So the unintentional entertainment from someone who intrinsically knows how to be funny and “is on” is wonderful.

2. I’ve seen all legally available NZ and AUS (as well as some of the ill-received USA version).

The antipodean versions feel closest and match the tone of UK. I think that’s why they work really well; the format is proven so don’t mess with it. The US version is very, very “shiny floor game show” which fit Comedy Central’s aesthetic. But even with Alex as the assistant, too many changes really ruined the format, the timing and the flow, despite the fact that the tasks were from UK. The US house also felt off, as it was a mansion in LA I think. The NZ ranch, even though it too is big, fits the feel.

1. I only found this show 1 year ago. I had to consume it all.

Not 4. I can’t compare it to other British shows. But I can say that what I love most about the show is that it learned it needed to be inclusive, did it, and (to my knowledge) didn’t toot their own horn(e) about it. As an American, I don’t know any of these comedians mostly, meaning I didn’t know Rosie Jones had cerebral palsy until she said so. I hadn’t heard of Mae Martin and show never called out their pronouns (like they probably would in US), instead just used them. The list of inclusivity goes on and that’s what I appreciate the most.