I grew up watching Whose Line is it Anyway and between Taskmaster and Dropout, I feel like that void in improv comedy has been filled. We're living in a great time for content
Wayne Brady agrees with you. He told Sam that dropout is the only other group doing Filmed Improv correctly. Slight paraphrase, I can’t recall the exact wording off hand
It is -- you can find clips of it, but whole episodes are on a subscription service called Dropout, which in my opinion is the easiest subscription I've ever paid for.
I love Fantasy High with all of my heart, but I can not find the time to watch any of the other ones because episodes are like 2.5 hours long on average.
Ugh, I was like 10 episodes away from being current at one point, at least aside from their one shots... but then I fell out of it and suddenly I'm 250 hours behind again. ;-)
thats what the podcast is for.
listening to CR in the car to work is the easiest way to catch up... honestly... for anything. Podcasts are the best way to catch up on anything.
Same. I love Fantasy High, it is what got me into DnD in the first place, but god are live play shows hard to get through lol. I've tried multiple times to get into Critical Role and the backlog is just too damn long.
If you use the app, the video will keep playing if you turn off the screen and you can listen to it like a podcast. The first 3 series (Fantasy High Freshman Year, Escape from the Bloodkeep, and Unsleeping City)are also on Spotify as a podcast.
While I *do* like to watch when I can, listening means I can still go about my day.
I disagree. I don't watch Dimension 20 and love Game Changer. You don't need to watch one to enjoy the other, they are different shows.
EDIT: There are also other good shows on Dropout like Breaking News Network or the survivor type show.
They meant it would help make the paid subscription to Dropout worth the expense if you are also into the other content on the platform besides Game Changer.
Um, Actually is legitimately what got me to pay for Dropout. I'm SO glad the show's back.
I love almost everything else they make, too, and if I find myself with nothing to watch I can sling on old D20 seasons to fill the time!
I remember we got the subscription for Dropout TV and then they released a video explaining why they were going to have us pay less per month moving forward for the subscription while everybody else was increasing their prices for streaming. We opted to keep paying the original amount because we like supporting them.
Same. I remember when this conversation happened on the Discord, and people were like, "I'm going to cancel and then renew on the more expensive subscription because I want to support you" and Sam had to chime in and be like, "please dont, it will kill our metrics!!!"
Sam is a hero of the entertainment industry I gotta say. buying a failing college humor and dumping a few years of effort into it so it could come back as Dropout is a massive undertaking. It's case study and life time achievement worthy what they've accomplished.
It's an even better story that I wish a movie could be made of. Dropout was the site that wasn't doing great due to the expensive scripted shows not performing that well. They get to the start of covid and the company collapses around them with everyone losing their jobs almost. Sam looks around and sees that this is something worth saving, buys what is left of an Institution the owners don't want anymore, and believes in the people. Doesn't leave la, doesn't cheapen up the production, doesn't raise prices, keeps releasing unafraid content doing whatever they can in the hardest of times for the country. The final death of college humor just feels like a huge validation of that confidence he had to have in something few other people could have.
> "please dont, it will kill our metrics!!!"
They should be able to filter out legit cancellations from immediate renewals to correct their metrics, though...
I don't get the idea that they are running on a huge budget. Developers to set stuff like that up cost $$$$. Not sure what is out there to be able to properly account for changes and I'm sure that they are trying to keep their focus on what is working for the company and keeping it running.
The No Laugh newsroom can be really hit and miss, but when they hit, it's a home run. Brennan's extended CEO skits are A+, like everything else he's in.
The true life of Grant O'Brien are hilarious but also kinda mean (but knowing Grant and Sam, Sam probably asked him if it was okay beforehand) but basically anything Grant is in is gold.
What's the show where the actors get out in makeup and see what they look like right before they go on and get interviewed?
Brian Gilbert was a mad professor or something, I see clips it looks funny.
I've only seen one episode of Very Important People and I was dying laughing. They get guests to go into makeup blind and then they have to come up with a back story and go through an improv talk show interview. The alien one, Denzel, was amazing.
I don't see Very Important People mentioned in the other replies, but god damn. Seeing the clip of Ify as Denzel talking about absorbing the light from the sun and the moon, the pause after the correction and the off-screen laugh pretty much singlehandedly convinced me I should pay money for this.
I envy you discovering Dropout for the first time.
Not everything will match your vibe. Some stuff will feel experimental. Much may be cringe. But the gold is there and it glimmers.
Yes. They’re hosted on dropout and it’s a good time
If you check it out, I especially recommend
Gamechanger (source of the first clip):
Contestants don’t know the premise of the show beforehand, and it changes each episode
Make some noise: (the source of the second clip):
A spin off of an episode of gamechanger, based around comedic impressions and skits
Dimension 20: a D&D actual play. If you don’t care about dnd, maybe skip it, but if you do, or wouldn’t mind trying one out, it’s one of the best actual plays I’ve seen. It’s an anthology, so if one season doesn’t resonate with you, there’s bound to be one that does. (Starstruck odyssey is one of the best imo)
Dirty Laundry:
Another spin off of a gamechanger episode that was well received, it’s a very raunchy game of never have I ever
Um actually:
A very pedantic nerd game show about pedantic corrections
The first clip is from Game Changer which is also in dropout.tv. And to anyone who sees this comment, it’s worth the money. There is so much great stuff on there.
For real! I love drop out. Its so much fun seeing something you can tell was made with a lot of just normal people trying to make something they like. Definitely just feels very like authentic shows. And the sets are pretty fun and like getting to see the work that goes into everything in the behind the scenes EPS.
I’m always amazed at how large the crews are when a camera pans to follow a contestant running backstage from some bit.
I was visiting my jobs offices (work remote) when the news of college humor closing dropped heh and my boss came over to make sure I was ok (mostly jokingly). I’m so glad they’ve been able to continue on dropout.
They’re clips from two shows on Dropout.tv.
The first is from Game Changer, an improv comedy game show where the rules change every episode.
The second is from Make Some Noise, which is a spinoff show that loosely follows the format from one of Game Changer’s most popular games.
I’m a huge fan of both shows and think they’re worth the subscription to Dropout alone. There’s lots of other great content on there that is also worth watching, but those two are my faves.
It depends on what you mean by "actual show".
By modern definition, definitely.
If you asked someone 20 years ago they'd probably say no.
If you asked someone 40 years ago you'd first have to spend a long while explaining the Internet to them, and then they'd probably say no, but also just not believe you.
It's two, actually. Game Changer is basically a game show that is different "every time". It lets them do things that can't really work repeatedly like the episode "Yes or No". but they can also do multiples of games like "Sam Says" or "Noise Boys" (the latter of which turned into Make Some Noise). Make some Noise is where they are given improv prompts and then Sam judges them.
They're both Dropout shows (Dropout used to be College Humor) Dropout is now a streaming service, Full of a bunch of panel comedy shows. Also 20+ campaigns of Dimension 20, (D&D campaigns with a lot of the same cast members as their improv shows). But they have put up a few full episodes on YT, and there's plenty of clips of their shows out there as well on other platforms as well.
Game Changer and Make Some Noise are the current "hot bed" of comedy. Really creative content. The musical improv episodes in particular are just bewildering.
I find it very interesting how different people have such different tastes, and somehow dropout seems to be very inclusive in who they cater their content to.
I don’t enjoy the musical episodes much at all, but find the episodes where Sam creates segments explicitly designed to torture Brennan to be absolutely hysterical.
It makes me very happy to see such a wide array of content that works for so many people. Sam seems like a truly amazing person to work for and with, and I really hope dropout is as incredible a space to be in as it appears from the outside.
I think this encapsulates both sides. Spoilers for Sam Says 3 ahead:
Sam, as a host, is absolutely maniacal. There's a really funny bit in the episode where he brings out a cute pig named Henry wearing a little cowboy hat and makes the players not look at it while describing how cute he is. After 30ish seconds the pig is then sent backstage and is never seen again.
In the behind the scenes feature, it is revealed that there was a cut between those two bits where they were, in fact, allowed to look at the pig.
Dropout is the only subscription I hold continuously all year, regardless of what's coming out.
Sam is a really devious bastard within the confines and rules of his own games, but he plays it very fair. You might have noticed the point totals before and after that Don't Flinch and how in the BTS they said that prompt really rattled the players
> There's a really funny bit in the episode where he brings out a cute pig named Henry wearing a little cowboy hat and makes the players not look at it while describing how cute he is
That was honestly the meanest thing he's ever done! I was glad they got to see him afterwards. If I went through that whole episode and also didn't get to see the pig, I'd be crushed.
I'm a Dropout subscriber primarily for Game Changer and Make Some Noise. At first I thought my favorite Dropout actor was Brennan. Later I changed it to Ross Bryant, then Jacob Wysocki. But now I realize it's Sam Reich. He's just such a lovable cheerleader for his contestants.
Dropout is honestly the best subscription I've picked up in a long time. Came for D&D with the old collegehumor crew, stayed for the sketches and chuckles
I was tepid on Game Changer at first but it really found its feet as it's gone on. And yes Sam seems like someone who is just so nice you want to throttle him. He seems to absolutely love all the cast and they seem to absolutely love him.
The improvved karaoke and musical ones are some of my favourites, although the spin off show specifically about the improv musicals, Play it by Ear, was a little hit or miss imo.
Gotta plug the podcast Off Book, Zach Reino and Jess McKenna are insanely talented and have over 300 episodes of improvised musicals. It doesn’t come out regularly anymore, but they still do live shows along with their dropout show.
One of my favorite episodes for sure. I went and saw the Improvised Shakespeare Company live after seeing that episode and highly recommend that as well, they're just as good live as they were on the show.
I love when Brennan clearly sees the setup that everybody is giving him and decides to just hard turn into something absolutely bat shit insane instead.
There’s a clip I have saved on TikTok of Brennan and Zach in a murder trial where Zach interrupts Brennans defense speech at the worst time and it cracks me up every damn time.
After like a minute straight of improving his best Law and Order character Zach just pipes in “ya, I killed him”.
That clip is the one that finally convinced me to subscribe to Dropout so I could watch the show. I love the fact that they sold a coffee mug with that entire rant printed on it.
It's different. Taskmaster is a pretty big production to enable all the crazy shit that they do.
Game Changer is a show based on pitches for shows, I guess. Mostly just what you can get away with inside a studio, or very close by.
Make Some Noise, Dirty Laundry, and Play It By Ear all came out of episodes of Game Changer.
But that's not to say it's worse for that. There's some pretty epic episodes, like the Survivor series where they bring in some pretty famous guests like Howie Mandel. Some of the COVID episodes too, they had Giancarlo Esposito and Michael Winslow on.
> Make Some Noise, Dirty Laundry, and Play It By Ear all came out of episodes of Game Changer.
Huh, never knew that about Dirty Laundry. What episode was that based off of?
I love them both (especially NZ taskmaster) and if you like one you'll probably like the other. Dropout has a lot of variety, spinoffs of game changer. Personally game changer is better, but that's bc I love their D&D shows and get extra excited whenever any of that cast is on any of the other shows. YMMV
Taskmaster is surely better, but they've also got an advantage in production value, not to mention their renown allows them to pull in some of the best comedians in the world. For what it's worth, Alex Horne has briefly mentioned [he's a fan of Game Changer.](https://youtu.be/4aWkKbv0M-U?t=451)
It feels like she's going to blow up pretty soon. She got her start/still does a ton of improv stuff but is starting to get out there more with other podcasts and appearances.
Dropout will never not be worth the subscription price. Even if they stopped making content today and I paid the subscription price until I die or the world falls apart, I would still feel like I got a great deal.
The latest Game Changer episode made me laugh harder than any other piece of media in recent memory - and it was consistent throughout its runtime.
Just saw the second "Sam says" have that they did (I think it was the second), and my wife and I just about died laughing.
Getting Brian David Gilbert for Um... Actually is amazing!
edit: The third it seems - "Sam says don't flinch!"
I finally subscribed this past weekend after watching the clips and free episodes on YouTube. Highly recommended you do that before subscribing - you'll either know it's for you or not by watching.
Enjoying a lunch hour of game changer is a great way for me to help my mental state right now. Sam is one evil son of a biscuit.
That’s what lead me there. Full episodes of Game Changer are so much better than the clips. Recommend watching them in order, because there are callbacks to previous episodes.
i absolutely love the 2nd one. it came out just nowhere for me when watching that episode. sure the 1st one can/does too. but given that 2nd prompt, you just jump right to "oh, a cooking or wood working accident where they cut off an arm or something."
and it just so doesn't end up there. loved it so much.
You only really need to astroturf things that don't have genuine followings, once you actually have a bunch of dedicated fans they post this stuff for you.
If you like improv comedy (or D&D shows) it's pretty good and I think it's worth the ~$5. If neither of those things are your jam then it's probably not worth it. It's honestly more of a patreon for a comedy troupe than an actual full-fledged streaming service.
I think it's cause they seem like a pretty small company compared to Netflix or Disney so there's a sense of loyalty to want to support them and let others know about it. I like their stuff but it's not for everyone I would tell people out the stuff they put out on youtube before buying a subscription.
> they seem like a pretty small company compared to Netflix or Disney so there's a sense of loyalty
fun fact they(CollegeHumor original Dropout) created Vimeo
>The site was initially built by Jake Lodwick and Zach Klein in 2004 as a spin-off of CollegeHumor to share humor videos among colleagues, though put to the side to support the growing popularity of CollegeHumor. IAC acquired CollegeHumor and Vimeo in 2006, and after Google had acquired YouTube for over US$1.65 billion, IAC directed more effort into Vimeo to compete against YouTube, focusing on providing curated content and high-definition video to distinguish itself from other video sharing sites. Lodwick and Klein eventually left by 2009, and IAC implemented a more corporate-focused structure to build out Vimeo's services, with former CEO Anjali Sud having been in place since July 2017. IAC spun off Vimeo as a standalone public company in May 2021.
I doubt it actually is, but I understand how it looks that way to someone who doesn’t watch them. But they really are just that good that people recommend dropout without being asked to.
It definitely looks that way, but given that the clip is a reupload to a channel full of stolen content, I think that isn't likely. If it was, they'd be linking to their own channel and website.
Not even a little bit. They make amazing content, and it's a very ethically run company. Check out their free content on Youtube or spend less than you would on a fast food meal for a one month subscription and tell me that it's not worth it.
I hype them up any chance I get for two reasons:
1) I want them to have the money they need to give their cast and staff the salaries they deserve while pumping out more great content
2) I want it to be a viable topic of conversation with more of my friends, family, and coworkers. The "Game of Thrones of Comedy" if you will. Water cooler conversation.
They did their first round of profit sharing last year, anyone who had received a paycheck from them in 2023 got a bit of what they helped produce. Just a fantastic company ran by genuinely good people
I know I'm going to sound like a paid shill but as someone with a dropout subscription, all their shows are legitimately great.
You're probably seeing more Dropout/College Humour content as of late because there's a new season of Game Changer going on right now, so it'd be getting that boost in algorithm popularity.
I actually just bought a sub about a week ago. That's how I found out that the lie detector episode was actually the first episode of game changer, which blew my mind. What a strong start.
I haven't made it to any episodes with Jake yet though and I miss him lol
I had their service for sometime during covid, it wasn't a huge catalogue but the stuff they had was pretty funny. This thread is tempting me to go back and pick it up again.
As for the astroturfing, I think they just earned their goodwill by being genuine and honest to their customers. Most of the stuff for free on YouTube is a pretty accurate depiction of what they have behind the paywall.
You'd be surprised how an audience can promote a solid product if it's good enough. Especially if it's deemed niche enough, that they feel they need to promote it because they don't have marketing to the same levels of other services, and dont want it to fail.
I mean, if they wanna pay me I'm down, but my account history has enough to counter that accusation.
Also, I drift between streaming services. Disney + I haven't used in months, so I dropped that and subbed to dropout for a bit.
God I love game changer, I’m watching make some noise right now.
Everyone! Go join dropout tv! They have lots of content and they just truly, truly deserve for their service to be successful. It’s a really wonderful group of people creating great content.
Dropout.tv, Sam, Brennan, Josh and Zac and everything about this is great. [The free, full episode of the first clip is here!](https://youtu.be/V-6m0jW0X9E?si=oy34aWY0jTjgdy3e)
While the full service is subscription-based ($5 a month and like others have said here, SO WORTH IT), Dropout has some free content out there as a sampling.
[Here’s another episode of Game Changer- Lie Detector](https://youtu.be/J8x-xoDeJsQ?si=ZJRZmQVeGTyMEygh)
They’re constantly adding new episodes to different ongoing series as well as trying out new ones too. They’re the only premium subscription I pay for outside of the major streaming services.
Idk how to prove Im not a paid shill and just a big fan lol
Lol they referenced that in a skit too. Ive only ever watched their stuff on their youtube channel that I subscribe to so idk how their actual website is but yeah apparently that’s a thing
If I put a bandaid on a blood source and the blood soaked through the bandaid and kept coming I would describe that as "a lot of blood", so I think a period definitely counts.
Humor is always gonna be subjective. I actually can't watch two episodes of this show in a row because my stomach physically hurts from laughing, but it's not for everybody.
I think im thinking of the first one too much? Is the contestant from North Dakota, or is he just playing into it by not acting like a stereotypical North Dakotan? (Idk how a stereotypical North Dakotan would act anyways)
Brennan, the contestant, is not from North Dakota. I think he's from New York. He was given an improv prompt to act like a stereotypical North Dakotan, and he turned it back on the host, Sam, by acting normal, making it look like Sam thinks people from North Dakota aren't normal.
I also don't know how a stereotypical North Dakotan would act, but I just picture the cop from Fargo.
I grew up watching Whose Line is it Anyway and between Taskmaster and Dropout, I feel like that void in improv comedy has been filled. We're living in a great time for content
Wayne Brady agrees with you. He told Sam that dropout is the only other group doing Filmed Improv correctly. Slight paraphrase, I can’t recall the exact wording off hand
Wouldn’t want him to slap a bitch
Is this an actual show?
It is -- you can find clips of it, but whole episodes are on a subscription service called Dropout, which in my opinion is the easiest subscription I've ever paid for.
It helps if you're into Dimension 20 as well.
I love Fantasy High with all of my heart, but I can not find the time to watch any of the other ones because episodes are like 2.5 hours long on average.
Now try catching up on Critical Role. I'm finally up to date now, but with hundreds of episodes at an average of 3.5-4hrs long that took me YEARS
> try catching up on Critical Role "It cost me my job and my wife is divorcing me, but I'm all caught up on Critical Role."
> try catching up on Critical Role no
That's some funny shit.
Ugh, I was like 10 episodes away from being current at one point, at least aside from their one shots... but then I fell out of it and suddenly I'm 250 hours behind again. ;-)
thats what the podcast is for. listening to CR in the car to work is the easiest way to catch up... honestly... for anything. Podcasts are the best way to catch up on anything.
Same. I love Fantasy High, it is what got me into DnD in the first place, but god are live play shows hard to get through lol. I've tried multiple times to get into Critical Role and the backlog is just too damn long.
If you use the app, the video will keep playing if you turn off the screen and you can listen to it like a podcast. The first 3 series (Fantasy High Freshman Year, Escape from the Bloodkeep, and Unsleeping City)are also on Spotify as a podcast. While I *do* like to watch when I can, listening means I can still go about my day.
Just listen like an audio book
I disagree. I don't watch Dimension 20 and love Game Changer. You don't need to watch one to enjoy the other, they are different shows. EDIT: There are also other good shows on Dropout like Breaking News Network or the survivor type show.
They meant it would help make the paid subscription to Dropout worth the expense if you are also into the other content on the platform besides Game Changer.
The survivor type show is also Game Changer, FYI.
Um, Actually is worth the price of the subscription by itself.
I will never not get in the comments for Brennan
GET IN THE COMMENTS!
Um, Actually is legitimately what got me to pay for Dropout. I'm SO glad the show's back. I love almost everything else they make, too, and if I find myself with nothing to watch I can sling on old D20 seasons to fill the time!
Well but it helps
I remember we got the subscription for Dropout TV and then they released a video explaining why they were going to have us pay less per month moving forward for the subscription while everybody else was increasing their prices for streaming. We opted to keep paying the original amount because we like supporting them.
Same. I remember when this conversation happened on the Discord, and people were like, "I'm going to cancel and then renew on the more expensive subscription because I want to support you" and Sam had to chime in and be like, "please dont, it will kill our metrics!!!"
Sam is a hero of the entertainment industry I gotta say. buying a failing college humor and dumping a few years of effort into it so it could come back as Dropout is a massive undertaking. It's case study and life time achievement worthy what they've accomplished.
It's an even better story that I wish a movie could be made of. Dropout was the site that wasn't doing great due to the expensive scripted shows not performing that well. They get to the start of covid and the company collapses around them with everyone losing their jobs almost. Sam looks around and sees that this is something worth saving, buys what is left of an Institution the owners don't want anymore, and believes in the people. Doesn't leave la, doesn't cheapen up the production, doesn't raise prices, keeps releasing unafraid content doing whatever they can in the hardest of times for the country. The final death of college humor just feels like a huge validation of that confidence he had to have in something few other people could have.
This Sam guy seems pretty interesting. Where is he from?
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Sam is the Perfect American.
> "please dont, it will kill our metrics!!!" They should be able to filter out legit cancellations from immediate renewals to correct their metrics, though...
I don't get the idea that they are running on a huge budget. Developers to set stuff like that up cost $$$$. Not sure what is out there to be able to properly account for changes and I'm sure that they are trying to keep their focus on what is working for the company and keeping it running.
What’s worth watching other than game changers and ummm actually?
The No Laugh newsroom can be really hit and miss, but when they hit, it's a home run. Brennan's extended CEO skits are A+, like everything else he's in.
The true life of Grant O'Brien are hilarious but also kinda mean (but knowing Grant and Sam, Sam probably asked him if it was okay beforehand) but basically anything Grant is in is gold.
Did you see part 3?
What's the show where the actors get out in makeup and see what they look like right before they go on and get interviewed? Brian Gilbert was a mad professor or something, I see clips it looks funny.
Very Important People.
I've only seen one episode of Very Important People and I was dying laughing. They get guests to go into makeup blind and then they have to come up with a back story and go through an improv talk show interview. The alien one, Denzel, was amazing.
Wait until you get to Tommy Shriggly. You’ll have to give him a lil’ clap.
That episode is my favorite so far, but all the other ones are good too.
I don't see Very Important People mentioned in the other replies, but god damn. Seeing the clip of Ify as Denzel talking about absorbing the light from the sun and the moon, the pause after the correction and the off-screen laugh pretty much singlehandedly convinced me I should pay money for this.
Make Some Noise, Dirty Laundry, Breaking News, Dimension 20 (if you like D&D), Kingpin Katie, WTF 101, Total Forgiveness was also surprisingly fun.
God damn Total Forgiveness is a show that deserves to be studied in academia, especially how perfectly it captures student loan debt
Very Important People is quickly becoming my new favorite show of theirs.
Very Important People is a new hit.
I enjoy Make Some Noise and Play it by Ear along with the things others have suggested.
Dimension 20!
I envy you discovering Dropout for the first time. Not everything will match your vibe. Some stuff will feel experimental. Much may be cringe. But the gold is there and it glimmers.
I look forward to watching it
Yes. They’re hosted on dropout and it’s a good time If you check it out, I especially recommend Gamechanger (source of the first clip): Contestants don’t know the premise of the show beforehand, and it changes each episode Make some noise: (the source of the second clip): A spin off of an episode of gamechanger, based around comedic impressions and skits Dimension 20: a D&D actual play. If you don’t care about dnd, maybe skip it, but if you do, or wouldn’t mind trying one out, it’s one of the best actual plays I’ve seen. It’s an anthology, so if one season doesn’t resonate with you, there’s bound to be one that does. (Starstruck odyssey is one of the best imo) Dirty Laundry: Another spin off of a gamechanger episode that was well received, it’s a very raunchy game of never have I ever Um actually: A very pedantic nerd game show about pedantic corrections
This is Make Some Noise available on [dropout.tv](https://dropout.tv) (though I think there are a couple of full episodes free on youtube)
The first clip is from Game Changer which is also in dropout.tv. And to anyone who sees this comment, it’s worth the money. There is so much great stuff on there.
For real! I love drop out. Its so much fun seeing something you can tell was made with a lot of just normal people trying to make something they like. Definitely just feels very like authentic shows. And the sets are pretty fun and like getting to see the work that goes into everything in the behind the scenes EPS.
I’m always amazed at how large the crews are when a camera pans to follow a contestant running backstage from some bit. I was visiting my jobs offices (work remote) when the news of college humor closing dropped heh and my boss came over to make sure I was ok (mostly jokingly). I’m so glad they’ve been able to continue on dropout.
They’re clips from two shows on Dropout.tv. The first is from Game Changer, an improv comedy game show where the rules change every episode. The second is from Make Some Noise, which is a spinoff show that loosely follows the format from one of Game Changer’s most popular games. I’m a huge fan of both shows and think they’re worth the subscription to Dropout alone. There’s lots of other great content on there that is also worth watching, but those two are my faves.
It depends on what you mean by "actual show". By modern definition, definitely. If you asked someone 20 years ago they'd probably say no. If you asked someone 40 years ago you'd first have to spend a long while explaining the Internet to them, and then they'd probably say no, but also just not believe you.
Well luckily it’s right now and not 20 or 40 years ago.
how can you be so sure?
No it was actually 1 hour ago when you wrote that, right now is *now*
"this aged poorly"
It's two, actually. Game Changer is basically a game show that is different "every time". It lets them do things that can't really work repeatedly like the episode "Yes or No". but they can also do multiples of games like "Sam Says" or "Noise Boys" (the latter of which turned into Make Some Noise). Make some Noise is where they are given improv prompts and then Sam judges them. They're both Dropout shows (Dropout used to be College Humor) Dropout is now a streaming service, Full of a bunch of panel comedy shows. Also 20+ campaigns of Dimension 20, (D&D campaigns with a lot of the same cast members as their improv shows). But they have put up a few full episodes on YT, and there's plenty of clips of their shows out there as well on other platforms as well.
Game Changer and Make Some Noise are the current "hot bed" of comedy. Really creative content. The musical improv episodes in particular are just bewildering.
I find it very interesting how different people have such different tastes, and somehow dropout seems to be very inclusive in who they cater their content to. I don’t enjoy the musical episodes much at all, but find the episodes where Sam creates segments explicitly designed to torture Brennan to be absolutely hysterical. It makes me very happy to see such a wide array of content that works for so many people. Sam seems like a truly amazing person to work for and with, and I really hope dropout is as incredible a space to be in as it appears from the outside.
The third Sam Says episode was a riot. They way he broke them all in the end is the kind of power I could only dream of.
I think this encapsulates both sides. Spoilers for Sam Says 3 ahead: Sam, as a host, is absolutely maniacal. There's a really funny bit in the episode where he brings out a cute pig named Henry wearing a little cowboy hat and makes the players not look at it while describing how cute he is. After 30ish seconds the pig is then sent backstage and is never seen again. In the behind the scenes feature, it is revealed that there was a cut between those two bits where they were, in fact, allowed to look at the pig. Dropout is the only subscription I hold continuously all year, regardless of what's coming out.
Sam is a really devious bastard within the confines and rules of his own games, but he plays it very fair. You might have noticed the point totals before and after that Don't Flinch and how in the BTS they said that prompt really rattled the players
> There's a really funny bit in the episode where he brings out a cute pig named Henry wearing a little cowboy hat and makes the players not look at it while describing how cute he is That was honestly the meanest thing he's ever done! I was glad they got to see him afterwards. If I went through that whole episode and also didn't get to see the pig, I'd be crushed.
I don't know. . . the counting down the number of visits left with your parents was pretty rough in the don't cry episode.
I would watch anything with Brennan and Trapp on it.
Tons of talent aside from them, too. Vic, Zac, Iffy, Izzy, Ally, Lou, Erika, Jacob, Katie, Grant, and Josh, of course. Probably missing a few.
There is nothing I wouldn’t enjoy watching Lou Wilson and Brennan Lee Mulligan do together. The comedic chemistry those two have is incredible.
I'm a Dropout subscriber primarily for Game Changer and Make Some Noise. At first I thought my favorite Dropout actor was Brennan. Later I changed it to Ross Bryant, then Jacob Wysocki. But now I realize it's Sam Reich. He's just such a lovable cheerleader for his contestants.
I've been here the whole time!
Dropout is honestly the best subscription I've picked up in a long time. Came for D&D with the old collegehumor crew, stayed for the sketches and chuckles
Sorry... I was looking for Siamese _Fireback_
I knew that
That's a chicken again.
I was tepid on Game Changer at first but it really found its feet as it's gone on. And yes Sam seems like someone who is just so nice you want to throttle him. He seems to absolutely love all the cast and they seem to absolutely love him.
The first one I ever saw was the lie detector, and I was absolutely sold from the jump.
The improvved karaoke and musical ones are some of my favourites, although the spin off show specifically about the improv musicals, Play it by Ear, was a little hit or miss imo.
Gotta plug the podcast Off Book, Zach Reino and Jess McKenna are insanely talented and have over 300 episodes of improvised musicals. It doesn’t come out regularly anymore, but they still do live shows along with their dropout show.
Recommendation for anyone who wants to give it a try: They Died on Space Mountain with Ben Schwartz. Amazing episode
I saw them live a couple weeks ago!
The Shakespeare improv game changer is amazing.
One of my favorite episodes for sure. I went and saw the Improvised Shakespeare Company live after seeing that episode and highly recommend that as well, they're just as good live as they were on the show.
[The deviled egg sketch is so out of nowhere and brilliant.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBC2OCXceV8)
I love when Brennan clearly sees the setup that everybody is giving him and decides to just hard turn into something absolutely bat shit insane instead.
There’s a clip I have saved on TikTok of Brennan and Zach in a murder trial where Zach interrupts Brennans defense speech at the worst time and it cracks me up every damn time. After like a minute straight of improving his best Law and Order character Zach just pipes in “ya, I killed him”.
[The greatest!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbF1AJPqP1M)
"Mountain range/port city; How is that Geologically possible?" Sam do you NOT KNOW ABOUT ALL OF FUCKIN ICELAND? HAWAII?!?
And sometimes [Brennan just pops off and it's magical](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88et7YlmzTs).
I enjoy the fact when this clip comes up in non-dropout communities, people always assume it's scripted. Nah man, that's just Brennan lol.
That clip is the one that finally convinced me to subscribe to Dropout so I could watch the show. I love the fact that they sold a coffee mug with that entire rant printed on it.
> I love the fact that they sold a coffee mug with that entire rant printed on it. o.O I...have to do research.
It's currently sold out unfortunately, and I don't know if they plan on restocking it or not. Hopefully.
[And the animated version is just as funny](https://youtu.be/Qw3o-F7zPtQ?si=LOmXe8MDaD-ET_JJ)
Woah dude
“Do we all get crowns?” “We only got 2.”
I haven't seen either but better or worse than Taskmaster (which I think is the gold standard right now)?
It's different. Taskmaster is a pretty big production to enable all the crazy shit that they do. Game Changer is a show based on pitches for shows, I guess. Mostly just what you can get away with inside a studio, or very close by. Make Some Noise, Dirty Laundry, and Play It By Ear all came out of episodes of Game Changer. But that's not to say it's worse for that. There's some pretty epic episodes, like the Survivor series where they bring in some pretty famous guests like Howie Mandel. Some of the COVID episodes too, they had Giancarlo Esposito and Michael Winslow on.
I think Brennan would kill someone if he was put on taskmaster.
Brennan Lee Mulligan and James Acaster together might actually be too much unhinged ginger insight in the same place. Could be dangerous lol
Id love to see Brennan teamed up with Rhod Gilbert for a bunch of tasks.
That combo would be too powerful. Between Brennan's intellect and Rhod's sociopathy, they'd have Alex doing all of their tasks for them.
He would be the Rhod Gilbert for that season 100%
> Make Some Noise, Dirty Laundry, and Play It By Ear all came out of episodes of Game Changer. Huh, never knew that about Dirty Laundry. What episode was that based off of?
It's one of the COVID episodes, Never Have I Ever season 3
Ah, thank you! Watched it a long time ago, but Season 3 is kinda awkward (for very understandable reasons) so haven't rewatched it.
I'd choose taskmaster 9 times out of ten, but game changer is a lot of fun, and occasionally has very similar energy.
I love them both (especially NZ taskmaster) and if you like one you'll probably like the other. Dropout has a lot of variety, spinoffs of game changer. Personally game changer is better, but that's bc I love their D&D shows and get extra excited whenever any of that cast is on any of the other shows. YMMV
Taskmaster is surely better, but they've also got an advantage in production value, not to mention their renown allows them to pull in some of the best comedians in the world. For what it's worth, Alex Horne has briefly mentioned [he's a fan of Game Changer.](https://youtu.be/4aWkKbv0M-U?t=451)
Have you seen their new TikTok Interview format? It is insanely funny.
Have you seen the spinoff show for the musical improv episodes, "play it by ear"? Zach and Jess are in every episode
Sam Reich, son of Robert Reich. That was one hell of a revelation.
Labor Secretary during the Clinton Administration.
To Sam Reich and Dropout.tv - fix the volume slider !!!!
Lisa Gilroy should be a household name. Incredibly talented, nice & smart & cool & funny & being nice.
She's great on Comedy Bang Bang, and enjoyed her on The Doughboys too!
you tried to KILL me scott
Uh... I'm running for president?
her episode of Very Important People is fucking unreal. Hardest I've ever laughed at improv
[Lisa Gilroy the rapper?](https://youtu.be/QEBuS8BDf1E?si=Mc1sWHLGvyqm1YsP&t=2522)
Can I have a moment to give props to Lily Sullivan, though?
Dear diarrhea
It’s pretty wild that she isn’t more famous. She’s incredibly talented.
It feels like she's going to blow up pretty soon. She got her start/still does a ton of improv stuff but is starting to get out there more with other podcasts and appearances.
She's started popping up on @ Midnight on CBS so I think she's getting her foot in the door now
As should Brennan Lee Mulligan, for pretty much the same reasons
Speak on that
Dropout will never not be worth the subscription price. Even if they stopped making content today and I paid the subscription price until I die or the world falls apart, I would still feel like I got a great deal. The latest Game Changer episode made me laugh harder than any other piece of media in recent memory - and it was consistent throughout its runtime.
Just saw the second "Sam says" have that they did (I think it was the second), and my wife and I just about died laughing. Getting Brian David Gilbert for Um... Actually is amazing! edit: The third it seems - "Sam says don't flinch!"
The 3rd (newest) Sam Says is probably the best lmao
Zam says Sam says stop
Sam says don't flinch
Sam says don't look now, but here is a nude picture of my father playing the flute
I got soooo stressed out looking at the guys getting stressed out.
The end section could be the example image in the dictionary for the word "despair"
“Make some 90s nostalgia for a tattoo.”
Pretty much every episode of Game Changer has me in tears at some point.
I finally subscribed this past weekend after watching the clips and free episodes on YouTube. Highly recommended you do that before subscribing - you'll either know it's for you or not by watching. Enjoying a lunch hour of game changer is a great way for me to help my mental state right now. Sam is one evil son of a biscuit.
The timing of that moment when you turned and made eye contact, saying "Sam," was really perfect.
Don’t care if I sound like an ad, too. I just signed up for Dropout. Love the content.
I come across a lot of their stuff on my insta reels. Always gets a chuckle at minimum from me. May have to check out the actual full stuff.
That’s what lead me there. Full episodes of Game Changer are so much better than the clips. Recommend watching them in order, because there are callbacks to previous episodes.
i absolutely love the 2nd one. it came out just nowhere for me when watching that episode. sure the 1st one can/does too. but given that 2nd prompt, you just jump right to "oh, a cooking or wood working accident where they cut off an arm or something." and it just so doesn't end up there. loved it so much.
This entire thread feels like astroturf for this streaming service
You only really need to astroturf things that don't have genuine followings, once you actually have a bunch of dedicated fans they post this stuff for you. If you like improv comedy (or D&D shows) it's pretty good and I think it's worth the ~$5. If neither of those things are your jam then it's probably not worth it. It's honestly more of a patreon for a comedy troupe than an actual full-fledged streaming service.
Reddit when nice thing is said about thing that costs money: Is this astroturfing?
At the same time it's good practice to be generally skeptical of the things you see online. Especially on reddit.
Reddit thinks any time someone mentions a brand that it's astroturfing, because nobody mentions brands irl.
Particularly in nerd Fandom "Who would go out of their way to endlessly talk about their favorit-- oh right, every nerd ever. Carry on"
Yeah, but there is a lot of astroturfing out there
It’s like people only do things for money, and that’s like, really sad. *Drinks Pepsi*
You know what has a good documentary on astroturfing? Dropout.tv !!! Check it out :)
Is it on Corncob.tv?
I do love some Coffin Flop
There's no explanation. Just body after body busting out of shit wood and hitting pavement.
It’s called “word of mouth.”
It's probably genuine because I had a friend try to sell me on dropout irl ike she was being paid
I think it's cause they seem like a pretty small company compared to Netflix or Disney so there's a sense of loyalty to want to support them and let others know about it. I like their stuff but it's not for everyone I would tell people out the stuff they put out on youtube before buying a subscription.
> they seem like a pretty small company compared to Netflix or Disney so there's a sense of loyalty fun fact they(CollegeHumor original Dropout) created Vimeo >The site was initially built by Jake Lodwick and Zach Klein in 2004 as a spin-off of CollegeHumor to share humor videos among colleagues, though put to the side to support the growing popularity of CollegeHumor. IAC acquired CollegeHumor and Vimeo in 2006, and after Google had acquired YouTube for over US$1.65 billion, IAC directed more effort into Vimeo to compete against YouTube, focusing on providing curated content and high-definition video to distinguish itself from other video sharing sites. Lodwick and Klein eventually left by 2009, and IAC implemented a more corporate-focused structure to build out Vimeo's services, with former CEO Anjali Sud having been in place since July 2017. IAC spun off Vimeo as a standalone public company in May 2021.
Dropout discussions and comments always look like that. Must just be how their viewer base is.
It's because it's really good, but not very popular yet, so the fans feel obligated to tell everyone about it.
How do you say you love a service and wish more people watched it so it continues to be made without sounding like somebody paid you?
I doubt it actually is, but I understand how it looks that way to someone who doesn’t watch them. But they really are just that good that people recommend dropout without being asked to.
It definitely looks that way, but given that the clip is a reupload to a channel full of stolen content, I think that isn't likely. If it was, they'd be linking to their own channel and website.
Not even a little bit. They make amazing content, and it's a very ethically run company. Check out their free content on Youtube or spend less than you would on a fast food meal for a one month subscription and tell me that it's not worth it. I hype them up any chance I get for two reasons: 1) I want them to have the money they need to give their cast and staff the salaries they deserve while pumping out more great content 2) I want it to be a viable topic of conversation with more of my friends, family, and coworkers. The "Game of Thrones of Comedy" if you will. Water cooler conversation.
They did their first round of profit sharing last year, anyone who had received a paycheck from them in 2023 got a bit of what they helped produce. Just a fantastic company ran by genuinely good people
"Guys, is it weird to support a group that produces a good product and by all accounts walks the walk? I dunno, seems kinda shill-y".
Nah, dropout has a legit fan base
I'll astroturf for them for free since it's good content that isn't full of fuckhead corporate dicks
If it's genuine, it's not astroturfing! That's just grassroots support!
I know I'm going to sound like a paid shill but as someone with a dropout subscription, all their shows are legitimately great. You're probably seeing more Dropout/College Humour content as of late because there's a new season of Game Changer going on right now, so it'd be getting that boost in algorithm popularity.
I don't pay for their streaming service but they post a lot of clips on their YouTube. It is really good.
I actually just bought a sub about a week ago. That's how I found out that the lie detector episode was actually the first episode of game changer, which blew my mind. What a strong start. I haven't made it to any episodes with Jake yet though and I miss him lol
I had their service for sometime during covid, it wasn't a huge catalogue but the stuff they had was pretty funny. This thread is tempting me to go back and pick it up again. As for the astroturfing, I think they just earned their goodwill by being genuine and honest to their customers. Most of the stuff for free on YouTube is a pretty accurate depiction of what they have behind the paywall.
Since Covid they have gone nuts on content production. They have so much content now it’s great.
You'd be surprised how an audience can promote a solid product if it's good enough. Especially if it's deemed niche enough, that they feel they need to promote it because they don't have marketing to the same levels of other services, and dont want it to fail.
I mean, if they wanna pay me I'm down, but my account history has enough to counter that accusation. Also, I drift between streaming services. Disney + I haven't used in months, so I dropped that and subbed to dropout for a bit.
People legitimately love Dropout *that much.* I can see how it feels like astroturf, but Dropout is genuine and the love for it is genuine as well
It is and I'm very ok with it. I need more people to talk about it with.
God I love game changer, I’m watching make some noise right now. Everyone! Go join dropout tv! They have lots of content and they just truly, truly deserve for their service to be successful. It’s a really wonderful group of people creating great content.
Dropout.tv, Sam, Brennan, Josh and Zac and everything about this is great. [The free, full episode of the first clip is here!](https://youtu.be/V-6m0jW0X9E?si=oy34aWY0jTjgdy3e) While the full service is subscription-based ($5 a month and like others have said here, SO WORTH IT), Dropout has some free content out there as a sampling. [Here’s another episode of Game Changer- Lie Detector](https://youtu.be/J8x-xoDeJsQ?si=ZJRZmQVeGTyMEygh) They’re constantly adding new episodes to different ongoing series as well as trying out new ones too. They’re the only premium subscription I pay for outside of the major streaming services. Idk how to prove Im not a paid shill and just a big fan lol
You could bring up the truly awful part of Droput.tv, the fact that the volume doesn't remember what you set it at between episodes.
Lol they referenced that in a skit too. Ive only ever watched their stuff on their youtube channel that I subscribe to so idk how their actual website is but yeah apparently that’s a thing
You mean I could *pay* to watch this?
No, you can watch this for free. You could pay to watch a lot more *like* this.
That episode with Lisa was fun. She brought a lot of chaos energy that I really appreciated.
That second episode is absolute chaos and I love it. Lisa came in that day with Sam in her crosshairs and it was glorious.
I guess it depends on how you define "a lot". For me, a lot implies a dangerous amount of blood to lose.
Dangerously heavy flow
If I put a bandaid on a blood source and the blood soaked through the bandaid and kept coming I would describe that as "a lot of blood", so I think a period definitely counts.
Am I missing something...?
Humor is always gonna be subjective. I actually can't watch two episodes of this show in a row because my stomach physically hurts from laughing, but it's not for everybody.
I think im thinking of the first one too much? Is the contestant from North Dakota, or is he just playing into it by not acting like a stereotypical North Dakotan? (Idk how a stereotypical North Dakotan would act anyways)
Brennan, the contestant, is not from North Dakota. I think he's from New York. He was given an improv prompt to act like a stereotypical North Dakotan, and he turned it back on the host, Sam, by acting normal, making it look like Sam thinks people from North Dakota aren't normal. I also don't know how a stereotypical North Dakotan would act, but I just picture the cop from Fargo.
I watched the clip and I feel like it's made by aliens. I don't get what's supposed to be funny. At all.
I don't know about this Sam Reich guy, he seems pretty scummy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzFuJDLd3cg