Nostalgia is a powerful emotion. For those six people still watching “The Office,” it might also be known as one of the greatest human weaknesses, ranking just below the neck.
Nostalgia brings back memories of happier times, which make us ache for those times to return.
So what happens when something wonderful from the past actually does come back?
That’s what we’re all going to discover this summer, when one of the shows from our childhood (assuming we’re all college-aged) returns for a second try.
That’s right, “Whose Line is it Anyway?” improvisational comedy show extraordinaire, is making its return to the small screen this summer on the CW network. Naturally, people in the world of improv are excited about the return.
“I’m really excited to see the new show,” said Morgan Teller, a sophomore women’s and gender studies major and a member of the College’s own improv comedy troupe, the Mixed Signals.
“When I was younger, I would always watch it with my family, and we all loved it,” she said.
In fact, the entire group is thrilled with the show’s return (when initially asked, the Mixed Signals reacted with a sound best written as “YEAHHAHOO!”), as the program’s initial run back in the late 1990s and early 2000s gave young performers inspiration and something to aspire to.
“In fifth grade, my band teacher told me very up front that I would never become a world class trumpeter, but that one day I could be like the weird funny people on that show,” said junior history and secondary education double major Jonathan Dowler, of the Mixed Signals.
“‘Whose Line’ is an amazing show, and they do very short form comedy, with props, and so I do watch it for inspiration, even though it’s a different style from what we do,” said junior computer science major Lindsey Nice, a mixed signals performer. “I’m definitely excited to see what they do with the show now.”
The main headline for the program’s return is the inclusion of the original’s main three cast members: Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles.
The trio will come back without original host Drew Carey (which the Mixed Signals agreed was not the biggest loss), who has been replaced by Aisha Tyler, perhaps best known for her brief stint on “Friends.”
The change, however, had nothing to do with Carey’s lacking improvisational skills.
“Drew Carey is contractually obligated to ‘The Price is Right.’ That’s why they couldn’t get (Brady, Mochrie and Stiles) for the other improv shows that have been popping up — the others were contractually obligated to other shows,” Dowler said.
The return of the big three, however, is what’s really getting fans excited to see the series back on the air.
“Everyone loves Wayne Brady and all of the music things. If you ask the average person, they love that so much,” Teller said, adding that “Colin Mochrie is becoming one of my favorites improv-wise, he’s so quick.”
So prepare yourselves, fans of laughter and wit.
“Whose Line” is coming back, and it looks to be even better than it was before. Of course, that could just be the nostalgia talking.
