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** John Sessions is considered unfunny by many, and Archie Hahn (who was on during the same period) was derided in some quarters for his carrying props around and having an unfair advantage.

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** John Sessions is considered unfunny by many, and Archie Hahn (who was on during the same period) was derided in some quarters for his carrying props around and having an unfair advantage. [[note]]In one early episode, in a game of "In the style of", Sessions announced that he'd be telling a story in the style of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. One might have thought that his legendary erudition would have delivered a brilliant parody of Tolkien's style. Instead, he did it in the style of a stoned, vacuous hippie raving about ''The Lord of the Rings'', making it clear that Sessions had never actually read the book. This is the kind of thing that put people off about him.[[/note]]
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** The infamous "Horward" game of Song Styles had Laura Hall's synthesizer malfunction mid-song. Wayne struggled to keep up, and the sketch went completely off the rails.

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** The infamous "Horward" game of Song Styles had Laura Hall's synthesizer malfunction mid-song.mid-song, leading to the tempo suddenly getting much faster. Wayne struggled to keep up, and the sketch went completely off the rails.

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* SpecialEffectFailure:

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* SpecialEffectFailure: Whenever there's a technical failure, the cast usually milks it for all it's worth.


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** The infamous "Horward" game of Song Styles had Laura Hall's synthesizer malfunction mid-song. Wayne struggled to keep up, and the sketch went completely off the rails.
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** Kathy Greenwood was a frequent fourth-seater in the Drew Carey run, but oftentimes, fans considered her to be TheBore among the rotating cast lineup and a benchwarmer because her jokes weren't as witty as the regular trio's half the time and the other half she was generally sidelined or apparently too nervous on stage to interact or provide banter.

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** Kathy Greenwood was a frequent fourth-seater in the Drew Carey run, but oftentimes, fans considered her to be TheBore among the rotating cast lineup and a benchwarmer because her jokes weren't as witty as the regular trio's half the time and the other half she was generally sidelined or apparently too nervous on stage to interact or provide banter. (Between her and the show's editors, they managed to create one episode where she never actually speaks.)
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Uncanny Valley is IUEO now and the subjective version has been split; cleaning up misuse and ZCE in the process


* UncannyValley: Colin has, on more than one occasion, whipped out his scary-accurate impression of a toddler who can barely walk. It's rather unnerving.

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* GrowingTheBeard: Everyone agrees this happened at ''some'' point. There are people who prefer the British show over the American one, and there are people who love Wayne Brady and hate Tony Slattery and Steve Frost. Many think the show improved after John Sessions left, due to his large hatedom.
** Colin's Hoedowns. It was a RunningGag in the U.K. version that Colin wouldn't finish a Hoedown, usually screaming or fainting. By the time the U.S. series debuted, he had improved ''immensely'', and his verses were often the highlights of the game, along with Ryan's.

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* GrowingTheBeard: Everyone agrees this happened at ''some'' point. There are people who prefer the British show over the American one, and there are people who love Wayne Brady and hate Tony Slattery and Steve Frost. Many think
** For the U.K. version itself, it's generally agreed that
the show improved after really started to find itself as John Sessions left, due to disappeared from the show. John, originally a regular, favored a more cerebral and well-read style of humor, and combined with his large hatedom.
often self-indulgent performances, he seemed to amuse himself more than the audience (there's a reason he's often considered TheScrappy - see below). Gradually (and perhaps not coincidentally), as more and more performers showed up from across the pond, like Greg, Ryan and Colin, the show's humor became more universal and hit better with audiences. Eventually, Colin and Ryan became regulars, and the rest is history.
** Colin's Colin himself took some time to come into his own as a performer, seeming a little more hesitant, until being ThoseTwoGuys with Ryan brought him out of his shell, giving us the absurdist goofball we know and love. It's best exemplified by his Hoedowns. It was a RunningGag in the U.K. version that Colin wouldn't finish a Hoedown, usually screaming or fainting. By the time the U.S. series debuted, he had improved ''immensely'', and his verses were often the highlights of the game, along with Ryan's.
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Foe Yay has been cut


* FoeYay:
** Clive Anderson with Creator/GregProops. To quote a [[https://youtu.be/Y0qD7D8cFz0 related interview]]:
--->'''Clive:''' But there is a bit of a falling out here, because, having made you the big star that you are by bringing you on -- you've gone off with another man! You've gone off to America to do the American version of ''Whose Line'', which is ''exactly'' the same as the British version, except I don't introduce it!\\
'''Greg:''' Well, you know, Drew Carey hosts that one, and he's a bit different than you. He's very gentle. But, you know, Clive, I like it rough.
** Greg completely lost it in one episode due to Clive's tendency to pick the duller suggestions from the audience.
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** A "World's Worst" game in one episode of the UK version was "Person to Be Prime Minister". Tony's final parody of the round? "Hello, my name is Creator/JimmySavile."

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Adding a new example. Also, removing a Justifying Edit and a scrappy example that is more along the lines of Hostility On The Set.


** The original music man of the series, Richard Vranch. He was a NiceGuy who was talented, charming and actually ''very'' good at improv, but alas, he was never allowed to perform onstage as a performer.



** Kathy Greenwood was a frequent fourth-seater in the Drew Carey run, but oftentimes, fans considered her to be TheBore among the rotating cast lineup and a benchwarmer because her jokes weren't as witty as the regular trio's half the time and the other half she was generally sidelined or apparently too nervous on stage to interact or provide banter, but a few sketches do see her being memorable.
** Tony Slattery notoriously suffered from addiction and became abusive and unpleasant in the last few shows he did, leading to his removal from the show.

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** Kathy Greenwood was a frequent fourth-seater in the Drew Carey run, but oftentimes, fans considered her to be TheBore among the rotating cast lineup and a benchwarmer because her jokes weren't as witty as the regular trio's half the time and the other half she was generally sidelined or apparently too nervous on stage to interact or provide banter, but a few sketches do see her being memorable.
** Tony Slattery notoriously suffered from addiction and became abusive and unpleasant in the last few shows he did, leading to his removal from the show.
banter.
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* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: In retrospect, it's pretty obvious what era the first U.S. version came from. Between the Monica Lewinsky jokes, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firestone_and_Ford_tire_controversy Firestone tires controversy]], and ''Blair Witch'' and Jar Jar Binks references, it definitely has its dated jokes even though the show overall is still quite hilarious. The UK version has aged even worse, as they occasionally referenced Jimmy Savile, which is probably jarring to most British viewers today, and the few Americans who know who Savile is, and the serious scandal that came out regarding him.

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* FunnyAneurysmMoment:

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* FunnyAneurysmMoment:GatewaySeries: The show has introduced a lot of people to {{Improv}} comedy.
* GeniusBonus:
** In the first playing of "The Millionaire Show", Brad (portraying Regis Philbin) mentions, "I'm just happy to be anywhere without that Cathy Lee Crosby!" For the unaware, this is just a silly name mix-up, but for the film buffs out there, it's amusing that he mentioned the name of an [[Creator/CathyLeeCrosby actual actress]].
** The ''Hollywood Director'' with Wayne as a pig farmer. One of the apparently random names he makes up for his pigs is 'Szechuan', which is actually a subset of Chinese cuisine [[BlackComedy that usually has a lot of pork.]]
** In the "Scene to Rap" about ''Film/TheExorcist'', Ryan's verses were "I'm here to say, here to tell / I have come right straight from hell / I want your soul, gimme gimme / Why you do this to me Dimmy?" While "Dimmy" seems like a [[LeastRhymableWord nonsensical way to rhyme with "gimme"]], it's an actual quote from the film.
** Colin displays some knowledge of Greek mythology in one "Props":
-->'''Wayne''': Zeus! You keep your lightning bolts out of my yard!\\
'''Colin''': [[ReallyGetsAround Well, you keep your wife]] [[NeverMyFault out of my shorts!]]
* GrowingTheBeard: Everyone agrees this happened at ''some'' point. There are people who prefer the British show over the American one, and there are people who love Wayne Brady and hate Tony Slattery and Steve Frost. Many think the show improved after John Sessions left, due to his large hatedom.
** Colin's Hoedowns. It was a RunningGag in the U.K. version that Colin wouldn't finish a Hoedown, usually screaming or fainting. By the time the U.S. series debuted, he had improved ''immensely'', and his verses were often the highlights of the game, along with Ryan's.
** The 2013 series: While the first season was funny as usual, many fans noted that one of the highlights from the first U.S. series (the performers good-naturedly ribbing the host) was absent. By season 2, this aspect was put back in. Also, there were certain episodes with no guest stars, a throwback which delighted some fans who thought guest stars were an unnecessary gimmick. And, the return of classic ''Whose Line'' performers (Greg Proops, Chip Esten) and certain games that hadn't been played in a while ("Showstopping Number") were welcome as well.
* HarsherInHindsight:



* GatewaySeries: The show has introduced a lot of people to {{Improv}} comedy.
* GeniusBonus:
** In the first playing of "The Millionaire Show", Brad (portraying Regis Philbin) mentions, "I'm just happy to be anywhere without that Cathy Lee Crosby!" For the unaware, this is just a silly name mix-up, but for the film buffs out there, it's amusing that he mentioned the name of an [[Creator/CathyLeeCrosby actual actress]].
** The ''Hollywood Director'' with Wayne as a pig farmer. One of the apparently random names he makes up for his pigs is 'Szechuan', which is actually a subset of Chinese cuisine [[BlackComedy that usually has a lot of pork.]]
** In the "Scene to Rap" about ''Film/TheExorcist'', Ryan's verses were "I'm here to say, here to tell / I have come right straight from hell / I want your soul, gimme gimme / Why you do this to me Dimmy?" While "Dimmy" seems like a [[LeastRhymableWord nonsensical way to rhyme with "gimme"]], it's an actual quote from the film.
** Colin displays some knowledge of Greek mythology in one "Props":
-->'''Wayne''': Zeus! You keep your lightning bolts out of my yard!\\
'''Colin''': [[ReallyGetsAround Well, you keep your wife]] [[NeverMyFault out of my shorts!]]
* GrowingTheBeard: Everyone agrees this happened at ''some'' point. There are people who prefer the British show over the American one, and there are people who love Wayne Brady and hate Tony Slattery and Steve Frost. Many think the show improved after John Sessions left, due to his large hatedom.
** Colin's Hoedowns. It was a RunningGag in the U.K. version that Colin wouldn't finish a Hoedown, usually screaming or fainting. By the time the U.S. series debuted, he had improved ''immensely'', and his verses were often the highlights of the game, along with Ryan's.
** The 2013 series: While the first season was funny as usual, many fans noted that one of the highlights from the first U.S. series (the performers good-naturedly ribbing the host) was absent. By season 2, this aspect was put back in. Also, there were certain episodes with no guest stars, a throwback which delighted some fans who thought guest stars were an unnecessary gimmick. And, the return of classic ''Whose Line'' performers (Greg Proops, Chip Esten) and certain games that hadn't been played in a while ("Showstopping Number") were welcome as well.
* HarsherInHindsight:
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** One song in "Songs of UsefulNotes/NewOrleans" in "Greatest Hits" had Colin stressing that it was "an animatronic bear band" that was NOT ''Film/TheCountryBears'' - so a lot of folks thought it was based on ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' instead.

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** One song in "Songs of UsefulNotes/NewOrleans" in "Greatest Hits" had Colin stressing that it was "an animatronic bear band" that was NOT ''Film/TheCountryBears'' ''[[Ride/CountryBearJamboree The Country Bears]]'' - so a lot of folks thought it was based on ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' instead.
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* EnsembleDarkhorse:

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* EnsembleDarkhorse:EnsembleDarkHorse:
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* ParodyDisplacement: Some of the impressions done in games can be the first introduction to those being imitated - like Creator/PeterLorre, Creator/JimmyStewart, and ''especially'' Carol Channing.
* PopCulturalOsmosis:
** One song in "Songs of UsefulNotes/NewOrleans" in "Greatest Hits" had Colin stressing that it was "an animatronic bear band" that was NOT ''Film/TheCountryBears'' - so a lot of folks thought it was based on ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' instead.
** As evidenced by some Website/YouTube comments, some have taken any Creator/JerryLewis impressions to be [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Professor Frink]] instead.



* WeirdAlEffect: One song in "Songs of UsefulNotes/NewOrleans" in "Greatest Hits" had Colin stressing that it was "an animatronic bear band" that was NOT ''Film/TheCountryBears'' - so a lot of folks thought it was based on ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' instead.
** Some of the impressions done in games can be the first introduction to those being imitated - like Creator/PeterLorre, Creator/JimmyStewart, and ''especially'' Carol Channing.
** As evidenced by some Website/YouTube comments, some have taken any Creator/JerryLewis impressions to be [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Professor Frink]] instead.
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* FanNickname:
** To separate it from its British counterpart in discussions, fans dubbed the first American series "Drew's Line Is It Anyway?"
** Due to the way the stage is built, the four seats are on an elevated stage right in front of the actual floor, creating an area that one could hop down and then disappear from view by ducking low enough. The performers learned a long time ago to utilize this for certain gags, leading to the area being called the "mosh pit" (despite an actual mosh pit normally going ''in the front'').
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** In the taping of the SidCaesar episode, one of the languages given to Drew and Sid to fake in Foreign Film Dub was Arabic. The episode was taped on September 9, 2001, two days before 9/11. Guess why they cut that one before it made it to air...

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** In the taping of the SidCaesar Creator/SidCaesar episode, one of the languages given to Drew and Sid to fake in Foreign Film Dub was Arabic. The episode was taped on September 9, 2001, two days before 9/11. Guess why they cut that one before it made it to air...
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Trope depreciated per TRS, moving to Funny Moments


* WinTheCrowd: Jeff Davis' first episode was decidedly underwhelming until a Scenes from a Hat bit "If people celebrated mundane events as if they were touchdowns," and Jeff stepped out. He said "It's a boy! Yeah!" and [[CrossesTheLineTwice spiked the "ball"]] [[DeadBabyComedy at the ground]]. The audience broke into hysterical laughter since that alone made him stand out over many of the other rotating players.
** Apparently Brad Sherwood took a little time to follow British pop culture when he returned in the UK series, namedropping ''Series/EastEnders'' before attempting emo-core {{Britpop}} in ''Song Styles''. It worked out pretty well.
** Wayne Brady's singing talent had already ensured himself some new fans in his debut in UK season 10... then he went along with Brad addressing him as "that guy with the microphone" during ''Daytime Talkshow'', and busted out a massive-stadium-speakers voice impression that brought the house down.
** Keegan Michael Key's loud and zany style he brought over from Comedy Central felt a bit out of sync with the regulars because he was even more random than Colin and definitely nuttier, but [[ChewingTheScenery overdid the nutty act to make some lukewarm jokes seem funnier.]] It wasn't until he started to throw in the hysterical off-color humor that he's famous for that people were sold on him.
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** "What noise does an [[AluminumChristmasTrees arctic tern]] make?" "BACKSTREET BOYS!"
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** During a Halloween hoedown, Wayne sang about dressing up as a KKK member. This would have been controversial coming from anyone else.
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rMerged into Forum Speak per TRS. Moved to discussion


* BrowserNarcotic: Since the birth of Website/YouTube, clips and full episodes of all versions have proven to be highly addictive if their prominence and view counts are any indication.
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** In one playing of Weird Newscasters, Ryan was to do the weather as "Siegfried and Roy whose act is going dangerously wrong." In October of 2003, Roy was mauled by one of their male white tigers, Montecore, during a performance in Las Vegas.

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** In one playing of Weird Newscasters, Ryan was to do the weather as "Siegfried and Roy whose act is going dangerously wrong." In October of 2003, Roy was mauled by one of their male white tigers, Montecore, during a performance in Las Vegas. Also, shortly before that incident, a Greatest Hits game had Colin promising to return to ''[[Film/CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon Crouching Tiger, Screaming Siegfried and Roy]]''.
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** [[Series/TheVampireDiaries Candice Accola]] for busting out dance moves that ''caught Wayne by surprise.'' '''''[[ShownTheirWork WAYNE]]'''''. To be fair, she was already known as the GenkiGirl on that show.

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** [[Series/TheVampireDiaries Candice Accola]] Creator/CandiceAccola for busting out dance moves that ''caught Wayne by surprise.'' '''''[[ShownTheirWork WAYNE]]'''''. To be fair, she was already known as the GenkiGirl on that show.
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Not YMMV


* TechnologyMarchesOn:
** While the new "Secret" makes use of a pre-existing gimmick from "Infomercial", the infamous Peter Pan one wouldn't have worked nearly as well without the seamless Photoshop used to [[spoiler:turn Colin into a strapping underwear model.]]
** The revival series takes place in a period where hoverboards, e-bikes and other personal mobility devices are becoming more and more commonplace, and yet the guys tend to bring up mopeds instead in their acts.

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* NauseaFuel: The mass of maggots footage in "Newsflash." It was so disgusting that Kathy Greenwood looked physically ill. One editor at the defunct website Dean's Line even went so far as to say it ruined the whole episode.

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* NauseaFuel: NauseaFuel:
**
The mass of maggots footage in "Newsflash." It was so disgusting that Kathy Greenwood looked physically ill. One editor at the defunct website Dean's Line even went so far as to say it ruined the whole episode.



** In the "Improbable Mission" on walking the dog: "Hey, you still got that tapeworm?" It made the audience groan.

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** In the "Improbable Mission" on walking the dog: "Hey, you still got that tapeworm?" It made the audience groan. Colin and Ryan are weirdly fond of tapeworm jokes, and they're ALWAYS gross.


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** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcJoRhN26N0 During a game of World's Worst,]] Jeff does a couple of silly human tricks by twisting and contorting his fingers. It horrifies the audience, plus Aisha, especially since one trick has audible ''cracking'' sounds. This man nearly broke all the fingers on his right hand for a cheap laugh. Talk about dedication to the craft.
--->'''Aisha:''' Jeff. Bryan. Davis. ''[Jeff's fingers crack, grossing everyone out some more]'' I hate you.
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** In 1990, Chris Langham, actor, comedian and former writer for ''Series/TheMuppetShow,'' made his only appearance on the program, alongside John Sessions, Sandi Toksvig and Mike [=McShane=]. Probably for the best it was just the one, as it's already an episode very uncomfortable to revisit with knowledge of Langham's child pornography conviction in 2007.
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** Clive Anderson with Greg Proops. To quote a [[https://youtu.be/Y0qD7D8cFz0 related interview]]:

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** Clive Anderson with Greg Proops.Creator/GregProops. To quote a [[https://youtu.be/Y0qD7D8cFz0 related interview]]:
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* CultClassic: Maybe the show never quite achieved the mainstream rub the creators obviously wanted, but it still has a devoted following that's stuck with the ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' gang for many years. ABC's low expectations (and the show's low production cost) saved ''Whose Line'' - during ''Whose Line'''s first run, they were on opposite NBC's ratings juggernaut ''Friends'', later joined by CBS and ''Series/{{Survivor}}''. ABC decided to put ''Whose Line'' opposite those shows because while they knew it would never beat those shows, it did have a dedicated fanbase.

to:

* CultClassic: Maybe the show never quite achieved the mainstream rub the creators obviously wanted, but it still has a devoted following that's stuck with the ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' gang for many years. ABC's low expectations (and the show's low production cost) saved ''Whose Line'' - during ''Whose Line'''s first run, they were on opposite NBC's ratings juggernaut ''Friends'', ''Series/{{Friends}}'', later joined by CBS and ''Series/{{Survivor}}''. ABC decided to put ''Whose Line'' opposite those shows because while they knew it would never beat those shows, it did have a dedicated fanbase.
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ROCEJ


** One game asked the cast to give examples of 'The world's worst person to be leader of the world in a crisis.' It's hard to watch the game now without thinking of Donald Trump's mishandling of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
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* CultClassic: Maybe the show never quite achieved the mainstream rub the creators obviously wanted, but it still has a devoted following that's stuck with the ''Whose Line'' gang for many years. ABC's low expectations (and the show's low production cost) saved ''Whose Line'' - during ''Whose Line'''s first run, they were on opposite NBC's ratings juggernaut ''Friends'', later joined by CBS and ''Series/{{Survivor}}''. ABC decided to put ''Whose Line'' opposite those shows because while they knew it would never beat those shows, it did have a dedicated fanbase.

to:

* CultClassic: Maybe the show never quite achieved the mainstream rub the creators obviously wanted, but it still has a devoted following that's stuck with the ''Whose Line'' ''Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' gang for many years. ABC's low expectations (and the show's low production cost) saved ''Whose Line'' - during ''Whose Line'''s first run, they were on opposite NBC's ratings juggernaut ''Friends'', later joined by CBS and ''Series/{{Survivor}}''. ABC decided to put ''Whose Line'' opposite those shows because while they knew it would never beat those shows, it did have a dedicated fanbase.

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