Why Is Taskmaster So Good?

Let's talk about my favorite TV show.

My wife and I have a problem: we’ve run out of Taskmaster. Over the last two years, we’ve watched all 200+ episodes, most of them multiple times. In fact, we fall asleep basically every night to the sweet whispers of Greg Davies and Little Alex Horne. It is somehow both the funniest show on TV and the most soothing. Don’t ask me to make it make sense.

If you watch Taskmaster, you know exactly what I’m talking about. But if you’ve never seen the show, it’s pretty difficult to explain what makes it special. I’ve tried to recommend it many times, but most of my attempts sound like this:

Welcome to Taskmaster, where five British comedians you’ve never heard of solve a series of annoying puzzles created by a sixth British comedian you’ve never heard of. Then, the “Taskmaster” (who, get this, is a British comedian you’ve never heard of) mocks the puzzle-solving attempts in front of a live studio audience.

This description obviously does not capture the show’s magic. But I’ve found that the concept only sounds worse the more I try to describe it: “Ok, so for example, in one episode they have to impress a mayor and they’re not very good at it.”

Nevertheless, Taskmaster is a joy from start to finish. It is genuinely Laugh Out Loud funny. I want everyone to watch it — so your lives are a bit happier, yes, but also so you’ll all know what the hell I’m talking about when I’m talking “Taskie.” With that in mind, I’ve attempted to break down what actually makes Taskmaster special.

It’s surprising

In my opinion, this is the number one reason to watch Taskmaster. All good comedy relies on surprise. Even the elementary joke about the chicken crossing the road is a misdirection. So why is it that a lot of mainstream comedy feels completely unsurprising?

Taskmaster is different, in part because creator and co-host Alex Horne constructs completely original puzzles that have never been attempted before — largely because they’re very stupid and no one in their right mind would try them. The results can’t help but be surprising, like watching a toddler open Christmas presents, except if their parents made fun of them on TV afterwards.

It’s purposeless

There’s no story to follow. There’s no million dollar prize. There’s no theme or lesson. Each episode is just a very pleasing way to spend 44 minutes.

So much of our media environment feels overwrought, like every idea is trying to pack in fifty smaller ideas just to stand out. Taskmaster is the complete opposite. It’s a show about funny people doing silly things, and that’s it. Despite twenty-plus seasons and a die hard global fanbase, its hosts still occasionally seem surprised that the whole thing exists at all.

It’s the right kind of mean

Being mean is one of the great tools in comedy, but you have to go about it the right way. It works best when the comedian is able to make the audience feel like the actual joke is the fact that they’re an asshole, which gives them the ability to say whatever they want because it’s all part of the character. (If you want a master class in this ability, check out Martin Short as Jiminy Glick.)

After spending thirteen years as a high school teacher and ten years hosting this series, Greg Davies is an expert at putting people down without making them feel bad. With him as Taskmaster, the contestants are in good hands. Even more specifically, they’re in enormous hands, because Greg is 6’8” and built like a refrigerator.

It’s British

Maybe this one is just me, but I’m exhausted by my own country right now. I don’t want to spend any more time with Americans than I already have to. So I’m basically only interested in TV from England these days. (If it’s American but uses British accents, I might give it a shot.)

Seriously, I think that one level of cultural remove makes Taskmaster a better watch. I don’t recognize most of the cast members from anything else. I’m not tired of the cultural references. The accents make everyone at least 10% more appealing. It’s like an entertainment cheat code.

I’m not sure I’ve made Taskmaster sound any more appealing here than if I had simply written, “it’s free on YouTube.” But watch an episode or two hundred, then come find me. I’ll know exactly what you want to talk about.

---

MORE FROM CHORTLE