If there is one thing that fascinates me about improv and that is how it is portrayed in Television, books and Film. This is becoming more and more apparent in recent years because the comedy art form is sort of in fashion. There are some interesting topics that we can gain from these ways they are displayed so every so often we are going to look at different scenes from different shows, podcasts and films.

I love finding mentions of improv in unusual places and today we are heading to the worlds of a podcast. The show only started near the end of 2024 and goes behind the scenes of each episode of the television sitcom The Middle.

In one episode Eden and Brock interview Neil Flynn who you may recognise as the father in the Middle or the Janitor in Scrubs. One thing you may not know (and I only discovered when I was listening to this episode) is that the actor has a colourful history of doing improv.

There is a big chunk in the podcast where Neil talks about his career and there is a section where he discusses Chicago and being part of Improv Olympics and Second City. It is really interesting to hear about the improv scene in the nineties and the sort of things that they used to get up to.

Another thing I really enjoyed was something Neil said which I have taken the quote he said so we can take a look at it a bit more:

“Improvising relies on other people“

Neil Flynn, Middling Podcast

Let’s be honest it really does rely on others. The interaction between fellow players and even the audience can be something that makes the magic of improv. The laughter of the audience will pump you up and lead you on, the support and the fun you have with other team members means that you can have connections to create a fun environment.

Have a listen to the podcast it is a great episode.

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