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 and films.

One thing I do on this site is track how improv is depicted in the media. We have spoken about The Simpsons on here before when improv is seen as a positive experience (season 27, episode 21, Simprovised) . I am currently watching all seasons of The Simpsons and started the rewatch in 2021 and only just got to season 32 and 33.

The most recent episodes that I have watched that have improv in the episode do the opposite to the one above – this time they depicted it as negative.

In this episode (season 32, episode 8, The Road To Cincinnati) Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers pick up a Shakespeare improv troupe that are hitchhiking. Chalmers decides to pick them up so he doesn’t have to speak to Skinner. The first negative portrayal is when Chalmers tells Skinner not to give them a suggestion but is too late and so they start talking in Shakespeare language in their rehearsal improv scene and Chalmers groans.

The second time they are mentioned is near the end of the episode when Marge has got the family tickets to see the Shakespeare Improv show. Marge is excited the rest of the family look shocked and appalled by this information. At the shot they use her suggestion and turn it into an old fashioned scene about a washing machine the rest of the family clearly look bored and hating every second.

I think this is an episode that is again a direct link to the United States reactions to improv in 2021. The last time we spoke about improv Home was excited by it and taking part – this episode obviously still reflects the negativity around it.

It is sad to still see negativity popping up around improv but I understand it has been used as a ‘joke’ for a while in the US so it is never a real surprise when I see it.

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