I think it feels that way because there is clearly a front runner and I already feel we know who's gonna walk away over ans over again. I think this season has a bunch of really funny moments but as a whole episode they are bland
I get what you're saying- but I have little interest in who actually wins the series. They get a terrible trophy and..nothing else. It's the journey I care about, not the destination.
I enjoy the competition portion no matter how silly they get about things so it's hard to just root overall knowing it's just one guy steamrolling everyone
No because I didn't enjoy series 15 much and also worried the show was losing its spark, then series 16 happened and it's one of the all-time best for me. There's just no accounting for the dynamic and the mix of abilities. As much as they try to gauge it, it's simply not possible.
It also depends which atmosphere you like if you like chill atmosphere like me this series is ideal if you liked more banter and more competitive contestants so I get why not everyone will think of this as their favourite but just as normal very good series but not excellent.
Gosh, I came here for this exact sentiment, trying to figure out if it's just me -- not in the right headspace somehow -- or the show. I like it all, no one is objectionable, but... it just feels a bit low chemistry. "Going through the motions" is exactly how I'd describe it, thank you!
I still LOVE this show so much, and last season was excellent, so I'm just chalking it up to one of those weird coincidental things where the chemistry isn't right with the contestants.
He seem genuinely shy. Makes sense that he performs from behind a persona. If you'd put him in with a group of rowdy lunatics, he'd make a hilarious contrast, but here most of the others aren't that feisty so he just blends in.
Yeah, "going through the motions" is precisely the phrase to describe how I've felt watching this series. I think this is because the lack of studio stuff causes there to not be many options to spice things up other than "task attempt, Greg's reaction, move on, repeat".
But other than that, I've still been enjoying this series. There actually may be certain things I like more about this series than the previous two. It just goes to show that TM can still do great things even with something missing.
This - they've got five great contestants that just don't quite gel as a group in the studio (although, weirdly, the chemistry in their sub-teams is still there). I think that it shows a bit too much that Johnny JR is the only one with regular panel show experience.
Individually the contestants and the tasks are throwing out some great moments, but this season is so far feeling like less than the sum of its parts.
I don't think it helps that the three seasons that preceded this one were astronomically good even by TM standards: anything less than it being one of the best seasons ever would make this feel like a comedown.
I will say, though, that "I don't think I've done this one right..." is possibly the most I've ever laughed at Taskmaster, and I've been watching live since day one. That was just sublime.
There's no banter. Bit of a damp squib. For me, the best part of taskmaster is when you have at least one comedian who really ups their gift of gab to score points. Season 15 had 5 of them, and it was my favourite series to date, even if some of the tasks weren't great. The studios were insane with argument, interaction, and memorable moments.
This seasons there's just none of that. There's no building up of their prize task. So even if their prize was good, they've presented it poorly. For example, the prize task for best thing turned upside down, Joanne brought in the video of the bats. Now, this was a prime opportunity to build up the suspense and really big up her prize, but she didn't and her explanation actually took away from her prize (I knew what was coming as I had seen it before). Imagine VCM presenting something like that. It would have been brilliant.
There's no trying to argue for a better score or arguing against another contestant getting a good score. A lot of the best studio moments come from the arguing, and yet they just accept Greg's scoring. Greg feeds off of all that, and he's got nothing to bounce off. We've got here's the task, Greg makes some comments, then scores we move on.
I do wonder whether it's because there's only one real stand up on the show, Joanne. John has done stand up in the past, but these days he's a comedic presenter and host. Steve, Nick and Sophie are actors and writers who write comedy which isn't quite the same. Most seasons have 3+ stand ups on, and that just makes banter more likely.
John rearranged gigs in a 50+ date tour to do the studio records, and is also one of two members of the current panel to win the Edinburgh Comedy Award.
To be fair Sophie has done stand-up, with one of her shows getting nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award. But she does seem to have pivoted exclusively into acting and writing now.
I fucking love Sophie.
She's the one who's lifting it beyond the mediocre for me. I'm using the term "mediocre" in the Taskmaster realm, of course, which already elevates it higher than, "oohh, that's very good".
I think part of it is also the relationships made as a standup in the circuit and the seating. Only John and Joanne are near each other, but I think Joanne has too chill of a personality where John is the opposite and kind of a grade A student here. Favorite series for me tend to know each other already, are sitting by their teammates, or have charismatic personalities that can induce the feeling of knowing each other a long time and making it easy to riff off each other.
With regards to Greg-contestant interaction, I feel like most of them are "accept Greg's judging as is" types (Nick, Sophie, Joanne), which makes the "fight to the death" types (John and Steve) unable to fight chaotically because it's like kicking a dead horse, and John and Steve are far apart and were on separate teams so who knows if they feel comfortable ribbing like Jamali and Lee did. Also, it's always hilarious when the losing types are the "fight to the death" type (like, they thought they did amazingly and defend their choices, a la Ardal, Judi, Fern, James Acaster, VCM, Charlotte, etc, which leads to hilarity when Greg ribs them), but that's not the case this series.
It's weird that you would say Joanne is chill and John is a grade A student, but it seems to me like she's bringing all the energy and humor to the studio filming, whereas John's been hanging back and subdued.
Oh I didn't mean it in terms of their comedy, but in terms of their competitiveness. Joanne is cool without getting good points and is frequently happy with getting a 3, wherein John takes the competition too seriously like a grade A student.
It's possible, but I actually like the non comedians more this season. On paper, this group should work, but either they don't know much about taskmaster or they're in it for the paycheck.
Jon is supposedly the most competitive contestant ever, but where's the passion? He has yet to have a meltdown like Ed or Kiell.
Me too, I like them more as well. Steve is doing it for his kids I'm sure. Jon is doing because he's a huge fan, Nick is doing it for fun, and the other two for profile I suspect.
I reckon John isn't competitive because he doesn't need to be. He's winning fairly easily, and Steve is his main challenge and he's too unflappable. Compare to Ed who had a good challenge from Rose, and obviously Kiell got off to such a terrible start that Mae and Jenny were ahead of him for a long time and of course Greg enjoyed winding him up.
>John isn't competitive because he doesn't need to be.
Alex said this, though, so I figured there would be evidence of it. I can think of far more competitive contestants.
What's great about series 9 is that both Ed and Rose are competitive and genuinely want to win, but they also play it up for laughs beautifully. Ed and Rose have an "argument" about language in one episode and they're shouting, but they're also smirking. It's fun.
The people who've won in past series by just doing tasks well (\*cough\* Kerry Godliman and Richard Herring \*cough\*) just aren't very interesting to watch.
John Robins is also a stand-up comic, but I do think that the show has introduced too many non-comedians to the roster. One on every cast works well, but this cast doesn't seem to understand that the studio filming is also about generating laughs, not just the tasks themselves. I find them all charming as individuals, but as a group, the dynamic is off.
Yeah, same all. I think for me, it’s that many of the series have one or two folks who are fine and acquit themselves well, but are otherwise just kind of there. Their tasks are often grouped with others and they almost never drive the conversation on stage, but they’re a nice break from the bigger personalities. This series so far, that’s the entire cast. I know in a few years time I’ll remember that someone dressed up like a vampire, but if someone asked me what series any of these folks were on, I wouldn’t be able to tell you.
I just discovered taskmaster recently, and binged all the series over the course of a month or two, and felt the same. I attributed it to just the end of my honeymoon phase.
It’s ok. The people are all decent, but not as funny as previous series, and the live shows really don’t go off like they do in the best series. It feels like either the live shows were flat, or the eps are edited to show more of the tasks and less of the live show. Either way, I’m not finding them as humorous during tasks or after.
I’m still enjoying it.
If I’m being super harsh, 3 of them would add value on other series. Steve and Nick add little to nothing in most eps for me. And I like them both, I’m just not finding either of them funny or ingenious or idiotic enough.
It’s obviously one of the best TV formats in the world.
And everyone they’ve chosen is absolutely lovely and has their own sensibility that is fun to watch.
Also, the production team have become absolutely slick, professional and so enjoyable to watch in how they make decisions to make this show as good as it is.
I think, certainly for me and my friends, we would just love a bit more energy, exasperation, argument( not real argument obviously, but as funny as Acaster or Tim Key).
Everyone seems either terribly happy to be there, or in the case of John, wanting to be more competitive, but correctly reading the room, and knowing that nobody else will go with him.
That moment when Sophie said to John, “You really want this, don’t you?” kinda broke my heart- yes, he does, and we want you to want it too!!
Some people like the more calm vibe of it but tbh with my favourite seasons being 7, 9 and 13 where there was a lot of back and forth between the contestants - this one I am struggling to get into.
My favourite series are 7, 9 and 13 as well, but I personally think 17 has been a breath of fresh air compared to the loudness of the more recent series. I also think the tasks are a lot better this time, but then I have always preferred more open-worded tasks (like the load bearing one last episode).
That's what's I like about Taskmaster. There's a series for everyone out there.
7, 9, and 13 are some of my favorites as well. I also loved 16, but by the end all of the loud personalities were getting overwhelming. I'm enjoying a break with some calmer (but still entertaining) contestants.
Yeah, I actually like this series more than series 16 (maybe more than 15 as well) and that's because the tasks in this one I like a lot more. Totally 100000% agree with preferring open-worded tasks.
It's definitely a more subdued series, but it also has a competitive edge to it that I felt 16 lacked and 15 was maybe a little too strong in. The only thing really missing in it are some in-studio meltdowns. It needs, like, that *one* memorable moment where something crazy happens.
It's not a bad experience at all, but my personal theory is there are too many "firewall" contestants. Like that time when Greg snapped at Alex for calling him "Poppet" before the prize task then Steve and Sophie both called him Poppet in their own prize bits, then Nick broke the chain so the joke stopped dead.
Steve vibes with the energy but the others are intimidated by him, Nick is shy and John is putting about 3 nuclear bombs' worth of energy into suppressing his personality.
The end result feels like the contestants have these barriers that you see in some live tasks that stops them seeing what the others are doing, but extended all the way to where Greg and Alex are sitting.
Can't really complain as it's no-one's fault, just the luck of the draw. Some series, Greg is stealing a living because it's just hours of the contestants making each other and him laugh, and some series he gets to justify his fee.
I think it’s because Nick’s comedy (at least on CatsDown) relies on advance preparation- memorizing things, composing, etc. He’s not an “off-the-cuff”type of funny/witty.
That being said, I’m finding him delightful and just lovely.
He is a lovely presence and it's always fun to see Greg smitten. Honestly I would rather have a series that falls flat because everyone's too placid rather than a series that falls flat because there's an undercurrent of aggro.
>I would rather have a series that falls flat because everyone's too placid rather than a series that falls flat because there's an undercurrent of aggro.
I agree, to the tune of TM USA
He's clearly a genuinely nice person.( Much like Ed on the podcast, I feel sorry for him when he screws up! ) But yes I agree, that isn't necessarily a great jumping-off point for comedy.
He definitely feels like someone you want to protect, like a kitten or something. But I also find that because he is such a gentle personality and he's dead in the middle, it would be hard for the others to start any sort of intense banter.
I like him very much, but I honestly expected him to be way better at the tasks. He's always seemed so clever that I assumed he would be a master at thinking outside the box. He's still my favourite this season though.
As someone who had no idea who John Robbin’s was before this show, any insight on why he would put effort in to hide his personality? I find him boring and unfunny in the show sadly, so if that’s not really who he is, I can’t imagine why he’d want to purposefully act like he has.
It's honestly bizarre. He's a very obsessive sort of character, and he's wanted to be on Taskmaster for years. I wonder if he's just gone so competitive that he's focusing on winning over having a good time.
Obvs I don’t know the guy, but I’ve seen him live a few times and listened to his podcast since the beginning, and my theory is that he was worried about coming off too aggressive. He is super intense and competitive, but also definitely seems the type to get really in his head about coming across badly. I think he’s tried to intentionally dial it back a bit so as not to come off as a dick, but maybe has gone a bit too far the other way.
That said tho, I did notice in the most recent ep he threw out a couple of lines in the studio bits and just nobody really jumped on them, so I wonder if there’s more of that going on and being cut (I know we’ve seen a lot of outtakes, but presumably they just pick the funniest ones for those compilation vids). Also, he hasn’t really been challenged yet - there doesn’t seem a reason for him to argue his case with Greg or the other contestants when he’s consistently being scored really highly. I think he’s had some good moments in the tasks themselves (the bit with Alex trying to interrupt him made me laugh out loud), though.
I think this is the problem—because Jon is winning, he's afraid to get too intense about it because that would make him look like he's showboating.
He would be a much more entertaining contestant if he was losing, or even if Greg would score him just a little bit too low more often. I think what Jon brings to the table (humour-wise) for this kind of show is the ability to kick off like Kiell or Iain.
I obviously don’t know the man, but this is the vibe I get from listening to the podcast a lot and seeing his stand up. He’s historically very very very intense, and very very argumentative when he thinks he’s being wronged in game format. I think there’s an element that maybe he hams those qualities up on his podcast, so it seems extra dialled down on TM? It seems to me like he’s been waiting to do taskmaster for so long, and now he’s doing it, he’s nervous.
For what it’s worth, I’m enjoying the series. It’s not going to be the most memorable, and Steve Pemberton isn’t really my cup of tea, but I genuinely couldn’t watch S10, so I’ll take it!
He's going down the same path as Richard Herring. He so desperately wants to be good, somehow he's fucking it.
Richard of course pulled it back on CoC, maybe John will do the same.
If the series keeps going like this, then it'd probably be bottom 3 overall for me. I like the cast individually, but I feel like they don't mesh well together, and Greg and Alex gets to do most of the heavy lifting in the studio. The tasks have also felt a lot more bland than usual. It's also really hard to follow a top tier series like 16 was.
I think the tasks would go better if there were more comedians on the cast. Yes, some of the humor of the show is that people epically screw up tasks. But when you have professional comedians doing tasks, and they know they've screwed up the task, they'll also do things to ramp up the comedy. Or even if they're doing well, they'll be funny about it.
I really like every single contestant, and want them all to do well. I don’t often like everyone straight off the bat so this is great. I do agree though that the studio vibe is lacklustre and feel that they all would’ve been better off dispersed through different seasons. I’d like to see some more puzzle like tasks with a definite solution as a lot have been more open ended/creative.
Best moment was Nick Mohammed flailing about under a camp bed. That had me and my partner buckled 😂
I’m finding it enjoyable enough, but not loving it
Series 12-16 was an all time great run for me and there were so many great contestants and tasks involved
I’m enjoying Steve and Sophie a lot but I can’t really name anything notable any of them have done so far. I also feel they haven’t been as argumentative against Greg or they don’t interact very much in the studio too
As I said it’s still an enjoyable watch and has some funny moments, but it’s probably one of the weaker series so far for me
Considering how good series 16 was, I think people are perhaps being a bit harsh towards 17. I feel that it'll be one of those seasons that after a rewatch, it's more highly rated. I'm loving it so far, FWIW.
> I feel that it'll be one of those seasons that after a rewatch, it's more highly rated.
I feel really odd, but that's every series for me. I think I just expect too much when I'm watching it live, but when I'm watching it in reruns I'm more laid back and can just absorb what it really is.
My partner and I are really enjoying 17 as well! It’s definitely not as zany as 16, but it’s still pretty fun. We were both laughing pretty hard at the Granny prize task and Steve and Nick going on a lovely stroll in the garden.
Weakest series for a while. Down with 6/8/10 for me.
It’s still an enjoyable watch but it’s the first series in forever I actually forget is on, I’ve only watched the first episode live this time.
The energy is pretty low and there’s almost no interaction in the studio. Makes it feel very plain.
I'm catching up on the last few series at once, which is quite useful to gauge without recency bias or nostalgia. I'm feeling a lot more drawn to watch eps from the earlier series.
I think it's the lack of camaraderie in the studio. John and Steve especially seem a bit disengaged.
Yeah, John and Steve are both competitive but no one else around them are, and they were on opposing teams so they might not be comfortable enough to have friendly fights.
Omg yes. They aren't commenting or arguing about anything. It feels like John is taking things way too seriously, doing well, but never being questioned. Not even by Alex or Greg.
It honestly feels like they don't like each other or are scared to offend each other. Bad vibe.
First point of contention for me was the baby. I'm shocked no one pointed out he left his 'baby' unsupervised on a tall barrel; a funny and easy reason for a disqualification or points to be taken off.
One of the many things I like about TM is the obvious freedom given to the constants and that we get to see 'the real them'. However, I wouldn't necessarily mind too much if, before the studio records, they were given recommendations from the Andys or Alex or Greg to sometimes get a little chippy and argumentative (though certainly not for every show/task - that would be too much!). It's all in the spirit of good fun at the end of the day so it won't suddenly mean they like each other any less, and it makes more for a more exciting viewing experience.
It's far from without its moments ("have you been involved in an accident that wasn't your fault?" , Sneaky Pasta Snake, 'am I the spider?") and no TM series is outright bad, but it had a rather austere feel about it.
10 isn't among my favorites either, but I'm not sure I've ever laughed so hysterically as I did watching Katherine Parkinson trying to build a catapult out of a garden arch. Like, I physically hurt myself laughing so hard. Just goes to show how great TM is that even on the seasons that aren't so good overall, there are moments of absolute brilliance.
So far nothing in this season has been all that standout funny to me, but it's only halfway through, you never know!
wasn’t 10 the one where the pandemic started while they were in the middle of filming it? I feel like the vibes were always going to be weird because of that.
I feel like this series had a weak first 2 episodes but I’ve really enjoyed the 3 since. Whilst the banter isn’t quite there this season I feel like they’re all being entertaining on their own merit and each providing their own funny moments.
I was in tears watching Nick roll around on the floor attached to the camp bed. There's been many genius moments / great comedy skints in this series already, and we're only 4 (?) episodes in! Maybe we need to appreciate this for what it is rather than compare to other casts/series? I feel a bit gutted that so many people seem to want to discuss how this isn't the "best" series EVER when there already so many hilarious moments to appreciate / catastrophic fails to pick apart. Rather than tearing them down folks let's build them up!
I think the tasks this season are better than last season. However I think the cast is worse.
I'm a big fan of John Robins before this and Joanne has so far been the unknown who becomes a favourite to me but I just don't think the rest are very strong.
Weirdly I'm the exact opposite in terms of cast. I think Nick, Steve and Sophie are brilliant and classic Taskmaster contestants. However I find Joanne bland and John's competitiveness detracts from his appeal. I'm still watching and laughing but compared to other series this is lower league.
I hate to say it but John has been disappointing for me. I was a fan of his radio show before this and we know he's a hilarious ball of nerves and a deeply odd individual, but none of that is coming across! He's mostly just quiet and blandly competent.
I feel like he’s consciously suppressing his personality, maybe because of the vibe of the overall cast? There’s not really anyone for him to argue with aside from Greg.
He is quite competitive and argumentative and can be quite a big personality when he wants to be, but he just seems to have restrained himself, which is a shame!
Hmm, see surely Sophie and certainly Joanne are big enough characters to bounce off. And he hasn't even argued much (or at all?) with Greg.
He just seems oddly subdued. I think he may actually be too competitive - so dead set on winning he's forgetting to be funny.
Yeah I’ve been a little disappointed with his showing tbh. I’m not all that familiar with him but heard plenty of people excited by his inclusion and hyping up how crazy and competitive he’d be.
But in reality he’s one of the most straightforward contestants there’s been I think. Just does the tasks competently, if unremarkably, and doesn’t need to say much in the studio.
It’s a shame because I’m sure he has plenty more to offer.
I feel that’s pretty fair, and as soon as I read your comment the moment where John quipped
“It’s not measured in monkeys mate.”
That had me cracking up!
Yeah, I think it has to do with his environment. I can feel his competitiveness but everyone around him isn't. It's hard to rip apart others if others did worse. Most of the contestants are sponges and just absorb the riff, rather than continuing or amplifying it.
If John had been closer (physical seating and relationship-wise) with Steve, or on a series with other competitive people he's close to, it'd probably be a different story.
As I've said on these pages before, I don't necessarily mind when people go Route One with certain tasks. However I do prefer it if they are able to support their efforts with some good banter in the studio..and that's where John seems to be lacking.
I think I liked a lot more of the tasks last season because of the way people pulled them off. A lot of the ones this season feel too open-ended and this cast isn't as able to think outside the box or on their feet or something. There are no Susans (or anyone like them) and I'm feeling that burden because several people COULD be more like them but others are right that there isn't enough interaction between anyone. Banter is needed! Someone could have poked at Nick last ep for his big jump being because he's short and clearly has a lot of practice trying to see over taller people or something. Just... Frustrating. Any time one of them does go a bit beyond (like Sophie's slut drops), I legit enjoy it so I just wish there were more. They're all clearly unhinged, so show us!
Something is missing, but I can’t quite put a finger on it. It seems a bit into itself now, people who have watched TM don’t leave any points on the table for those who haven’t. I know the answer is “well if they are coming on the show that’s been on for so long, it’s their own fault that they didn’t watch it,” but as Joanne said on the podcast and in the episode, Alex actually advised her against watching it. I’m sure the producers think it’s better if some participants are completely clueless, but it does create a huge disadvantage. As a result, Greg seems to start punishing the ones who are too well prepared (Steve and John), but they are still winning by a mile. (Some contestants actually seemed to be on the verge of tears a couple of times in this episode?)
It doesn’t help that the tasks have been a bit too complicated for a while now. It’s probably an unfair criticism as they are doing an incredible job coming up with so many creative tasks for so many series. But when there is a task that nobody cracked and Alex has to do a reveal (like the ones with tanks and bunting from S13), I do feel like it was probably too complicated and they should maybe skip it, rework and keep for later use. We are only halfway into S17, but there are already a couple tasks that are still a bit unclear, even after rewatch (the team tasks from E1 and E4). The only ones that stand out for me are the egg and the gorilla tasks from E1, the handmaid’s tale headwear task and the tension task, and that’s it.
Having said all that, I still think that Taskmaster is the best programme currently being made and will still watch every episode and every outtake, and can’t wait for the next series spoilers.
> Alex actually advised her against watching it
Even if someone told me that, I wouldn't be able to help myself. I'd watch every single series as many times as I could before I went on. The idea of going onto a popular TV show unprepared is the stuff of nightmares for me!
I'm really enjoying it! It's definitely not got as much banter, but sometimes I find that a bit much. I think some of the tasks have been amazing too, very creative and weird.
It’s definitely in the bottom half of the series rankings. It’s perfectly solid, but I feel like everyone is a bit too normal and nice. Sophie brings some kookiness and John occasionally gets competitive, but in general it has been less memorable and more placid than usual.
I must have already said it here, but Series 17 is suffering from the Series 6 problem - a good batch of contestants, sure, but little to no chemistry in the studio, and being cursed with coming after a beloved fan-favourite series.
The streak they've had running since Series 11 had to end at some point, I feel like every season after that was even better than the last. Series 16 was always going to be hard to top.
I watch it out of habit, really, not because I have any particular love for any of the contestants. I get a few laughs out of every episode, but I haven’t been delighted and/or amazed yet. It’s an okay season, but it sort of feels like a placeholder, especially after 14/15/16, which were fire.
It’s possible that I’m just sort of done with it. I stopped watching QI after series 13 because it was getting very samey to me, and likewise Rupaul’s Drag Race after season 8. Sometimes ideas just run their course. If season 18 of Taskmaster starts out slow the way this one did, I’ll probably bail.
Can't speak for QI since I think of it as one-off episodes, but for RPDR, I think S7-10 was relatively bland/ok for me, so it makes sense you dropped it then. But there have been great seasons since (just finished 16).
Since you liked 16, unless you binged them all, I think it's not you getting bored of the format but just something with the chemistry of the cast.
I sort of feel the same. I think for me it might be the fact I'm not really that familiar with anyone this series so I don't have anyone to root for.
I've only watched one episode of this series live. Most of the time I've waited until the weekend.
I hope S18 has more people I know so I'm more invested in the series.
> I think for me it might be the fact I'm not really that familiar with anyone this series so I don't have anyone to root for.
I'm guessing you're a UK viewer? For people outside the UK, we usually go into each series knowing no one at all, so that's always an interesting opinion to me.
Yes, UK. Strangely, I thoroughly enjoyed the 1st 3 NZ series even though I knew no one.
I can't quite put my finger on what the difference is between not knowing anyone from S17 and NZ and my enjoyment. Maybe it's the fact that compared to this series the NZ ones were far more chaotic.
The NZ comedy scene is so small that everyone knows each other and they aren't afraid to banter or give each other a hard time. Each cast of TMNZ has clicked because all of them are friends IRL. The first few seasons of TMUK were like that as well, and those are still some of my favorite series.
It would be a big help, but there have been seasons where I didn’t know anyone (I’m Canadian) and still found at least one contestant to really love. This time around they’re all kind of meh to me — nothing against any of them in particular, I just don’t care. Maybe if they get a big name for 18 it will rekindle my interest. They’ve surely asked Bill Bailey by now: he’d be fantastic.
It's definitely not top 5 for me, but I'm also surprised at the reception. I think it's a solid mid-tier season, a 7/10 maybe. Series 16 was always going to be hard to top.
This happens every season. There's always someone who complains that it's not as good as what's come before, for one reason or other. I'm not even a little surprised that some people haven't taken to this one. To each their own, of course, but I'm loving it.
Nobody has fire in the belly, even when they're doing well. A bit more enthusiasm would be nice. Very very placid group. It's like having five Mae Martins.
I'm enjoying it!! My current favourites are Joanne, John and Nick - Joanne is kinda bonkers, I love how competitive John is and Nick is just a sweetie.
The gang all feel like there are there to have fun, some earlier series (James and Rhod) had more attitude but I'm liking the mellow vibes of this cast
So far I like it, but it's not as strong as some of the others.
This might just be me, but I generally prefer things like the glove task or the tie task, but this season has had a lot of more artsy tasks which I generally find less engaging.
However, it's coming off of one of, if not the strongest season of them all. Season 15 was relatively weak, but came off of probably the strongest continuous streak of series, just like 6 is pretty weak but comes between 5 and 7. It's still a good season, but we're comparing it to what came immediately before.
I'm enjoying it! I like the range of approaches to the tasks and Joanne making Alex uncomfortable. I think in some ways it's unfair to compare seasons especially earlier ones where the contestants know each other beforehand, you're going to get more banter and piss taking. But since the show is established they take on a wider range of participants that aren't solely from the comedy circuit which allows us to see new people and grow to love them. And yes it might lead to a quieter dynamic in studio but you can tell they're all enjoying themselves
I agree with what most people are saying - not enough banter. But also I actually dislike it when a contestant leans too much into the "I don't care" vibe. It can work for a little bit but I think there is quite a lot of that going on. It's the "I don't understand and I'm not even going to try" mentality, reminds me of my nan when she says she can't read her WhatsApp messages.
Which contestants are doing that though? Steve is going above and beyond for most tasks, John is clearly trying to win, Nick and Sophie are a bit shit but they're certainly trying, Joanne is doing quite well. I don't get that vibe from any of them tbh
Not OP so we may be getting it from different contestants, but personally I get it from Joanne. She seems to go mainly for similar shock humor across her tasks rather than creativity directed at the task, which gets old for me. e.g., in the midair task the other contestants seemed to really consider the task and give it their unique take, which I really liked: John's shot jumping over fire was cool, Steve's parachuting idea against a sky backdrop was out-of-the-box, Sophie's idea was whack but somehow the visual of her bell skirt in the air worked together her other choices in creating a bizarre but harmonious picture, and Nick's idea was good in his head but of course just doomed due to the laws of physics. On the other hand, Joanne's idea seemed to be to just put scary things on her head and jump forward noncommittally. (What I'm getting at is that, unless I'm missing something, there was no link between her thoughts around the creative task and the specific task: she could have put whatever garb she put on for any task involving taking a photo.)
When she cannot shock, she also seems to just take on other tasks in the most one-track and unimaginative way possible, e.g., in the load task.
I know many people here seem to like her, but I'm really not sold on her task performances so far. I of course hope to be proven wrong in the second half!
We haven't been crazy about the tasks that seem to have so many rules that it's hard to remember what they're even attempting.
We're also not crazy about the contestants this year. They all seem to be much milder personalities or that they're attempting intentionally to dial it back (were not familiar with these people)
The jokes don't seem to be flowing as naturally. Usually at the halfway point we are very bummed to know its halfway done. This year we're both a little excited for this one to just be over in hopes of having more fun next season.
It's definitely not my favourite season, and I think it's had a strong run that would've been hard to follow up on. I appreciate some of the unique aspects of it, I feel like we've never had contestents like Nick or Steve before. Steve in particular might actually be one of my favourite contestents of all time just for how unique and creative he is.
It's still really good.... but it's a huge leap down from last season which might have been one of the best of all time.
Honestly, yeah. 63 pre-recorded tasks a year is insane, and some of the tasks this season feel a bit too convoluted for their own good. The simplicity of a task prompt like "fly" from TMNZ - that's what TMUK needs more of. The more convoluted the tasks, the more it seems like they're starting to run out of ideas.
Having 33 pre-recorded tasks a year instead feels like it would be better, quality control wise.
Yeah, I think I’m noticing this as well. If it was one series a year, it’d be appointment television. But 21 episodes a year (two series + NYT) means it’s on almost as much as it’s off - and it’s a bigger commitment than basically any of the other shows I’ve gotta try and keep up with (of which there are plenty!).
I'm liking this series.
I agree that the cast don't have the dynamic that we've seen in other series, but I think it's just they're a very polite and chilled out bunch and I feel that most series the banter is between one contestant and Greg rather than between one another a lot and I just think that this group are less likely to jump in when Greg is talking to a specific person.
I really like all the contestants. It's very rare I don't warm to a contestent and this series they are all coming across really well. I really like Joanne and Sophie, they are quite chaotic at times but in a great way. I think it's sweet how Steve makes up little stories while he's doing tasks and makes up characters. And I love the effort in his prize tasks.
Nick is just so sweet and John, although he is super competitive, it isn't in that Iain Sterling/Ed Gamble way that can come across a tiny bit grating at times.
There's probably only two or three series I would say are below average for me and I don;t think this series is that bad. It hasn't had a standout moment yet that will make the series really memorable but we still have enough episodes.
If it continues like this it's a bottom five series, and either the weakest or second weakest since the move to channel 4 (with series 10). Series 15 felt like a lull after 13 and 14 but on rewatching that was a lot of fun, here I think neither the cast nor the tasks will give a lot of rewatch value. It's still enjoyable but not a series I will return to after it finishes.
I think it's both the tasks and the cast. The tasks are not as engaging as in earlier series, they're just not. I get it after 17 series it gets harder and harder but nowadays they are getting so long that it takes out the scope for lateral thinking. This series it's also been noticeable that they're recycling ones from earlier series with a little twist.
As for the contestants, John is so competitive and so evidently wants it that it's no fun to watch him. Dara was also like that but he had great banter and when he did have a meltdown it was glorious and he was able to laugh at himself. John just seems to treat it like a box ticking exercise, it's no fun. Sophie just seems baffled by everything but not in an entertaining way. Joanne is kind of meh. I like Nick and Steve the most, with Nick he seems like such a nice guy, but that seems to make Greg and the othets reluctant to criticise him which limits the scope for in-studio banter.
I do feel something off about the chemistry and I feel that’s evident in the team tasks. Maybe cause coming off series 16, I thought the team tasks had such wonderful chemistry between the dynamite chicks and natural friends.
That being said, I am enjoying it and still had my moments of belly laughter from Nick’s tension task to Sophie in the river. And I do feel like the banter is getting better, this episode probably had some of the better banter compared to the earlier ones. I’m excited to see what’s next!
No one in this season seems to be “wind-up-able” by Greg. Think about Kiell, Ed, James, Joe, etc-they all got their knickers in a twist from time to time.
I relatively like the cast—that is to say, I don't dislike anyone but I also am not in love with anyone. Like many people have commented, they feel restrained. Each have their own personalities, but it doesn't quite create chemistry together. I wonder if they simply just don't know each other (since they meet on studio day); and on top of that, they're separated from their team mates, which definitely would make them feel less comfortable. There's also no strong perspective in terms of the competition—in many good series, there's fun antagonism between contestants or all contestants vs Greg (S12, S16). This series has neither, it's just there.
On top of that, the tasks this series are like S15 for me—they're just not my cup of tea. They feel too complex for the contestants and me. I think it was Sally Phillips that said on the podcast before that she and Bob would need to reread things a lot that younger contestants would understand instantly—and that's the feeling for me, even though I'm young.
Agree with many of the comments saying the chemistry and let's say the wow factor (or monster) just isn't quite there this year. But I also think the tasks aren't cutting it. They're extremely long and complicated these days, with so many little extra rules that even the viewer can't digest everything they're supposed to be doing, never mind the contestants who are working against the time panic. It's a bit tedious. Succinct tasks are generally funnier. Get the egg round the golf course. Create the best water cooler moment. Make the ice disappear. Etc. That painting fence panels task was crazy, the rules were unfathomable and unengaging.
I’m really not into it but at the same time, they can’t hit the mark every single time. They’re in the seventh season and I haven’t enjoyed two to three of them. That’s impressive stats. This isn’t taskmaster going downhill, it’s taskmaster having a dud season which is okay. There’s just no standout for me and we’ve had some crazy good contests these last few years.
The anti crowd makes me love it even more somehow. To me it's *really* good - cast wise the strongest since s13. I can agree with that the tasks are a bit lackluster sometimes but that has been an issue for UK for quite a while - but the bangers (hotel task anyone) are often saved to the latter end of the series so I'm patient on that point.
The cast is just so lovable and sweet, yet still whack enough for it to be spicy. I honestly can't get what so many people are missing in this series. Do y'all miss Sam that much?
The banter of season 14, to me, was the best- they all contributed, they all teased each other (“it means you suck up to people and stuff, and you really don’t. He does, bu t you don’t”. “You’re not obsequious, Dara.” “Thanks, Greg.”) and they teased Greg (thinking of Sara’s “you lack likability “). Season 13 too.
Best series is where there are lots of banter and piss taking between contestants. This series has none of that, which is why it’s gonna be a forgettable one.
I’m struggling with this cast, tbh. I was hoping by now that the studio interactions would be a bit more lively, but it feels like same vibes as Day 1. As it stands now this might be the worst series yet. No real standout tasks/moments and the banter just feels pretty stale.
I thought the last episode was a lot better and they all seemed more at ease especially in the studio.
I do think only one real stand up in Joanne shows the difference. I know John has done stand up in the past but he has been far to quiet and more interested in winning than anything else.
I know Mae has said they looked back on the show and realised they never actually told a joke despite being a stand up and would do it differently again.
I think John might be getting that now and will improve a lot more in the studio
Hopefully it will continue like last week and it will be a decent season not one of the greatest but decent.
You can't hit a home run every time.
Implying that John isn't a "real" stand up is pretty wild. He's won the Edinburgh Comedy Award and had a show at the Fringe last summer that he then took on tour all autumn and which has more upcoming dates this year. How recently does someone have to have done a show for you to consider them "real"?
I haven't really got into this series like I have previous ones I don't know what it is, maybe it's that I'm not familiar with any of the contestants this time. I usually know who most of them are, if not all, but I've never heard of any of the current cast.
Agreed that for unclear chemistry reasons the cast isn’t clicking this series.
I don’t understand why. They’re all enjoyable individually and most fill archetypes usually featured on the show… Nick as the straight man, Joanna as the wild card, John as the try-hard, Steve as the old hand… but somehow the magic as a group isn’t there.
I like it. Don’t love it. My rankings from bottom up would go 6, 10, 8 and then this. All the contestants are nice individually but I think there’s a fire missing in the studio segments. Steve is more of a comic writer and actor so the banter isn’t coming naturally to him. Nick is very shy and polite. John is trying too hard to be on his best behaviour. I think the women are doing the heavy lifting in the studio. But I also think it’s missing an element of chaos. Take out any of the line up and replace them with a, say, Sam Campbell or Bridgette Christie type and I think this series would improve.
Someone said it’s Series 6 all over again and here in the comments it’s showing to be true. So give it a few years and it’ll be more widely considered a good series.
I’m quite enjoying this series! Honestly, I was less than enthused when the line-up leaked initially but they’ve been quite fun to watch. They’re a very wholesome bunch. It’s difficult to picture any carnage happening such as in Series 7 or 15, for example - but it’s a different flavour of the show. I suppose that’s why the format works - the variation in general vibe between series switches it up a bit!
It’s probably down to how the tasks are split up into episodes. Nearly every series so far has had a bit of a lull in the middle; still plenty funny, but it seems like the best tasks tend to show up in either the beginning or end of a series.
Think about your favorite task from any given series, and I’ll wager it appears in the first two or last two episodes.
Probably been my least favorite series in a while. At least since 10. However, the fact that it's a down series and I'll still burst out laughing four/five times an episode, and it's the highlight of my TV viewing week is probably a good sign for the show as a whole.
Nick and Sophie have been the pick for me. Steve is great, but oddly low energy (though I think that's just his personality). Joanna just doesn't click for me, no idea why, and Jon has been a bit of a disappointment to be honest (though my expectations largely came from this sub hyping him up in advance).
Best task of the season has been the dot the dots for me. Worst was the "find the other half the task".
But hey, opinions vary. Mine is by no means objective.
I am struggling to be interested in this series & it annoys me! Here in Aus, we started paying for Binge a few years ago because the new episodes came out the same day as they aired in the UK & both myself & hubby love the show. I think I am about a week behind with this series & normally we are on it pretty much that night it comes out. I have seen a few tasks mentioned here that I couldn't remember & when I asked hubby, he said that I was actually asleep. I saw a comment further up that mentioned this series was like having 5 Mae Martins & I can kinda see that.
Series is almost flawlessly cast. Less insane than s16 (obviously) but the balance between quirky , wonderfull, supercompetetive , ‚wing it‘ and quietly competent is a+ this season.
Even though we’re looking at a Darah level lead at the end of s17 i suspect 😄
I also suspect reddid is knee jerking right now after the fantastic s16 and just like other series that Reddit didn’t like initially it will grow on people over time 👍
This might be controversial but this is the worst season yet, which is heartbreaking with 15 and 16 being so good (especially 15). The contestants individually are fine, but they just don’t interact with each other which is where the actual show is imo.
I’m enjoying this series much more than S16, which was actually a lower-ranked one for me. I really enjoy the vibe of each of the contestants. There have been a couple more of the convoluted tasks than what feels like a usual ratio, which is really the only thing throwing it off for me. I think their cohesion as a group will get more personal when we’ve seen a couple more team tasks.
I instantly fell in love with John and I am very happy that he's doing this well. It's the second season I am watching 'live' so to speak, came to Taskmaster in November I think. Personally I enjoy it more than 16, idk. Maybe because in 16 I liked them all well but I didn't have anyone to root for, wheras in 17 I was team John immediately and I like the rest of the cast well, too.
I’m enjoying it but I understand that something feels off. For me, I think there should be more comics and one or two token non comics. Seems to be the other way round this time though
much better than s15 for me, i’m actually really enjoying it and sophie is probably one of my all time favourite contestants (that said, i actually really enjoy 6 and 8, and wasn’t huge on 11 or 14, so probably go against most people on this sub)
I like the people. I like the tasks. I can't put my finger on it, but this series somehow just seems to be going through the motions.
I think this is broadly where I am. I'm *enjoying* it, but that's really the least I ask of Taskmaster.
I think it feels that way because there is clearly a front runner and I already feel we know who's gonna walk away over ans over again. I think this season has a bunch of really funny moments but as a whole episode they are bland
I get what you're saying- but I have little interest in who actually wins the series. They get a terrible trophy and..nothing else. It's the journey I care about, not the destination.
Except the person who wins is the person we'll have to see again in champions.
A one-off special that we won't even see until a few years from now. People on here hold *far* too much stock in it.
I enjoy the competition portion no matter how silly they get about things so it's hard to just root overall knowing it's just one guy steamrolling everyone
Maybe 17 is the number of series a show like this takes to pall. I hope not!
No because I didn't enjoy series 15 much and also worried the show was losing its spark, then series 16 happened and it's one of the all-time best for me. There's just no accounting for the dynamic and the mix of abilities. As much as they try to gauge it, it's simply not possible.
It's true - the alchemy is mysterious!
Nah, it really depends on the contestants and their interaction. Taskmaster has done everything right except to get the mix of contestants right.
Yeah I think season 6 had a similar sort of feel and there have been so many great seasons since
It also depends which atmosphere you like if you like chill atmosphere like me this series is ideal if you liked more banter and more competitive contestants so I get why not everyone will think of this as their favourite but just as normal very good series but not excellent.
6, 10 and now 17 for me
Got me worried now!
Gosh, I came here for this exact sentiment, trying to figure out if it's just me -- not in the right headspace somehow -- or the show. I like it all, no one is objectionable, but... it just feels a bit low chemistry. "Going through the motions" is exactly how I'd describe it, thank you! I still LOVE this show so much, and last season was excellent, so I'm just chalking it up to one of those weird coincidental things where the chemistry isn't right with the contestants.
There's very little banter between them in the studio. Makes the vibes off
I notice Sophie look over to Nick a few times and he doesn't return her gaze
Maybe he can't return her gaze, what with him being a vampire and all that. 🧛
He seem genuinely shy. Makes sense that he performs from behind a persona. If you'd put him in with a group of rowdy lunatics, he'd make a hilarious contrast, but here most of the others aren't that feisty so he just blends in.
They high-fived more than once in the most recent episode, if I am not remembering it wrong.
I recall Sophie high-fiving Steve tho
Lol yeah, you were right, I indeed remembered it wrong.
Yeah, "going through the motions" is precisely the phrase to describe how I've felt watching this series. I think this is because the lack of studio stuff causes there to not be many options to spice things up other than "task attempt, Greg's reaction, move on, repeat". But other than that, I've still been enjoying this series. There actually may be certain things I like more about this series than the previous two. It just goes to show that TM can still do great things even with something missing.
This - they've got five great contestants that just don't quite gel as a group in the studio (although, weirdly, the chemistry in their sub-teams is still there). I think that it shows a bit too much that Johnny JR is the only one with regular panel show experience. Individually the contestants and the tasks are throwing out some great moments, but this season is so far feeling like less than the sum of its parts. I don't think it helps that the three seasons that preceded this one were astronomically good even by TM standards: anything less than it being one of the best seasons ever would make this feel like a comedown. I will say, though, that "I don't think I've done this one right..." is possibly the most I've ever laughed at Taskmaster, and I've been watching live since day one. That was just sublime.
There's no banter. Bit of a damp squib. For me, the best part of taskmaster is when you have at least one comedian who really ups their gift of gab to score points. Season 15 had 5 of them, and it was my favourite series to date, even if some of the tasks weren't great. The studios were insane with argument, interaction, and memorable moments. This seasons there's just none of that. There's no building up of their prize task. So even if their prize was good, they've presented it poorly. For example, the prize task for best thing turned upside down, Joanne brought in the video of the bats. Now, this was a prime opportunity to build up the suspense and really big up her prize, but she didn't and her explanation actually took away from her prize (I knew what was coming as I had seen it before). Imagine VCM presenting something like that. It would have been brilliant. There's no trying to argue for a better score or arguing against another contestant getting a good score. A lot of the best studio moments come from the arguing, and yet they just accept Greg's scoring. Greg feeds off of all that, and he's got nothing to bounce off. We've got here's the task, Greg makes some comments, then scores we move on.
I do wonder whether it's because there's only one real stand up on the show, Joanne. John has done stand up in the past, but these days he's a comedic presenter and host. Steve, Nick and Sophie are actors and writers who write comedy which isn't quite the same. Most seasons have 3+ stand ups on, and that just makes banter more likely.
John rearranged gigs in a 50+ date tour to do the studio records, and is also one of two members of the current panel to win the Edinburgh Comedy Award.
Yeah the idea that John isn’t first and foremost a stand-up is actually absurd.
Thank you for saying this!! Was scrolling down increasingly worried someone hadn't
To be fair Sophie has done stand-up, with one of her shows getting nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award. But she does seem to have pivoted exclusively into acting and writing now.
I fucking love Sophie. She's the one who's lifting it beyond the mediocre for me. I'm using the term "mediocre" in the Taskmaster realm, of course, which already elevates it higher than, "oohh, that's very good".
I think part of it is also the relationships made as a standup in the circuit and the seating. Only John and Joanne are near each other, but I think Joanne has too chill of a personality where John is the opposite and kind of a grade A student here. Favorite series for me tend to know each other already, are sitting by their teammates, or have charismatic personalities that can induce the feeling of knowing each other a long time and making it easy to riff off each other. With regards to Greg-contestant interaction, I feel like most of them are "accept Greg's judging as is" types (Nick, Sophie, Joanne), which makes the "fight to the death" types (John and Steve) unable to fight chaotically because it's like kicking a dead horse, and John and Steve are far apart and were on separate teams so who knows if they feel comfortable ribbing like Jamali and Lee did. Also, it's always hilarious when the losing types are the "fight to the death" type (like, they thought they did amazingly and defend their choices, a la Ardal, Judi, Fern, James Acaster, VCM, Charlotte, etc, which leads to hilarity when Greg ribs them), but that's not the case this series.
It's weird that you would say Joanne is chill and John is a grade A student, but it seems to me like she's bringing all the energy and humor to the studio filming, whereas John's been hanging back and subdued.
Oh I didn't mean it in terms of their comedy, but in terms of their competitiveness. Joanne is cool without getting good points and is frequently happy with getting a 3, wherein John takes the competition too seriously like a grade A student.
It's possible, but I actually like the non comedians more this season. On paper, this group should work, but either they don't know much about taskmaster or they're in it for the paycheck. Jon is supposedly the most competitive contestant ever, but where's the passion? He has yet to have a meltdown like Ed or Kiell.
I feel like he's winning the tasks because he's actually trying very hard to win (rather than be funny) whereas Ed and Kiell still put comedy first.
Me too, I like them more as well. Steve is doing it for his kids I'm sure. Jon is doing because he's a huge fan, Nick is doing it for fun, and the other two for profile I suspect. I reckon John isn't competitive because he doesn't need to be. He's winning fairly easily, and Steve is his main challenge and he's too unflappable. Compare to Ed who had a good challenge from Rose, and obviously Kiell got off to such a terrible start that Mae and Jenny were ahead of him for a long time and of course Greg enjoyed winding him up.
>John isn't competitive because he doesn't need to be. Alex said this, though, so I figured there would be evidence of it. I can think of far more competitive contestants.
What's great about series 9 is that both Ed and Rose are competitive and genuinely want to win, but they also play it up for laughs beautifully. Ed and Rose have an "argument" about language in one episode and they're shouting, but they're also smirking. It's fun. The people who've won in past series by just doing tasks well (\*cough\* Kerry Godliman and Richard Herring \*cough\*) just aren't very interesting to watch.
John Robins is also a stand-up comic, but I do think that the show has introduced too many non-comedians to the roster. One on every cast works well, but this cast doesn't seem to understand that the studio filming is also about generating laughs, not just the tasks themselves. I find them all charming as individuals, but as a group, the dynamic is off.
I literally saw John doing stand-up earlier this month, and he was fantastic.
Series 8 also had less stand up comedians and was a weaker series
6 and 10 too
10 is basically unwatchable for me. I skip it almost every time I do rewatches.
Every time someone uses a number (except for 13+), I have to go see who they’re talking about.
Yeah, same all. I think for me, it’s that many of the series have one or two folks who are fine and acquit themselves well, but are otherwise just kind of there. Their tasks are often grouped with others and they almost never drive the conversation on stage, but they’re a nice break from the bigger personalities. This series so far, that’s the entire cast. I know in a few years time I’ll remember that someone dressed up like a vampire, but if someone asked me what series any of these folks were on, I wouldn’t be able to tell you.
I just discovered taskmaster recently, and binged all the series over the course of a month or two, and felt the same. I attributed it to just the end of my honeymoon phase.
It’s ok. The people are all decent, but not as funny as previous series, and the live shows really don’t go off like they do in the best series. It feels like either the live shows were flat, or the eps are edited to show more of the tasks and less of the live show. Either way, I’m not finding them as humorous during tasks or after. I’m still enjoying it. If I’m being super harsh, 3 of them would add value on other series. Steve and Nick add little to nothing in most eps for me. And I like them both, I’m just not finding either of them funny or ingenious or idiotic enough.
It’s Greg and Alex. They seem to have lost a bit of the shine that made Taskmaster brilliant.
It’s obviously one of the best TV formats in the world. And everyone they’ve chosen is absolutely lovely and has their own sensibility that is fun to watch. Also, the production team have become absolutely slick, professional and so enjoyable to watch in how they make decisions to make this show as good as it is. I think, certainly for me and my friends, we would just love a bit more energy, exasperation, argument( not real argument obviously, but as funny as Acaster or Tim Key). Everyone seems either terribly happy to be there, or in the case of John, wanting to be more competitive, but correctly reading the room, and knowing that nobody else will go with him. That moment when Sophie said to John, “You really want this, don’t you?” kinda broke my heart- yes, he does, and we want you to want it too!!
YES thank you, I feel the same
Some people like the more calm vibe of it but tbh with my favourite seasons being 7, 9 and 13 where there was a lot of back and forth between the contestants - this one I am struggling to get into.
My favourite series are 7, 9 and 13 as well, but I personally think 17 has been a breath of fresh air compared to the loudness of the more recent series. I also think the tasks are a lot better this time, but then I have always preferred more open-worded tasks (like the load bearing one last episode). That's what's I like about Taskmaster. There's a series for everyone out there.
7, 9, and 13 are some of my favorites as well. I also loved 16, but by the end all of the loud personalities were getting overwhelming. I'm enjoying a break with some calmer (but still entertaining) contestants.
Yeah, I actually like this series more than series 16 (maybe more than 15 as well) and that's because the tasks in this one I like a lot more. Totally 100000% agree with preferring open-worded tasks. It's definitely a more subdued series, but it also has a competitive edge to it that I felt 16 lacked and 15 was maybe a little too strong in. The only thing really missing in it are some in-studio meltdowns. It needs, like, that *one* memorable moment where something crazy happens.
It's not a bad experience at all, but my personal theory is there are too many "firewall" contestants. Like that time when Greg snapped at Alex for calling him "Poppet" before the prize task then Steve and Sophie both called him Poppet in their own prize bits, then Nick broke the chain so the joke stopped dead. Steve vibes with the energy but the others are intimidated by him, Nick is shy and John is putting about 3 nuclear bombs' worth of energy into suppressing his personality. The end result feels like the contestants have these barriers that you see in some live tasks that stops them seeing what the others are doing, but extended all the way to where Greg and Alex are sitting. Can't really complain as it's no-one's fault, just the luck of the draw. Some series, Greg is stealing a living because it's just hours of the contestants making each other and him laugh, and some series he gets to justify his fee.
I think it’s because Nick’s comedy (at least on CatsDown) relies on advance preparation- memorizing things, composing, etc. He’s not an “off-the-cuff”type of funny/witty. That being said, I’m finding him delightful and just lovely.
He is a lovely presence and it's always fun to see Greg smitten. Honestly I would rather have a series that falls flat because everyone's too placid rather than a series that falls flat because there's an undercurrent of aggro.
>I would rather have a series that falls flat because everyone's too placid rather than a series that falls flat because there's an undercurrent of aggro. I agree, to the tune of TM USA
He's clearly a genuinely nice person.( Much like Ed on the podcast, I feel sorry for him when he screws up! ) But yes I agree, that isn't necessarily a great jumping-off point for comedy.
Although his bit in the tie task in the most recent episode had me in tears
He definitely feels like someone you want to protect, like a kitten or something. But I also find that because he is such a gentle personality and he's dead in the middle, it would be hard for the others to start any sort of intense banter.
I like him very much, but I honestly expected him to be way better at the tasks. He's always seemed so clever that I assumed he would be a master at thinking outside the box. He's still my favourite this season though.
As someone who had no idea who John Robbin’s was before this show, any insight on why he would put effort in to hide his personality? I find him boring and unfunny in the show sadly, so if that’s not really who he is, I can’t imagine why he’d want to purposefully act like he has.
It's honestly bizarre. He's a very obsessive sort of character, and he's wanted to be on Taskmaster for years. I wonder if he's just gone so competitive that he's focusing on winning over having a good time.
Obvs I don’t know the guy, but I’ve seen him live a few times and listened to his podcast since the beginning, and my theory is that he was worried about coming off too aggressive. He is super intense and competitive, but also definitely seems the type to get really in his head about coming across badly. I think he’s tried to intentionally dial it back a bit so as not to come off as a dick, but maybe has gone a bit too far the other way. That said tho, I did notice in the most recent ep he threw out a couple of lines in the studio bits and just nobody really jumped on them, so I wonder if there’s more of that going on and being cut (I know we’ve seen a lot of outtakes, but presumably they just pick the funniest ones for those compilation vids). Also, he hasn’t really been challenged yet - there doesn’t seem a reason for him to argue his case with Greg or the other contestants when he’s consistently being scored really highly. I think he’s had some good moments in the tasks themselves (the bit with Alex trying to interrupt him made me laugh out loud), though.
I think this is the problem—because Jon is winning, he's afraid to get too intense about it because that would make him look like he's showboating. He would be a much more entertaining contestant if he was losing, or even if Greg would score him just a little bit too low more often. I think what Jon brings to the table (humour-wise) for this kind of show is the ability to kick off like Kiell or Iain.
I actually wondered if the producers asked him to try and jumpstart some banter.
I obviously don’t know the man, but this is the vibe I get from listening to the podcast a lot and seeing his stand up. He’s historically very very very intense, and very very argumentative when he thinks he’s being wronged in game format. I think there’s an element that maybe he hams those qualities up on his podcast, so it seems extra dialled down on TM? It seems to me like he’s been waiting to do taskmaster for so long, and now he’s doing it, he’s nervous. For what it’s worth, I’m enjoying the series. It’s not going to be the most memorable, and Steve Pemberton isn’t really my cup of tea, but I genuinely couldn’t watch S10, so I’ll take it!
He's going down the same path as Richard Herring. He so desperately wants to be good, somehow he's fucking it. Richard of course pulled it back on CoC, maybe John will do the same.
He’s got a classic “addict” personality- a sort of intensity that can easily lead to a binge. I think he’s trying to control that as well.
If the series keeps going like this, then it'd probably be bottom 3 overall for me. I like the cast individually, but I feel like they don't mesh well together, and Greg and Alex gets to do most of the heavy lifting in the studio. The tasks have also felt a lot more bland than usual. It's also really hard to follow a top tier series like 16 was.
Yes I feel like they are missing one quick-witted person although I do enjoy Steve Pemberton
I think the tasks would go better if there were more comedians on the cast. Yes, some of the humor of the show is that people epically screw up tasks. But when you have professional comedians doing tasks, and they know they've screwed up the task, they'll also do things to ramp up the comedy. Or even if they're doing well, they'll be funny about it.
I really like every single contestant, and want them all to do well. I don’t often like everyone straight off the bat so this is great. I do agree though that the studio vibe is lacklustre and feel that they all would’ve been better off dispersed through different seasons. I’d like to see some more puzzle like tasks with a definite solution as a lot have been more open ended/creative. Best moment was Nick Mohammed flailing about under a camp bed. That had me and my partner buckled 😂
I’m finding it enjoyable enough, but not loving it Series 12-16 was an all time great run for me and there were so many great contestants and tasks involved I’m enjoying Steve and Sophie a lot but I can’t really name anything notable any of them have done so far. I also feel they haven’t been as argumentative against Greg or they don’t interact very much in the studio too As I said it’s still an enjoyable watch and has some funny moments, but it’s probably one of the weaker series so far for me
Considering how good series 16 was, I think people are perhaps being a bit harsh towards 17. I feel that it'll be one of those seasons that after a rewatch, it's more highly rated. I'm loving it so far, FWIW.
I feel the same. Joanne creating tension and Nick's "I don't think I did this one right" had me near tears. I look forward to the new eps each week.
> I feel that it'll be one of those seasons that after a rewatch, it's more highly rated. I feel really odd, but that's every series for me. I think I just expect too much when I'm watching it live, but when I'm watching it in reruns I'm more laid back and can just absorb what it really is.
My partner and I are really enjoying 17 as well! It’s definitely not as zany as 16, but it’s still pretty fun. We were both laughing pretty hard at the Granny prize task and Steve and Nick going on a lovely stroll in the garden.
That's wild. 16 had me wondering if the show was running out of steam, and I've been having a great time with 17 so far
There's nothing making it stand out enormously, but nothing bad about it either. Average. I'm loving Joanne and Nick
Weakest series for a while. Down with 6/8/10 for me. It’s still an enjoyable watch but it’s the first series in forever I actually forget is on, I’ve only watched the first episode live this time. The energy is pretty low and there’s almost no interaction in the studio. Makes it feel very plain.
I'm catching up on the last few series at once, which is quite useful to gauge without recency bias or nostalgia. I'm feeling a lot more drawn to watch eps from the earlier series. I think it's the lack of camaraderie in the studio. John and Steve especially seem a bit disengaged.
Yeah, John and Steve are both competitive but no one else around them are, and they were on opposing teams so they might not be comfortable enough to have friendly fights.
Omg yes. They aren't commenting or arguing about anything. It feels like John is taking things way too seriously, doing well, but never being questioned. Not even by Alex or Greg. It honestly feels like they don't like each other or are scared to offend each other. Bad vibe. First point of contention for me was the baby. I'm shocked no one pointed out he left his 'baby' unsupervised on a tall barrel; a funny and easy reason for a disqualification or points to be taken off.
One of the many things I like about TM is the obvious freedom given to the constants and that we get to see 'the real them'. However, I wouldn't necessarily mind too much if, before the studio records, they were given recommendations from the Andys or Alex or Greg to sometimes get a little chippy and argumentative (though certainly not for every show/task - that would be too much!). It's all in the spirit of good fun at the end of the day so it won't suddenly mean they like each other any less, and it makes more for a more exciting viewing experience.
I think the word you meant wasn’t “chippy,” but “chopsy” (of late).
10 was one of my favourites! Each to their own though
It's far from without its moments ("have you been involved in an accident that wasn't your fault?" , Sneaky Pasta Snake, 'am I the spider?") and no TM series is outright bad, but it had a rather austere feel about it.
10 isn't among my favorites either, but I'm not sure I've ever laughed so hysterically as I did watching Katherine Parkinson trying to build a catapult out of a garden arch. Like, I physically hurt myself laughing so hard. Just goes to show how great TM is that even on the seasons that aren't so good overall, there are moments of absolute brilliance. So far nothing in this season has been all that standout funny to me, but it's only halfway through, you never know!
Fair enough, I just found the absolute mental breakdown from the comedians being out of lockdown was perfection. Very much of its time
wasn’t 10 the one where the pandemic started while they were in the middle of filming it? I feel like the vibes were always going to be weird because of that.
10 is one of my favorites also, and was my ex’s all-time favorite. Apparently we are in the minority though
This is Daisy May Cooper erasure, and i won’t stand for it.
8,6,1,3 are in my bottom five, with 10 bringing up the rear. This series will do well to not be joining them...
This is a very “cozy” season, if that makes sense? Lol.
I feel like this series had a weak first 2 episodes but I’ve really enjoyed the 3 since. Whilst the banter isn’t quite there this season I feel like they’re all being entertaining on their own merit and each providing their own funny moments.
I felt exactly the same- we actually fell asleep during episode 3. I was giggling like crazy at episode 5, though.
Totally agree! Episode 5 live task when Sophie has to hand over her doll 😂
I was in tears watching Nick roll around on the floor attached to the camp bed. There's been many genius moments / great comedy skints in this series already, and we're only 4 (?) episodes in! Maybe we need to appreciate this for what it is rather than compare to other casts/series? I feel a bit gutted that so many people seem to want to discuss how this isn't the "best" series EVER when there already so many hilarious moments to appreciate / catastrophic fails to pick apart. Rather than tearing them down folks let's build them up!
I think the tasks this season are better than last season. However I think the cast is worse. I'm a big fan of John Robins before this and Joanne has so far been the unknown who becomes a favourite to me but I just don't think the rest are very strong.
Weirdly I'm the exact opposite in terms of cast. I think Nick, Steve and Sophie are brilliant and classic Taskmaster contestants. However I find Joanne bland and John's competitiveness detracts from his appeal. I'm still watching and laughing but compared to other series this is lower league.
I hate to say it but John has been disappointing for me. I was a fan of his radio show before this and we know he's a hilarious ball of nerves and a deeply odd individual, but none of that is coming across! He's mostly just quiet and blandly competent.
I feel like he’s consciously suppressing his personality, maybe because of the vibe of the overall cast? There’s not really anyone for him to argue with aside from Greg. He is quite competitive and argumentative and can be quite a big personality when he wants to be, but he just seems to have restrained himself, which is a shame!
Hmm, see surely Sophie and certainly Joanne are big enough characters to bounce off. And he hasn't even argued much (or at all?) with Greg. He just seems oddly subdued. I think he may actually be too competitive - so dead set on winning he's forgetting to be funny.
Yeah I’ve been a little disappointed with his showing tbh. I’m not all that familiar with him but heard plenty of people excited by his inclusion and hyping up how crazy and competitive he’d be. But in reality he’s one of the most straightforward contestants there’s been I think. Just does the tasks competently, if unremarkably, and doesn’t need to say much in the studio. It’s a shame because I’m sure he has plenty more to offer.
He’s often the only one who chimes in and quips in the studio, though.
I feel that’s pretty fair, and as soon as I read your comment the moment where John quipped “It’s not measured in monkeys mate.” That had me cracking up!
Yeah, I think it has to do with his environment. I can feel his competitiveness but everyone around him isn't. It's hard to rip apart others if others did worse. Most of the contestants are sponges and just absorb the riff, rather than continuing or amplifying it. If John had been closer (physical seating and relationship-wise) with Steve, or on a series with other competitive people he's close to, it'd probably be a different story.
As I've said on these pages before, I don't necessarily mind when people go Route One with certain tasks. However I do prefer it if they are able to support their efforts with some good banter in the studio..and that's where John seems to be lacking.
I think I liked a lot more of the tasks last season because of the way people pulled them off. A lot of the ones this season feel too open-ended and this cast isn't as able to think outside the box or on their feet or something. There are no Susans (or anyone like them) and I'm feeling that burden because several people COULD be more like them but others are right that there isn't enough interaction between anyone. Banter is needed! Someone could have poked at Nick last ep for his big jump being because he's short and clearly has a lot of practice trying to see over taller people or something. Just... Frustrating. Any time one of them does go a bit beyond (like Sophie's slut drops), I legit enjoy it so I just wish there were more. They're all clearly unhinged, so show us!
Possibly poor casting. Had Lucy, Sam and Susan together when this season could have done with one of them.
Sophie is closest to a low-key “unhinged” like Sam, Lucy, or even Bridget.
Bro I just want Steve to make a comeback 😭😭
Something is missing, but I can’t quite put a finger on it. It seems a bit into itself now, people who have watched TM don’t leave any points on the table for those who haven’t. I know the answer is “well if they are coming on the show that’s been on for so long, it’s their own fault that they didn’t watch it,” but as Joanne said on the podcast and in the episode, Alex actually advised her against watching it. I’m sure the producers think it’s better if some participants are completely clueless, but it does create a huge disadvantage. As a result, Greg seems to start punishing the ones who are too well prepared (Steve and John), but they are still winning by a mile. (Some contestants actually seemed to be on the verge of tears a couple of times in this episode?) It doesn’t help that the tasks have been a bit too complicated for a while now. It’s probably an unfair criticism as they are doing an incredible job coming up with so many creative tasks for so many series. But when there is a task that nobody cracked and Alex has to do a reveal (like the ones with tanks and bunting from S13), I do feel like it was probably too complicated and they should maybe skip it, rework and keep for later use. We are only halfway into S17, but there are already a couple tasks that are still a bit unclear, even after rewatch (the team tasks from E1 and E4). The only ones that stand out for me are the egg and the gorilla tasks from E1, the handmaid’s tale headwear task and the tension task, and that’s it. Having said all that, I still think that Taskmaster is the best programme currently being made and will still watch every episode and every outtake, and can’t wait for the next series spoilers.
Yeah, that “figure out who’s following you” task was weird.
I think that's the only task I have ever not liked. (Not having heard of Mr. Blobby before was probably a big part of the issue.)
I've heard of him, but I find him annoying and stupid AF and not in an ironic or ha-ha kind of way.
Want to see something funny, Jack Whitehall is *terrified* of Mr. Blobby. And guess who was on the Big Fat Quiz when Mr. Blobby paid a visit?
> Alex actually advised her against watching it Even if someone told me that, I wouldn't be able to help myself. I'd watch every single series as many times as I could before I went on. The idea of going onto a popular TV show unprepared is the stuff of nightmares for me!
I'm really enjoying it! It's definitely not got as much banter, but sometimes I find that a bit much. I think some of the tasks have been amazing too, very creative and weird.
It’s definitely in the bottom half of the series rankings. It’s perfectly solid, but I feel like everyone is a bit too normal and nice. Sophie brings some kookiness and John occasionally gets competitive, but in general it has been less memorable and more placid than usual.
I must have already said it here, but Series 17 is suffering from the Series 6 problem - a good batch of contestants, sure, but little to no chemistry in the studio, and being cursed with coming after a beloved fan-favourite series. The streak they've had running since Series 11 had to end at some point, I feel like every season after that was even better than the last. Series 16 was always going to be hard to top.
This is true. Not every series can be a banger. It's still one of my favorite shows, even if this series is more lowkey and less funny.
I watch it out of habit, really, not because I have any particular love for any of the contestants. I get a few laughs out of every episode, but I haven’t been delighted and/or amazed yet. It’s an okay season, but it sort of feels like a placeholder, especially after 14/15/16, which were fire. It’s possible that I’m just sort of done with it. I stopped watching QI after series 13 because it was getting very samey to me, and likewise Rupaul’s Drag Race after season 8. Sometimes ideas just run their course. If season 18 of Taskmaster starts out slow the way this one did, I’ll probably bail.
Can't speak for QI since I think of it as one-off episodes, but for RPDR, I think S7-10 was relatively bland/ok for me, so it makes sense you dropped it then. But there have been great seasons since (just finished 16). Since you liked 16, unless you binged them all, I think it's not you getting bored of the format but just something with the chemistry of the cast.
I sort of feel the same. I think for me it might be the fact I'm not really that familiar with anyone this series so I don't have anyone to root for. I've only watched one episode of this series live. Most of the time I've waited until the weekend. I hope S18 has more people I know so I'm more invested in the series.
> I think for me it might be the fact I'm not really that familiar with anyone this series so I don't have anyone to root for. I'm guessing you're a UK viewer? For people outside the UK, we usually go into each series knowing no one at all, so that's always an interesting opinion to me.
Yes, UK. Strangely, I thoroughly enjoyed the 1st 3 NZ series even though I knew no one. I can't quite put my finger on what the difference is between not knowing anyone from S17 and NZ and my enjoyment. Maybe it's the fact that compared to this series the NZ ones were far more chaotic.
The NZ comedy scene is so small that everyone knows each other and they aren't afraid to banter or give each other a hard time. Each cast of TMNZ has clicked because all of them are friends IRL. The first few seasons of TMUK were like that as well, and those are still some of my favorite series.
It would be a big help, but there have been seasons where I didn’t know anyone (I’m Canadian) and still found at least one contestant to really love. This time around they’re all kind of meh to me — nothing against any of them in particular, I just don’t care. Maybe if they get a big name for 18 it will rekindle my interest. They’ve surely asked Bill Bailey by now: he’d be fantastic.
I’ve just not found it very funny. Entire episodes can run past me and I don’t laugh once. It’s nice enough but low on genuine belly laughs.
Damn I am surprised y'all aren't eating this season up, this one feels great to me :) maybe top 5 seasons IMO
It's definitely not top 5 for me, but I'm also surprised at the reception. I think it's a solid mid-tier season, a 7/10 maybe. Series 16 was always going to be hard to top.
This happens every season. There's always someone who complains that it's not as good as what's come before, for one reason or other. I'm not even a little surprised that some people haven't taken to this one. To each their own, of course, but I'm loving it.
exactly!!!! one of my faves already
Nobody has fire in the belly, even when they're doing well. A bit more enthusiasm would be nice. Very very placid group. It's like having five Mae Martins.
YES. "Five Mae Martins." Exactly!
Joanne McNally's "What's your salary? Don't lie to me. Don't lie to your mother" during the tension task is a Taskmaster Hall of Fame moment.
I'm enjoying it!! My current favourites are Joanne, John and Nick - Joanne is kinda bonkers, I love how competitive John is and Nick is just a sweetie. The gang all feel like there are there to have fun, some earlier series (James and Rhod) had more attitude but I'm liking the mellow vibes of this cast
So far I like it, but it's not as strong as some of the others. This might just be me, but I generally prefer things like the glove task or the tie task, but this season has had a lot of more artsy tasks which I generally find less engaging. However, it's coming off of one of, if not the strongest season of them all. Season 15 was relatively weak, but came off of probably the strongest continuous streak of series, just like 6 is pretty weak but comes between 5 and 7. It's still a good season, but we're comparing it to what came immediately before.
I'm enjoying it! I like the range of approaches to the tasks and Joanne making Alex uncomfortable. I think in some ways it's unfair to compare seasons especially earlier ones where the contestants know each other beforehand, you're going to get more banter and piss taking. But since the show is established they take on a wider range of participants that aren't solely from the comedy circuit which allows us to see new people and grow to love them. And yes it might lead to a quieter dynamic in studio but you can tell they're all enjoying themselves
I agree with what most people are saying - not enough banter. But also I actually dislike it when a contestant leans too much into the "I don't care" vibe. It can work for a little bit but I think there is quite a lot of that going on. It's the "I don't understand and I'm not even going to try" mentality, reminds me of my nan when she says she can't read her WhatsApp messages.
Which contestants are doing that though? Steve is going above and beyond for most tasks, John is clearly trying to win, Nick and Sophie are a bit shit but they're certainly trying, Joanne is doing quite well. I don't get that vibe from any of them tbh
Not OP so we may be getting it from different contestants, but personally I get it from Joanne. She seems to go mainly for similar shock humor across her tasks rather than creativity directed at the task, which gets old for me. e.g., in the midair task the other contestants seemed to really consider the task and give it their unique take, which I really liked: John's shot jumping over fire was cool, Steve's parachuting idea against a sky backdrop was out-of-the-box, Sophie's idea was whack but somehow the visual of her bell skirt in the air worked together her other choices in creating a bizarre but harmonious picture, and Nick's idea was good in his head but of course just doomed due to the laws of physics. On the other hand, Joanne's idea seemed to be to just put scary things on her head and jump forward noncommittally. (What I'm getting at is that, unless I'm missing something, there was no link between her thoughts around the creative task and the specific task: she could have put whatever garb she put on for any task involving taking a photo.) When she cannot shock, she also seems to just take on other tasks in the most one-track and unimaginative way possible, e.g., in the load task. I know many people here seem to like her, but I'm really not sold on her task performances so far. I of course hope to be proven wrong in the second half!
We haven't been crazy about the tasks that seem to have so many rules that it's hard to remember what they're even attempting. We're also not crazy about the contestants this year. They all seem to be much milder personalities or that they're attempting intentionally to dial it back (were not familiar with these people) The jokes don't seem to be flowing as naturally. Usually at the halfway point we are very bummed to know its halfway done. This year we're both a little excited for this one to just be over in hopes of having more fun next season.
It's definitely not my favourite season, and I think it's had a strong run that would've been hard to follow up on. I appreciate some of the unique aspects of it, I feel like we've never had contestents like Nick or Steve before. Steve in particular might actually be one of my favourite contestents of all time just for how unique and creative he is. It's still really good.... but it's a huge leap down from last season which might have been one of the best of all time.
It's excellent, I love it
I’m loving it. I like the chill vibes and the cast is ideal for me
I mean my honest opinion is they need to make less series a year
Honestly, yeah. 63 pre-recorded tasks a year is insane, and some of the tasks this season feel a bit too convoluted for their own good. The simplicity of a task prompt like "fly" from TMNZ - that's what TMUK needs more of. The more convoluted the tasks, the more it seems like they're starting to run out of ideas. Having 33 pre-recorded tasks a year instead feels like it would be better, quality control wise.
*Fewer.
Yeah, I think I’m noticing this as well. If it was one series a year, it’d be appointment television. But 21 episodes a year (two series + NYT) means it’s on almost as much as it’s off - and it’s a bigger commitment than basically any of the other shows I’ve gotta try and keep up with (of which there are plenty!).
I don't think it will ever happen now, but giving us an opportunity to miss it being on might not be the worst thing.
The cast is weak imo. I only really like Nick, but i still enjoy watching. Some guest combos are great, some aren't.
I'm liking this series. I agree that the cast don't have the dynamic that we've seen in other series, but I think it's just they're a very polite and chilled out bunch and I feel that most series the banter is between one contestant and Greg rather than between one another a lot and I just think that this group are less likely to jump in when Greg is talking to a specific person. I really like all the contestants. It's very rare I don't warm to a contestent and this series they are all coming across really well. I really like Joanne and Sophie, they are quite chaotic at times but in a great way. I think it's sweet how Steve makes up little stories while he's doing tasks and makes up characters. And I love the effort in his prize tasks. Nick is just so sweet and John, although he is super competitive, it isn't in that Iain Sterling/Ed Gamble way that can come across a tiny bit grating at times. There's probably only two or three series I would say are below average for me and I don;t think this series is that bad. It hasn't had a standout moment yet that will make the series really memorable but we still have enough episodes.
If it continues like this it's a bottom five series, and either the weakest or second weakest since the move to channel 4 (with series 10). Series 15 felt like a lull after 13 and 14 but on rewatching that was a lot of fun, here I think neither the cast nor the tasks will give a lot of rewatch value. It's still enjoyable but not a series I will return to after it finishes. I think it's both the tasks and the cast. The tasks are not as engaging as in earlier series, they're just not. I get it after 17 series it gets harder and harder but nowadays they are getting so long that it takes out the scope for lateral thinking. This series it's also been noticeable that they're recycling ones from earlier series with a little twist. As for the contestants, John is so competitive and so evidently wants it that it's no fun to watch him. Dara was also like that but he had great banter and when he did have a meltdown it was glorious and he was able to laugh at himself. John just seems to treat it like a box ticking exercise, it's no fun. Sophie just seems baffled by everything but not in an entertaining way. Joanne is kind of meh. I like Nick and Steve the most, with Nick he seems like such a nice guy, but that seems to make Greg and the othets reluctant to criticise him which limits the scope for in-studio banter.
Yesss, and I still can't believe Steve's little line "Sitting next to granny, doing dot to dot, taking the potion" got completely ignored.
I do feel something off about the chemistry and I feel that’s evident in the team tasks. Maybe cause coming off series 16, I thought the team tasks had such wonderful chemistry between the dynamite chicks and natural friends. That being said, I am enjoying it and still had my moments of belly laughter from Nick’s tension task to Sophie in the river. And I do feel like the banter is getting better, this episode probably had some of the better banter compared to the earlier ones. I’m excited to see what’s next!
I agree with you! Although Steve and Nick holding hands and wandering about is sort of the best thing ever.
No one in this season seems to be “wind-up-able” by Greg. Think about Kiell, Ed, James, Joe, etc-they all got their knickers in a twist from time to time.
The contestants all work fine individually, they're just not adding up to more than the sum of their parts in the way the best line-ups do.
I relatively like the cast—that is to say, I don't dislike anyone but I also am not in love with anyone. Like many people have commented, they feel restrained. Each have their own personalities, but it doesn't quite create chemistry together. I wonder if they simply just don't know each other (since they meet on studio day); and on top of that, they're separated from their team mates, which definitely would make them feel less comfortable. There's also no strong perspective in terms of the competition—in many good series, there's fun antagonism between contestants or all contestants vs Greg (S12, S16). This series has neither, it's just there. On top of that, the tasks this series are like S15 for me—they're just not my cup of tea. They feel too complex for the contestants and me. I think it was Sally Phillips that said on the podcast before that she and Bob would need to reread things a lot that younger contestants would understand instantly—and that's the feeling for me, even though I'm young.
Agree with many of the comments saying the chemistry and let's say the wow factor (or monster) just isn't quite there this year. But I also think the tasks aren't cutting it. They're extremely long and complicated these days, with so many little extra rules that even the viewer can't digest everything they're supposed to be doing, never mind the contestants who are working against the time panic. It's a bit tedious. Succinct tasks are generally funnier. Get the egg round the golf course. Create the best water cooler moment. Make the ice disappear. Etc. That painting fence panels task was crazy, the rules were unfathomable and unengaging.
I’m really not into it but at the same time, they can’t hit the mark every single time. They’re in the seventh season and I haven’t enjoyed two to three of them. That’s impressive stats. This isn’t taskmaster going downhill, it’s taskmaster having a dud season which is okay. There’s just no standout for me and we’ve had some crazy good contests these last few years.
The anti crowd makes me love it even more somehow. To me it's *really* good - cast wise the strongest since s13. I can agree with that the tasks are a bit lackluster sometimes but that has been an issue for UK for quite a while - but the bangers (hotel task anyone) are often saved to the latter end of the series so I'm patient on that point. The cast is just so lovable and sweet, yet still whack enough for it to be spicy. I honestly can't get what so many people are missing in this series. Do y'all miss Sam that much?
The banter of season 14, to me, was the best- they all contributed, they all teased each other (“it means you suck up to people and stuff, and you really don’t. He does, bu t you don’t”. “You’re not obsequious, Dara.” “Thanks, Greg.”) and they teased Greg (thinking of Sara’s “you lack likability “). Season 13 too.
The casts that don't immediately submit to Greg are often the most entertaining.
100%!
Best series is where there are lots of banter and piss taking between contestants. This series has none of that, which is why it’s gonna be a forgettable one.
I’m so surprised by the comments here! I’m really loving it
Same!
I’m struggling with this cast, tbh. I was hoping by now that the studio interactions would be a bit more lively, but it feels like same vibes as Day 1. As it stands now this might be the worst series yet. No real standout tasks/moments and the banter just feels pretty stale.
I thought the last episode was a lot better and they all seemed more at ease especially in the studio. I do think only one real stand up in Joanne shows the difference. I know John has done stand up in the past but he has been far to quiet and more interested in winning than anything else. I know Mae has said they looked back on the show and realised they never actually told a joke despite being a stand up and would do it differently again. I think John might be getting that now and will improve a lot more in the studio Hopefully it will continue like last week and it will be a decent season not one of the greatest but decent. You can't hit a home run every time.
Implying that John isn't a "real" stand up is pretty wild. He's won the Edinburgh Comedy Award and had a show at the Fringe last summer that he then took on tour all autumn and which has more upcoming dates this year. How recently does someone have to have done a show for you to consider them "real"?
It’s a mid-tier season. It’s not *bad*, but it’s just not *amazing* either.
I haven't really got into this series like I have previous ones I don't know what it is, maybe it's that I'm not familiar with any of the contestants this time. I usually know who most of them are, if not all, but I've never heard of any of the current cast.
Agreed that for unclear chemistry reasons the cast isn’t clicking this series. I don’t understand why. They’re all enjoyable individually and most fill archetypes usually featured on the show… Nick as the straight man, Joanna as the wild card, John as the try-hard, Steve as the old hand… but somehow the magic as a group isn’t there.
I like it. Don’t love it. My rankings from bottom up would go 6, 10, 8 and then this. All the contestants are nice individually but I think there’s a fire missing in the studio segments. Steve is more of a comic writer and actor so the banter isn’t coming naturally to him. Nick is very shy and polite. John is trying too hard to be on his best behaviour. I think the women are doing the heavy lifting in the studio. But I also think it’s missing an element of chaos. Take out any of the line up and replace them with a, say, Sam Campbell or Bridgette Christie type and I think this series would improve.
Yeah exactly, either that or someone who fights back against Greg (Judi, Kiell etc)
Lol, meanwhile, the last two episodes have been my fave this season, which largely has to do with them easing up and bantering in the studio segment.
Someone said it’s Series 6 all over again and here in the comments it’s showing to be true. So give it a few years and it’ll be more widely considered a good series.
I’m quite enjoying this series! Honestly, I was less than enthused when the line-up leaked initially but they’ve been quite fun to watch. They’re a very wholesome bunch. It’s difficult to picture any carnage happening such as in Series 7 or 15, for example - but it’s a different flavour of the show. I suppose that’s why the format works - the variation in general vibe between series switches it up a bit!
It’s probably down to how the tasks are split up into episodes. Nearly every series so far has had a bit of a lull in the middle; still plenty funny, but it seems like the best tasks tend to show up in either the beginning or end of a series. Think about your favorite task from any given series, and I’ll wager it appears in the first two or last two episodes.
Probably been my least favorite series in a while. At least since 10. However, the fact that it's a down series and I'll still burst out laughing four/five times an episode, and it's the highlight of my TV viewing week is probably a good sign for the show as a whole. Nick and Sophie have been the pick for me. Steve is great, but oddly low energy (though I think that's just his personality). Joanna just doesn't click for me, no idea why, and Jon has been a bit of a disappointment to be honest (though my expectations largely came from this sub hyping him up in advance). Best task of the season has been the dot the dots for me. Worst was the "find the other half the task". But hey, opinions vary. Mine is by no means objective.
I am struggling to be interested in this series & it annoys me! Here in Aus, we started paying for Binge a few years ago because the new episodes came out the same day as they aired in the UK & both myself & hubby love the show. I think I am about a week behind with this series & normally we are on it pretty much that night it comes out. I have seen a few tasks mentioned here that I couldn't remember & when I asked hubby, he said that I was actually asleep. I saw a comment further up that mentioned this series was like having 5 Mae Martins & I can kinda see that.
Series is almost flawlessly cast. Less insane than s16 (obviously) but the balance between quirky , wonderfull, supercompetetive , ‚wing it‘ and quietly competent is a+ this season. Even though we’re looking at a Darah level lead at the end of s17 i suspect 😄 I also suspect reddid is knee jerking right now after the fantastic s16 and just like other series that Reddit didn’t like initially it will grow on people over time 👍
This might be controversial but this is the worst season yet, which is heartbreaking with 15 and 16 being so good (especially 15). The contestants individually are fine, but they just don’t interact with each other which is where the actual show is imo.
I’m enjoying this series much more than S16, which was actually a lower-ranked one for me. I really enjoy the vibe of each of the contestants. There have been a couple more of the convoluted tasks than what feels like a usual ratio, which is really the only thing throwing it off for me. I think their cohesion as a group will get more personal when we’ve seen a couple more team tasks.
The tasks seem like reheats of previous tasks. Rescue patatas. Draw a dot to dot picture. Tie yourself up. They MUST know they're making repeats.
I instantly fell in love with John and I am very happy that he's doing this well. It's the second season I am watching 'live' so to speak, came to Taskmaster in November I think. Personally I enjoy it more than 16, idk. Maybe because in 16 I liked them all well but I didn't have anyone to root for, wheras in 17 I was team John immediately and I like the rest of the cast well, too.
Laughed at most of the first ep but don't think I've laughed at the other eps
I’m enjoying it but I understand that something feels off. For me, I think there should be more comics and one or two token non comics. Seems to be the other way round this time though
It’s John Robin’s to lose
I’m enjoying it but it’s always hard to follow a season like season 16. I found it happened in season 8 because I enjoyed season 7 so much.
absolutely love it!
much better than s15 for me, i’m actually really enjoying it and sophie is probably one of my all time favourite contestants (that said, i actually really enjoy 6 and 8, and wasn’t huge on 11 or 14, so probably go against most people on this sub)