Importing U.K.-based television shows to the United States doesn’t exactly have the best track record, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep trying. As the second season of Last One Laughing UK currently streaming on Amazon Prime approaches its (presumably hilarious) conclusion on April 2, we’re forced to wonder: Well, why not just attempt an American version of the show? It’d be one thing if Last One Laughing were just a British thing, but the show originates in Japan (where it’s called Documental) and has had a bunch of international spinoffs. Look, they made it work in Canada. Why not here?
The premise of Last One Laughing is simple: Ten comedians, or comedy-adjacent actors, are put in a rec room with props, food, and a stage and can do just about anything except laugh. Two laughs, and you’re out. The last comic standing (and not laughing) wins. There are occasional games and improv prompts that the show’s host (on the U.K. version, that’s the ubiquitous Jimmy Carr) can force them to interact with, and each comedian shows up with a “joker” prepared — basically a set, but it doesn’t have to be stand-up or even anything that resembles their normal “routine” — in an attempt to get their fellow contestants to laugh first. But the fun of Last One Laughing is mostly in the mundane, free-for-all nature of gameplay that is people walking around and talking. In case any television executives from Amazon are reading this (hello!), we took the liberty of gathering ten comedians who we think would make formidable players on the (inevitable — we hope) first season of Last One Laughing: U.S.
You might say that Nathan Fielder’s whole career to this point has been one long game of LOL. On Nathan for You, The Rehearsal, and even This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Fielder has routinely stared down real people saying outlandish stuff to him completely earnestly, and his on-camera persona has demanded he receive it all without so much as an upturned lip. He has only broken a few times in nearly two decades of this work, most notably when an older gas-station owner on Nathan for You told him he drinks his grandson’s urine for vitality. It’s true that Fielder is technically Canadian, but he’s an American citizen now, and if Australia’s Sam Campbell can participate in the U.K. tourney, there’s precedent for this. Every season of Last One Laughing needs a clear front-runner to set up the possibility of an upset (see: Richard Ayoade in the first season of LOL UK). Who better than Fielder?
Before she was a Christmas witch or a witch in the MCU, Aubrey Plaza was a deadpan queen and trained improviser who would, we think, give Fielder a run for his money. While she can obviously deliver bangers while stone-faced, she’s also able to harness big-character energy, which could shock her fellow contestants into giving up a smirk. We have no idea what she would do for her joker, but we imagine it’d channel the same sort of unsettling energy as David Mitchell singing a show tune or Bob Mortimer putting on a wig.
We need to amp the silly factor up a little. While Chris Fleming can do dry or sarcastic, he’s at his best when he’s giving into the bit a little. He’s often a generous laugher whose ability to crack himself up is half of the fun. Part of what makes Fleming such an undeniable comedic presence is the sheer amount of energy he channels into a joke or performance. Fleming’s force squished into a cramped space is a recipe for disaster (endorsement). Would he break? Would he lock in? He’s also fearless in his willingness to go in on other comics, especially ones on the verge of breaking, which could make him a valuable offensive player despite his penchant for laughing.
If you’ve ever watched a podcast episode featuring Mandal, you’ll notice he has a way of incapacitating people with laughter. His fellow podcasters don’t just laugh when he says something funny; their faces lock into a state of pre-laughter anticipation for entire episodes. It’s not necessarily what he says or even how he says it. Mandal simply possesses the rare comedic gift of undeniability. He needs to be on this show, because he could quite literally eliminate one of his fellow contestants just by saying, “Ay, man.”
It’s helpful on LOL to be able to lure people into a sense of safety before unleashing a bit at them, and Kumail Nanjiani would be particularly skilled at this. He’s set to be on the upcoming season of Taskmaster, so he is already familiar with the British panel-show world. His recent return to stand-up with his special Night Thoughts is a reminder of just how good he is at making matter-of-fact explanations funny. But also, he’s often seen laughing on podcasts; he would probably struggle to keep a straight face in a way that would be very enjoyable to watch. It’s easy to imagine him tearing up or just having a full screaming meltdown as he attempts to contain himself. He’s also famously very buff now, which the other comedians could make a lot of jokes about, and that would be really fun.
When we think about some of the best deadpan comedians America has to offer, David Cross is up there, but in a slightly different font. He is not as dry as you expect someone working in this space to be and utilizes a voice that is actually full of emotions he’s able to turn on a dime. As Arrested Development’s Tobias Fünke, he was full of gentle hope that often dipped into despair or panic. While he is able to deliver a perfectly flat punch line that gets you right in the gut, he can emotionally commit to a bit like no one else. Well, maybe like Bob Odenkirk, but we can’t put him in that room because he has a heart condition, famously.
Where were you when Hacks and Too Much star Meg Stalter screamed “Get me outta here!” on Late Night? After telling Stephen Colbert a half-coherent anecdote about living in London while shooting Too Much, the comedian exploded into a burst of rage that no one could have anticipated. Colbert, an elegant straight man if there ever was one, was so surprised by the turn of emotion that he had to stifle a giggle. Stalter’s commitment to character (as seen at a number of awards shows this past winter) makes her a truly unpredictable character akin to a Fielder or a Plaza. She’s not deadpan — in fact, she’s quite giggly — but she can really double down on a joke if the moment is right. Let’s get her a crazy wig and kooky costume and have her run amok. Even if she descends into hysterics, it’ll be that much funnier to watch her go.
Listen, we know: Vince Staples is not a “comedian,” but it’s not out of left field to call the musician a “comedic actor.” He had two whole seasons of a Netflix show! But this past winter, Staples did something previously almost unheard of: He got Ziwe. While the iconic talk-show host and interviewer works overtime to try to get one over on her subjects, Staples ran circles around her, hardly ever cracking a smile. There’s even more untapped comedic potential to Staples, some of which could emerge in a show where he’s in a room with a handful of comedians for several hours. What would it be like to see him go up against Fielder? It is possible, however, that dropping Staples into a room full of comedians might just be a recipe to severely annoy him, but he could wind up being LOL’s most powerful player yet.
A good LOL cast should feature people who aren’t just generous laughers but whose laughter is infectious and distinctive. It makes the prospect of breaking them that much more tantalizing, and it’s entertaining to watch the other contestants gang up on them whenever they sense an opportunity for this gratifying payoff. While Bert Kreischer, Stavros Halkias, and Caleb Hearon could all slot into this position respectably, we think Paul F. Tompkins would provide more entertainment value because there’s no chance he’d just sit there and play defense. Comedy Bang! Bang! listeners know he’s fluent in pretty much every type of comedy game there is, so he could easily just flip a bit back onto his attackers and get them out instead. He’d also look incredible in whatever immaculate suit he chose to wear to the taping.
We constantly hear about how SNL cast members are told not to break. What better way to put that training to the test? But more than that, Sarah Sherman would be a perfect addition to the LOL lineup because she’d bring a completely different type of comic energy to the competition with her gross-out antics and body horror. Comedians are so attuned to the conventional rhythms of joke structure that they don’t typically laugh at the same things as audiences. It often takes something truly shocking to stir them out of their desensitization. Fielder might be impenetrable to most, but has he ever watched a woman chug an entire can of clam chowder?
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