Improv isn’t new. In fact, this isn’t even the first time that I’ve been interested in it. However, I don’t think I’ve ever been quite as fond of improv as I have been in the past several months.
Call it quarantine blues, or going stir crazy, or even just being bored of all the other shit I normally watch. I don’t know. Call it whatever you want. The point is, lately, I’ve found myself consuming more and more improv videos, many of which are from the same person.
In November of last year, I stumbled across a video from YouTuber Joel Haver called ‘Playing an RPG for the first time’. I’m pretty sure it was shared on Chatty, but I don’t rightfully remember. Anyway, this was just the start of my downfall into the rabbit hole of improv content on YouTube, but that fall wouldn’t come for a few more weeks.
After a few weeks, I found myself browsing YouTube one day, looking for something to watch. While mindlessly scrolling through my recommendations I noticed a video called ‘When your friend finally wants something back’. Much like the original video, this one was by Joel Haver as well, and I recognized the name. I remembered how much I enjoyed the RPG video, and decided to give it a chance.
That’s when the fall happened. Before I knew it, I’d watched at least three or four of his videos, constantly cycling to the next one. Now, not all of them were as funny or hard-hitting as some, but they were all enjoyable for the most part. So, I continued that fall.
I let myself get lost in the autoplay function on YouTube, which surprisingly kept throwing me new videos that I mostly enjoyed. Here are a couple that I found entertaining.
I think the thing I like the most about Joel’s videos is that he and his friends somehow manage to capture that realistic awkwardness that many of those situations can cause. There are also times where they just completely break character because of how stupid something is, and it is nice to see that small glimpse behind the scenes. Improv isn’t perfect, and pretending it is just takes away from the idea of it, in my opinion.
Anyway, it isn’t very rare for me to find myself settling down at the computer after a long day of work and binge-watching a few videos I haven’t seen yet.
Also a fan of improv or Joel Haver? I’d love to find more videos like this, so if you have any recommendations, please share them below!
