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Colin Mochrie credits success of ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway’ to lack of script

Longtime cast members Ryan Stiles, left, and Colin Mochrie are seen in this undated TV still from the hit TV improv show, “Whose Line Is It Anyway.” The has been canceled two previous times. Before the CW Network picked up the show in 2013, it aired on ABC (1998-2004) and ABC Family (2005-2007). (Caitlin Miller / The Spokesman-Review)
By Ed Condran For The Spokesman-Review

The success of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” was like improv action, unexpected. “I never thought ‘Whose Line’ would become this enduring show,” the “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” lifer Colin Mochrie said while calling from his Toronto home. “I didn’t think the odds were with us.”

“Whose Line” is adapted from a 1988 British TV show of the same title and has been canceled on a number of occasions, but like a zombie of a TV show, it always re-emerged. First airing on ABC from 1998-2004, then ABC Family from 2005-2007, the show was picked up by the CW Network in 2013.

“I think part of the reason people love it so much is that there is no script,” Mochrie said. “So obviously anything can happen. We ask the audience questions, like ‘What scares you?’ and we take it from there. The audience starts us off and so because of that, they don’t root against us. They’re part of the show.”

Every night, Mochrie and his “Whose Line” mates, longtime cast members Wayne Brady and Ryan Stiles, walk the equivalent of a high wire without a net. The extemporaneous performers routinely score bigger laughs than those who work with prepared material because it’s happening in front of an audience.

“I think you’re right about that,” Mochrie said. “When something happens in the ether, it generally hits the audience harder than prepared material. But we’re the opposite of stand-up. It’s fun working without a script. Audiences appreciate our effort. That’s so live and on television.

“We have a high success rate,” he said. “But what’s great about what we do is that things can go really awry. What’s wonderful about improv is that you move on immediately after something flops, and you forget about it. You just try something else. Something will work. It usually does. That’s why we can still do this.”

Improv changed Mochrie’s life. He embraced improv and focused less on acting. “Whose Line” host Drew Carey was a stand-up but enjoyed improv so much that he left joke-telling behind.

“It’s too much heavy lifting,” Carey said when asked why he no longer does stand-up.

Carey became the host of “The Price is Right,” and fellow “Whose Line” alum Brady is the host of “Let’s Make a Deal.”

“Everything has worked out well for everyone that’s been part of this show,” Mochrie said. “I have no regrets about it. It’s just amazing that after all of these years, ‘Whose Line’ is still part of entertainment and pop culture. We found our little niche. If you told me that would be so when we started I would have laughed. There’s just no way that was going to be possible, but you never know what can happen when you put something in play.”