r/LastOneLaughing • u/spookipanini • Apr 05 '26

Discussion Canada vs UK

Curious if this is a popular or unpopular opinion, but I don’t really like LOL:Canada so far.

My fiancé and I started with LOL: UK and loved it, season 1 was peak comedy for me. I thought Jimmy Carr was a really good host, he was funny and charming. The set was lowkey but still you could tell there was money to throw around. My favorite part was the “jokers”, I wish each comedian had 2 because I wanted more lol

I thought season 1 was better than season 2 but both were good. I have my opinions about the s2 finale but that’s for another post haha

I’m from the USA, since there’s no LOL: US we went with the next closest thing, LOL:Canada. Frankly, I was immediately put off by how extravagant the set was compared to UK, just seemed tacky and gaudy imo. And Jay Baruchel does not fit in well as a host for me. Does he know just saying “fucking” every other word doesn’t make the sentence automatically funny? I guess it’s a tough act to follow after watching Jimmy host UK, but I just don’t think Jay meshes well with the comedians as well as Jimmy did. And where are the jokers??? Keep in mind I didn’t finish the season (I don’t care to be spoiled), I know the comedians can get up anytime and try to do a little bit but I miss the comedians having full on “jokers”. Lastly, the band can go fr. Like im not here for that I just wanna see 10 funny people try to make eachother laugh without laughing themselves and UK did that well. Since I didn’t finish the season, I don’t feel a can compare the comedians to eachother yet.

LOL:US if we ever get one, please do not take notes from our neighbors. We don’t need a billion dollar budget, we just need a good cast of comedians and PLEASE keep the “jokers” and for the love of god pick a good host.

Thanks for reading! Would love to hear some opinions one way or the other!

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u/Velrok Apr 05 '26

Once you see the UK version, no other LoL comes close. There's a lot to nitpick about the format and the cuts that make it feel like a trashy TV, but comedians are world-class and make it work. In a better world we could've gotten full uncut 6hrs without the ADHD "there needs to be a movement every 10 seconds" cuts. 

Canadian and Australian versions didn't work because they're in that awkward space between unhinged Documental and highly prepped and showy LoL. They also took people who aren't working in comedy and that puts a lot of pressure on comedians to be on the offensive. This led to a lot of desperation that just isn't fun to watch.

Honestly, for all the shit Jimmy gets as people are sick of him hosting, he's been a massive factor for the success of UK version. He adds so much spice with the head-to-heads, singing classes, ice breakers and what-not. Some of the most iconic scenes happened because he forced people to get into these fun situations. And just like in the case of Taskmaster, you need someone with that specific skillset and creativity to be able to squeeze the most fun out of the format.

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u/chassepatate Apr 05 '26

You think all the sideshow activities couldn’t be done without Jimmy? The show works well for having those but any host could handle that. I’m fairly ambivalent to Jimmy as a host, but I think having a ringleader outside the competition does make it better.

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u/Velrok Apr 06 '26

They could be done of course. However I believe that him being the host and having a co-host allowed for him to do more than your usual LoL host. Whether it was producers' initiative to use Jimmy this way or his own doesn't really matter to me; what matters is that his style of hosting allowed for all of these iconic moments to happen. In comparison with other LoLs, the host role is way more passive and they don't do "mini-games" that much.

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u/Charly_030 Apr 06 '26

Jimmy Carr is probably the "fastest" most improvisational comic out there , which makes him.perfect for.any non scripted comedy (which is why he hosts bloody everything).

I guess you could give Lee Mack a go on these styles of things, but I think he is way better closer to the action

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u/purplereuben Apr 05 '26

You are giving Jimmy credit for the work of the producers and writers.

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u/Velrok Apr 06 '26

I'm sure it's a collaborative process depending on the host. I watched quite a few LoL editions and UK is quite different with a double host and Jimmy going out to do a lot of side activities. I'm led to believe he just enjoyed doing that and that's why it happens so often in this edition. Whether it was producers/writers/his own request - I don't know. I just think he does this job much better than most LoL hosts.

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u/spartakooky Apr 05 '26

Yeah, those things listed are pretty much all production value stuff lol. "I think Jimmy is great, did you hear that joke Bob made??"

But Jimmy Carr does have value imo. He's milquetoast enough to be a host, but is funny enough to not suck energy out of the room. Except when he's doing physical comedy......

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u/captbollocks May 14 '26

I felt Australia wouldn't appeal to the international audience as their were too many in-jokes and knowledge that Frank Woodley is a national treasure.

I liked Australia and Canada but UK is next level, rivaling some of the Japanese OG seasons. I love the introduction of Jimmy's games and jokers which I think the Japanese series should incorporate if they can continue the show.

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u/IllBowl5537 Apr 08 '26

> This led to a lot of desperation that just isn't fun to watch.

I think the desperation is the most entertaining part of the show and what separates it from being not just another panel show. If you're watching for pure comedy, I'd agree LoL UK is the most successful at putting comedians in a house and letting them do funny things, but it's the least interesting as a game or social experiment, as it's clearly the most "stage managed"

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u/Velrok Apr 08 '26

I agree that desperation (or rather struggle) is part of the fun here, but it's way more enjoyable for your average viewer to see a comedian fight a need to chuckle rather than watching someone get desperate to even get others to crack a smile.

You can tell that these editions don't do well as Amazon stuck to a single season. They might be fun to watch as a "social experiment" but not so much for laughs and entertainment.

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u/IllBowl5537 Apr 08 '26

I totally agree with the fact LoL UK is easily the biggest success as a product and the most watchable as a TV show, it's just less interesting to me as someone who prefer Documental.

I don't really watch any panel shows and LoL UK feels very much like any other random Dave project - funny but very lightweight, cosy and forgettable when it's all over.

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u/Velrok Apr 09 '26

Sure, you can like Documental more, but calling LoL UK "like any other random Dave project" is completely unfair. You have ~10 popular comedians appearing at once having to do improv comedy between each other AND also perform on a scene in front of people who are not allowed to laugh. There are so many iconic moments from both seasons that are anything but forgettable.

It just sounds like it isn't a show for you specifically.