Improb(v)

There is an old adage that says, "The best improv's are scripted" and that is true. Improvisational Theater is mostly bad even when its "good".
And before you point out to me, Whose Line Is It Anyways let me point out that in every episode there are still entire segments that completely fall flat and portions where one or more performers do poorly. Then consider that each of the episodes you see on television are recorded live THREE times so the producers can pick the best from those segments. And they are professionals who have been doing Improv for years.
Improv is painful to watch, and thankfully not as painful to listen to when in small doses.
But it is important to consider that many producers love when their actors throw in improvisational lines to their scripts.
I submit to you that the love of improvisational lines are really only effective if:
a. The script lacks humor
b. The actors lack a sense of honesty in their performance.
Now, I'm not suggesting that the odd improved line would not be effective, but good improv is never improvisational. It is thought about, considered and almost never invented on the spot as so many "improv" lines are. I refer you to the classic Kitty Got Wet story from Nolan North at the 2009 Comic Con panel. Without even playing Uncharted 2, I can smell a winner "improvisation".
So, this is not a plea for actors to stop giving improvisational lines if they feel the urge. This is a plea for Producers to stop using them simply because you find them funny. Chances are the longer they go on, the more they sidetrack the story, and hijack the plot.
I've heard some entirely painful improvisations that were even more painfully obvious that the actors never intended the ramblings to be placed into the script unedited.

As a listener, I can just imagine the rest of the characters in a story seeing one character blow off on an unrelated tangent stop everything they are doing, stare at the character like they had suddenly taken the appearance of an earthworm with a fisherman's hat and a shot of cognac waiting for the nonsense to finish. Once it does, we all roll our eyes and try to remember where we last let off in the story.


Remember, in all things. Conservation is key.