Whose Line Is It Anyway? is an American improvisational comedy game show based on the British series created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. The current U.S. version premiered on The CW on July 16, 2013, bringing back Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady, and Colin Mochrie from the earlier American adaptation. The series is produced by Angst Productions and Hat Trick Productions.
The format is built around a series of spontaneous improv games rather than a fixed script. Performers receive prompts from host Aisha Tyler and the studio audience, then use those suggestions to create characters, scenes, songs, and other comic situations with little preparation. The games require the performers to react quickly to one another while developing scenes entirely in the moment.
Each episode features the regular performers alongside a guest comedian or celebrity. The guest joins the cast for selected games, while the performers draw on audience suggestions to determine the direction of their scenes. Although the program awards points after each round, the scoring is intentionally secondary to the comedy, consistent with the show’s long-established premise that the points ultimately do not matter.
The CW revival followed two earlier U.S. incarnations of the format. The first American version, hosted by Drew Carey, aired on ABC from 1998 to 2004. Later seasons aired on ABC Family through 2007. Several performers from that version returned for the CW revival, including Stiles, Brady, and Mochrie.
Aisha Tyler has hosted The CW version since its premiere, while Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady, and Colin Mochrie have remained its core performers. The series reached its 13th season on The CW Network in 2024. In a 2025 interview, Tyler revealed that no episodes had been recorded since. She added that the show had banked enough unaired material to stretch across several additional seasons. However, as of 2026, The CW has not ordered a new season.
