Chicago Improv Festival Day 2: Bringin' it in

The results are in: Thank God You're Here is a horrible, horrible show. At its most basic level of suckiness, it's not funny; but by improv standards, it represents everything that the public doesn't "get" about improvisation. The show's stable of actors (including the fabulous and talented Maribeth Monroe of recent Second City Mainstage acclaim) are forced to practice bad improv: pimping their scene partners; setting them up for bad one-liners; stifling the organic scene creation process.

Which is all the more reason why Sports Action Team deserves all the praise it got last night at the Chicago Improv Festival's video night. While the evening included videos from past CIF performers (confusing, yes; I thought it was going to be videos from past CIF performanCES, but what can you do?), it ostensibly gave Sports Action Team a chance to be recognized for its positive benefits on Chicago's comedy community.

If you're unfamiliar with the show (and how could you, given that it aired last season during the much coveted 12:15am time slot between Sunday and Monday), Sports Action Team is a mockumentary-style show about a fictional sports news anchor team. Key plot points are scripted, but about 90% of each episode is completely improvised—including the bits with famous sports celebrities like Mike Ditka and Otis Wilson. In keeping true to Chicago's improv mentality, the actors in Sports Action Team act like fools, letting the celebs look normal and be the heroes of the scenes. In addition, SAT pulls in local improvisers to play guest stars.

Last night's festivities were hosted by four of the six SAT actors (Al Samuels, Kevin and Steven Fleming and Katie Nahnsen) and featured two past episodes and an informal Q&A. Most questions bordered on the sorta-lame—one girl must have wanted to sleep with the cast, as she asked something to the effect of, "Like, what makes you guys so totally awesome and amazing?!?!"—but Kevin Fleming shared an interesting bit of information. While the episodes were being shown, people were laughing, and this was the first time he ever heard people's reactions first-hand. "Normally, we're just sitting at home watching the episodes," he said, "and wondering if anyone else thinks anything we're doing is funny."

Yes. Very funny.

The show will be back next season for 52 (!) weeks (which includes 17 new episodes and a re-airing of old ones), so set those DVRs soon.

Tonight marks the beginning of the fest's multiple-venues-and-shows spread; check back tomorrow for more from one-act night.