It should come as no great surprise that there’s massive crossover appeal between comedy streaming service Dropout and British panel show Taskmaster. In addition to their willingness to be giddily silly, both Taskmaster and Dropout’s game shows rely heavily on the role exploration has in comedy and play, surprising contestants with tasks and prompts to bring out as many laughs as possible.
In 2024, fans of both programs were sent into an absolute tizzy when Dropout CEO Sam Reich posted a photo of himself, his writing partner and wife Elaine Carroll, and Taskmaster creator and assistant Alex Horne outside the Taskmaster house, where the show is filmed. Rumors sprouted up almost instantly that some kind of collaboration was in the works. But fans might want to cool their jets a bit: Horne confirmed to Polygon that nothing is currently planned between the two creative teams.
“There isn’t anything at the moment, but we are friends now, so we’re talking,” Horne said. “I think we have a similar brain, so it could well be something in the future. But no, right now it’s just mutual respect.”
However, Horne did say a Taskmaster/Dropout team-up could be something he’d be interested in when both groups’ schedules free up.
“I don’t want to disappoint people, but that’s also not to say something won’t happen in the future,” Horne said. “I like the way they do it. They’ve got their own streaming service, and [Sam Reich] does things his own way, which I really like. So I think we’re just going to stay in touch. I mean, right now, we’re both too busy.”
The premiere episode of Taskmaster series 19 is screening in New York Tuesday, with the season expected to air early in 2025.
Source：https://www.polygon.com/tv/511555/taskmaster-dropout-collab-alex-horne-quote-crossover
