Filled with years of experience as a class clown, Al Samuels '88 masterminded a new style of sitcom -- full-fledged improvisation -- in his fall NBC show "Sports Action Team."
The show, which gives viewers a fictional behind-the-scenes glance into the sportscasting industry with a comedic twist, airs in 13 percent of NBC's local affiliates and is available in 12 states including California and New York.
Samuels said he hopes that his show bridges the gap between classic comedy and reality television.
"It is reality in a way, but it is comedy because it has a set of characters that viewers can follow and believe in," Samuels said.
The comedy differs from other reality-based shows because it includes interactions with people in the real world. Its characters interview professional athletes and sports celebrities while they put together a sports news show. This format allows the show's stars to improvise some of their lines.
"It is never real to have a camera stuck in your face," Samuels said. "When reality TV came along, new classic comedies like 'Cheers' or even 'Seinfeld' took a hiatus."
The show combines the on-camera interactions of "SportsCenter" with elements of daily life. In one segment, for example, two of the show's actors interviewed Oakland Raiders wide receiver Randy Moss while he made a smoothie, ultimately distracting the interviewers.
"We are not trying to embarrass the audience or the sports player. When we create something on stage, we get the funniness out of what we are doing," Samuels said. "More often than not, [the punchline] is that we are the butt of the show."
In an interview with Jay Feely, a kicker for the New York Giants, an intern on the show attempted to block some of Feely's kicks in order to get a camera shot that would later be enhanced by a computer. Instead of this desired outcome, Feely's kick hit the intern squarely in the crotch. Everyone on the show broke out in laughter and the producers aired that segment on the show.
"The internet and technology made a show like ours possible," Samuels said. "With the help of the daily show, people's level of comedy has become much more sophisticated."
NBC granted the producers and writers of Sports Action Team a tremendous amount of creative freedom, Samuels said.
"I'll say something that seems controversial, expecting it to be cut, but will later be impressed once it ends up in the show," Samuels said.
For its six actors, the show is something of an "extracurricular activity." Each actor continues to have everyday jobs in a variety of fields. Samuels serves as president and CEO of Spark Creative, which works with corporations to bring comedy to corporate events.
Samuels, who majored in economics at Dartmouth and later graduated from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, discovered his love for comedy during college. While in Hanover, Samuels exercised his comedic talents in a campus improvisation group after one member asked him to try out.
Upon graduation, the Class of 1988 elected Samuels and Rachel Dratch '88, a former cast member on Saturday Night Live, as the class historians. Dratch also regularly appears on another NBC comedy this season: 30 Rock, which airs on Wednesday nights.
"We were basically the class clowns," Samuels said.
Samuels attributes much of his current success to his Dartmouth experience.
"You would never think of going to Dartmouth to learn comedy. But it was a great place to do it because people were open, smart and funny," Samuels said.
