Up Acquires ‘Whose Line is it Anyway’

UP, the destination for family friendly TV, has acquired the off-network broadcast rights to “Whose Line is it Anyway?” The improv “game” show, hosted initially by Drew Carey for ABC and, at present, Aisha Tyler for The CW, will kick-off with a five-hour marathon on Sunday, October 1 beginning at 7 p.m. ET before settling into its weekly timeslot on Sundays from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET and weeknights at 11 p.m. ET.

The deal consists of 185 of the Drew Carey hosted episodes from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, as well as seasons one through four (76 episodes in total) of the Aisha Tyler hosted ones. Additional seasons of “Whose Line is it Anyway” on The CW will be included in the deal.

“Whose Line Is It Anyway?” features comedians Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles,along with a rotating group of guests as they perform outrageous scenes, weird quirks, spontaneous songs and much more, all done on the spot and completely unrehearsed. “Whose Line Is It Anyway? began as a radio program in London in 1988 before creators Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson brought the show to television. Drew Carey, Ryan Stiles, Dan Patterson, Denise O’Donoghue and Jimmy Mulville serve as executive producers.