With American Comedy Under Attack, It's Time To Discover The Funniest Show You Haven't Seen

Comedy has always been a mighty tool for challenging those in power, allowing the speaker jester's privilege to mock freely without fear of punishment, in addition to making serious truths more accessible and engaging to the masses. Democratic societies have historically embraced satirical expression because this method of entertainment plays a vital role in keeping leaders in check. That's why the First Amendment in the United States Constitution protects the right to speak out — especially if/when that speech is unpopular — without fear of retaliation.

Unfortunately, comedy and free speech are currently under attack, including late-night hosts Stephen Colbert and, most recently, Jimmy Kimmel. Colbert's show has already been canceled, and while Kimmel's show is set to return after previously being declared "on indefinite hiatus," the precedent has already been set. 

And let's make one thing clear: Satire punctures propaganda, and laughter breaks the spell of cultish devotion. Comedy is one of the last places where truth slips through the cracks of disinformation.

With mainstream comedy comes mainstream regulations and restrictions, which is why it's more important than ever to support truly independent, boundary-pushing, politically progressive comedy like the original programs found on the Dropout streaming platform. Thankfully, their biweekly, improvisational short-form comedy series "Make Some Noise" is set to return for its fourth season on October 13, 2025, and it couldn't arrive at a better time. For the love of America, we need to laugh at prompts like "Sauron but it's Donald Trump" again.

"Make Some Noise" is a spin-off of the Dropout game show "Game Changer," which featured four episodes with the "Noise Boys" — Josh Ruben, Brennan Lee Mulligan, and Zac Oyama — from 2019 to 2021, with the first titled "Make Some Noise." The standalone series debuted in 2022 and incorporated a variety of new comedians as players for each episode. Hosted by Dropout CEO Sam Reich, the series features three players per episode playing improvisational games, following prompts, and performing in solo, paired, and group performances. After each performance, a player is given a prompt-specific number of points that don't actually matter.

If all of this sounds like the long-running improv game show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?," know that you're not wrong, but "Make Some Noise" is legally distinct, and ABC doesn't own the rights to the same improv games played by high schoolers known for terrorizing a Denny's at 11:00 p.m. after a performance of "Godspell." But if you're hoping for the same hyper-personalized comedy barbs that were typically directed at Colin Mochrie, you'll be pleased to know that just about every contestant is in a one-sided war with Sam Reich, none quite as obvious as the time Pete Holmes was on and read him to filth with such accuracy that the host had to excuse himself off stage presumably to compose himself (or go back to Springfield to try and convince them to build a monorail).

There's absolutely no telling what flavor of humor the cast is going to bring this season, but if the previous three seasons are any indicator, "Make Some Noise" will continue to be the balm for the soul of America. Nowhere else will you get a comedy show brave enough to include prompts like "In an alternate universe, Mark Zuckerberg produces a local ad for his waterpark, 'The Wet-a-verse,” "The COVID compliance officer's spiel on a porn set," "What's in the 'Elon Musk' at an NYC deli," or "An Oscar bait monologue with a bit of branded content in it."

Based on the trailer for "Make Some Noise" season 4, cast members this season include (but are not limited to) Ben Schwartz, Lisa Gilroy, recently announced "Saturday Night Live" cast member Jeremy Culhane, Caitlin Reilly, Paul F. Tompkins, Brennan Lee Mulligan, Jacob Wysocki, Zac Oyama, Josh Ruben, Anna Garcia, Izzy Roland, Jess McKenna, Geoff Ross, and Angela Giarratana, among others. One of the returning cast members is beloved Dropout veteran Lou Wilson, who is also the on-air announcer for "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" While much of the discussion surrounding the pulling of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" off the schedule has been understandably centered around Kimmel himself, less attention has been given to the hundreds of employees of the show who are now also under constant threat of being out of a job, including Wilson.

In the face of the rising threats, people often ask, "What can I do?" This past weekend, people voted with their dollars and elected to cancel their subscriptions to Disney+ in the wake of Kimmel's "indefinite hiatus," and I highly encourage those who chose to do so to redistribute that money to support the right people. The Dropout platform as a whole features one of the most diverse, equitable, and inclusive casts/crews in the business, and without the requirement of appeasing advertising standards, refuses to censor the hilarious voices of the people who make it all possible. In an age where facts are twisted and outrage is monetized, laughter remains resistance.

"Make Some Noise" is exclusive to Dropout, and subscriptions are available at only $6.99 a month.