At the tail end of her run as Mrs Hannigan in Annie, Jane Lynch is launching her brand new endeavor – Hollywood Game Night. It’s pretty much what it sounds like – a night of party games, banter and lots of competitive spirit. What makes this different to your average Friday night is that on this show, six of the eight contestants are celebrities.

Jane Lynch, Tony Awards
Jane Lynch loves a good game night.

When you have Fred Armisen and Matthew Perry competing in a mutant version of charades, it’s bound to be a funny experience, but what Lynch thinks is so special about this show is that the viewer at home gets to feel like part of the action – especially if they have a drink or two while watching Game Night. When she was asked by TIME Magazine whether contestants should come in caffeinated, Lynch answered: “Or slightly tipsy. Either way” In one promo she even suggests that viewers at home invent a make a drinking game out of watching the show.

As for her hosting duties, the 53-year-old comedienne says she had a blast doing it. Well, I love being a part of game night and I love playing them, but I’m also one of those people who loves to host parties. And I like making sure everyone’s having a good time and rallying people so that they follow the rules and keep it moving along, but also giving everybody enough space to have fun and enjoy themselves.”

The promos certainly make it seem like everyone is having a good time. While “televised game night with celebrity contestants” sounds like an idea that came up during a meeting between some really bored TV execs, with a cast like this – besides Lynch, Perry and Armisen, Kristen Bell, Kristin Chenoweth and Nick Cannon, among others, make an appearance – Hollywood Game Night might be the perfect bit of mid-week entertainment. The show airs Thursdays at 10 on NBC.

Jane Lynch, Charles Strouse 85th Birthday
She loves playing the host even more.