Text | Entertainment Herald, Author | Yuluo Chuangyan
One midsummer night afternoon, " Happy Wonderful Night ", which helped countless migrant workers "happy" to go to work, was finally online. Beacon data shows that on the day of its launch, "Wonderful Night" quickly won the highest market share of feature films on the Internet, with a market share of 11.46%, which shows the audience's expectations for this comedy variety show.
If you only watch the main content, you may think that the long-awaited "Annual Comedy Competition 3" has officially returned. However, the broadcast platform has changed from iQiyi to Tencent Video, and the sponsor has changed from JD.com to Meituan . But judging from the main creative lineup, Ma Dong still sits in the C position, and the guests are Qin Hao, Jia Bing, Huang Bo, and Gao Yuanyuan.
2023 is the year that Xizong IP has been collectively absent. "Happy Wonderful Night" has received many hot searches on Weibo as soon as it was launched, taking the lead in winning a good start for the Xizong track. Judging from the variety shows currently to be aired, Xizong is also making a full comeback, and is expected to lead the audience to be proud of the world again. The broadcast platform of
and
has changed, and the faces of the contestants have also alternated between old and new, forming a combination of "old and new".
Among them, Dasuo and newcomer comedians Yang Yuguang and Guo Zhanhao formed the "Onion Ginger Garlic" group's work "The Wonderful Night", which was actually linked with "Qi Pa Shuo" in a dream.
"They don't belong to them at all during the day. What they stay up at night is freedom." "Stay up late to make yourself happy, and work for others during the day." The back-and-forth debate between the pros and cons instantly brought the audience back to their youthful memories. Like a big dream. Unconsciously, "Qi Pa Shuo" has been on the air for 10 years and has been suspended for 4 years.
Going back ten years, a language-based comedy variety show "Qi Pa Shuo" was born, with more than 230 million views, directly leading the network into its first year. Ma Weiwei, Xiao Xiao, Yan Rujing, Fan Tiantian and others were all involved in it. Become popular. The emergence of "Qi Pa Shuo" has also made Xizong's vertical content gradually attracted attention by other long-form video platforms.
Also in 2014, a large number of comedy variety shows appeared on satellite TV, such as "We All Love to Laugh", "Swordsman ", "I'm a Comedy Madman", " Happy Comedian ", etc., but the main performance formats are only Traditional sketches and cross talk.
At that time, the mobile Internet era had just arrived, and Internet variety shows began to rise, gradually weakening the influence of TV stations. Relevant data shows that in 2015, mainstream video websites such as iQiyi, Youku, Tudou, and Sohu launched a total of nearly 200 variety shows. Xizheng also ushered in new program formats and continued to update and iterate. For example, the aforementioned "Qi Pa Shuo" uses a "serious debate show" as its shell, plays jokes seriously, and releases new content at the rate of one season per year.
On the other hand, the satellite TV variety shows "Swordsman" and "Happy Comedian" have continued the development path of the n-generation variety, and their reputation has declined year by year. The Douban score of " Happy Comedian Season 7 " has dropped to 3.2 points. , gradually being left behind by Xizong, a long-form video platform. At the same time, Spring Festival Gala skits and crosstalk have also fallen into an increasingly boring cycle due to the withdrawal of old faces.
Compared with satellite TV variety shows, the long video platform provides a broader free space for the development of comedy variety shows. It is also more tolerant of comedy content creation, and has made innovations in both form and content, giving rise to debates. , talk shows, complaints and other forms played a role as a source of joy for young people at that time, and Xizong also ushered in its highlight moment.
Subsequently, iQiyi successively launched popular talk shows such as "Offending the Family" and "The Law of Joy"; Youku launched popular TV shows such as "Mars Intelligence Agency", "Deyun Douxiao Club", and "Ivory Mountain Idol Group". , integrating elements of suspense and comedy into comedy shows; " Tucao Conference " and " Talk Show Conference " jointly launched by Tencent Video and Xiaoguo Culture have further reduced the number of young people breaking the circle.
Since Tencent Video's "Talk Show Conference 3" became popular on the entire Internet, iQiyi did not usher in a new style of popular comedy variety show until October 2021, when the "Annual Comedy Competition" was launched.This variety show introduces various forms of comedy such as sketch comedy, cartoons, musicals, mime, trap comedy, etc., which is refreshing for the audience. In the second season, black show, puppet show and other forms are added, which in a sense In other words, the "Annual Comedy Competition" can be called a hodgepodge of various comedy forms, and delivers the simplest happiness to the audience in different categories.
However, the sudden change caused Xizong to press the pause button. In 2023, Xiaoguo Culture was affected by the house incident, resulting in the company's online programs being discontinued.
Until this year, in order to supplement the content of Xizhong, Tencent Video established a "Laugh Bar" label exclusively for Xizong, " Easy Comedy Festival ", "Comedy Conference", "Talk Show and His Friends" , "One Line Comedy League", "Haha Maker Department Store", "The Dare Team" and other programs are on the list, including troupes, comedy competitions and talk shows, and the program types are diverse.
Although "Annual Comedy Competition 3" is not on iQiyi's to-be-aired list, iQiyi still has "The King of Comedy Stand-up Season". Stephen Chow's joining will undoubtedly bring surprises to this program. I don’t know who will be the next popular brand. The competition between Tencent Video and iQiyi is about to enter a new stage.
A gratifying advancement history
Ma Dong once said: "The "Comedy Contest" is to give 'ankle actors' a chance to rise to the waist."
Comedians who have come out of comedy variety shows are also frequently active in film, television dramas or variety shows , promoting the development of the entire comedy industry link and realizing content feedback.
For example, "Swordsman" and "Happy Comedian" made Wensong, Yang Shulin, Pan Binlong and others popular. Wensong and Yang Shulin participated in the TV series "The Legend of the Magpie Sword ", and Pan Binlong participated in "Hello, Li Huanying", "Manjianghong" and other movies. The works they chose are full of comedy elements, which are more in line with their own attributes as comedians.
Fan Tiantian, a debater from "Qi Pa Shuo", successfully transformed into an actor and was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress in Magnolia for her role as Lu Meilin in "Flowers". She also participated in the variety show "Chengfeng 2024" and participated in the hit drama "Ink Rain Clouds". From the perspective of drama, Fan Tiantian did not limit himself to the comedy route. The crying scene where Lu Meilin left Huanghe Road also moved countless audiences.
"Annual Comedy Competition" also gave more transparent actors a lot of performance opportunities. "Yixi" champion Jiang Long has starred in the TV series "Tiger Crane Demon Master", "Special Battle Glory", "Gou Sheng Run", and also starred in the movie "Goodbye, Li Cola" and recorded the variety show "Mengtantan" "Detective 3", after accumulating many works, Jiang Long's acting skills have become more and more solid.
The third runner-up, Shi Ce, has appeared in dramas such as "Hometown, Goodbye", "Black Soil Silence", "Run the Dog" and other dramas. From a young drifter in the north to a shrewd and capable policewoman, to a revolutionary female warrior, Haoshi and Shi are in pairs. Afterwards, Shi Ce allowed the audience to see more possibilities for comedians.
"Two Happiness" champions Zhang Weiyi, Zuo Lingfeng and Liu Tong guest-starred in "Celebrating More Than Years 2", second runner-up Zhang Xiaowan and Guan Le played two maids in "In the Clouds", and Yan Peilun, the golden supporting role in the two-season comedy competition They guest-starred in the TV series "My Altay", and their performances in the show fit their roles extremely well.
On the whole, these comedians do not fix themselves in the category of comedy, but use comedy as the starting point and continue to transform. We look forward to more breakthroughs in the future.
In addition, the platform pays special attention to the marketing method of bundling CPs, such as Wang Hao Shice's "Hao Shi Pairs" CP. The two often join forces to participate in satellite TV sketches, and the starring movie " Transparent Heroes " is expected to be released this year . iQiyi has customized the short plays "Master and Me", "Master and Me", "Don't Panic", and "Once Again" for "Young Master and Me", Dodou Luyan and Xiaowan Guanyue. These three works are from iQiyi's comedies Theater "Xiao Dou Theater".
The linkage of movies and dramas not only provides a large number of exposure opportunities for the Xi people, but also causes subtle changes in their positions in the entertainment industry.
Shi Ce was asked in an interview, "How do you feel about others defining you as a waist actor?" Shi Ce was shocked, "Waist actors, aren't we heel actors? How did it rise?" This just shows that in the eyes of the audience, The rising new generation of comedians has gradually become the backbone of the market. This year, the exclusive movie "Big Scene" tailored for Xiren will also be released soon. Wang Tianfang, Cool Teng, Guan Yue, and Lu Yan are all on the cast list. Douban netizens call it "Er Xi Team Building". This movie The comedy disaster movie is worth looking forward to at the box office.
An obvious change is that the frequency of the new generation of comedians appearing in film and television dramas is increasing day by day. The roles they play have also changed from guest appearances and inconspicuous supporting roles to protagonists. Now they have even completed personal IP film and television. On the one hand, their emergence has alleviated the stubborn problem of comedians' disconnected development. On the other hand, they have also provided a source of vitality for the comedy content ecology, catering to innovative changes in the content field.
Xizong’s dilemma
Compared with other variety shows, language programs represented by Xizong often face more controversies, which has also caused the dilemma of the n-generation of Xizong to a certain extent.
Judging from the content of the program, comedy itself is an art that offends people. However, if the scale is not properly grasped, there is a risk of overturning and all kinds of controversies will be amplified.
For example, the teleprompter used in "Tucao Conference" was exposed. Although Yi Lijing cleverly joked, "Do you think the teleprompter taught me how to complain about them? It restricted me to only complain about them like this." The audience still didn't Buy it; when Zhou Qi participated in the "Tucao Conference", the focus of the guests' complaints had risen to the Chinese men's basketball team. This move undoubtedly touched the back of the Chinese Basketball Association, and later this program was quietly removed from the shelves.
The most controversial guest in "Talk Show Conference" is none other than Yang Li. The concept of "common men" touched the pain points of many men, which also dissuaded some male viewers. In addition, problems such as the unprofessional comedian, Zhou Xun's failure to ring the bell in time, and the elimination of contestants all lowered the audience's expectations for the variety show.
Nowadays, although new variety shows such as "Wonderful Night" are launched one after another, new variety shows are also faced with the problem of too many variety shows and not enough actors. Judging from the guest lineup, although the audience hopes to see familiar faces, they are still eager for innovation in the program. For example, "Easy Comedy Festival" features familiar faces such as Xu Zhisheng and other familiar faces. The old jokes about self-deprecating appearance do not bring enough freshness to the audience. , "President Please See a Doctor", which dominated the short drama style, was successfully released.
As for comedy labels, although they have been developed for many years, they still have the problem of over-reliance on old faces. In addition to Xiaoguo Culture, which has been on the rise for many years, it has produced many comedies such as Li Dan, Pang Bo, Cheng Lu, Yang Li, Xu Zhisheng, He Guangzhi, etc. People, others like Happy Twist are Shen Teng and Ma Li, Dawan Entertainment is the double heroine structure of Jia Ling and Zhang Xiaofei, and the famous single actor is still Zhou Qimo.
As Wu Baohe, a professor at the Shanghai Theater Academy, said, "Not everyone can do comedy well, and not everyone can do it well if they have money. The focus is on the 'comedian.'" Without a systematic training mechanism, it is true that incubation platforms and Exposure channels cannot form a complete comedy industry chain, and it will take time to build a healthy comedy ecology.
In order to break the problem of duplication and singleness of Xizong content, major platforms have also launched innovations, and gradually derived the "Xizong+" model.
"My Hometown and Me" focuses on "Xizong + Culture and Tourism", combining hometown characteristics with Xizong, and stars personally appear to speak for their hometown; "There's a Show Tonight" uses "Xizong + plot" to eliminate young people's expectations Trouble, the "theme plot" will be reconstructed every day; "Haha Maker Department Store" will use the form of "Xizong + Tuanzong", each issue will perform scenario interpretations and conduct product selection meetings for consumers, which is worth looking forward to.
Overall, Xizong is entering an inflection point. How to continue to discover new talents and continuously generate blood for the program is a challenge faced by the creators. Nowadays, after ten years of Xizong, the audience is still waiting for the return of the new Xizhong hit. Neither the audience nor the program have stayed where they are. Whether the two can continue to resonate at the same frequency depends on the performance of the work.
