Following the absence of talk shows and variety shows last year, at the end of the summer season of 2024, talk shows finally returned online with double the volume. On August 16, iQIYI launched a new program "The King of Comedy Stand-up Season" (hereinafter referred to as "Xidan"

Following the absence of talk shows and variety shows last year, at the end of the summer season of 2024, talk shows finally returned online with double the volume.

First of all, the concept of the program. It is also a talk show and competition variety show, but the focus of the two programs is different. "The King of Comedy Stand-up Season" is initiated by Stephen Chow, with the slogan "From a small person to the king of comedy". Guo Qilin, Yang Tianzhen, Wu Zhenyu and others serve as "atmosphere team leaders", Pang Bo , Wang Jianguo Four old talk show friends, Yang Li and Zhou Qimo , served as "atmosphere team members" and jointly introduced treasured stand-up comedians to the audience. Through grouping and competition on the same stage, the "King of Stand-up Comedy of the Year" was finally determined.

The program uses the IP of Stephen Chow's classic movie "The King of Comedy" and focuses on "people". It is intended to witness the inspirational growth of many talk show actors with different personalities from being ignored to comedy stars. However, judging from the content of the feature film, the program did not fully expand and record the life background, transformation process, and interactive communication of the group of characters in the form of a reality show. Whether it is the IP halo of the promoter Stephen Chow or the short story about the four devils recruiting talk show newcomers at the beginning of the show, it is more like a gimmick to attract others, and has little to do with the content of the show. The essence of the show is still a talk show competition.

Secondly, among the actors participating in the "Hidden List", there are not many contestants who meet the definition of "little people". Many actors are already hard-to-find comedy stars offline, and the lineup is quite luxurious - there are black lights, There are seed contestants like Tang Xiangyu who have participated in online programs and are very capable; there are also "talk show ogs" like Xiaolu and Liu Yang. The two are from the leading label Danliren Comedy, and they are the same as the founders Boss Shi and Zhou Qimo. It is called the "Graphite Deer Cult"; among the "newcomers" who have debuted on the online talk show stage for the first time, Menqiang, Fu Hang, etc. are all mature actors with rich offline performance experience and have performed many special performances. , has also accumulated high popularity on the short video platform. In the

program, we can only glimpse a few "comedy characters" in the gaps between some "fairy fights". For example, Liu Rencheng comes from Anyi County, Jiangxi Province, the "hometown of aluminum alloy doors and windows". As a high school dropout, he joked that he came from a "prominent family" and had "no scholarship, just family status." It tells the interesting and sad stories of him leaving his hometown, "not doing his job", and insisting on being engaged in comedy. After the performance, the program team took the audience closer to the place where this "little man" grew up - in an aluminum alloy door and window store called "Fat Man Doors and Windows" that was not spacious, slightly messy and shabby. , lives with Liu Rencheng’s family. The camera captured the poem "I will be at the top of the mountain and see all the small mountains at a glance". Liu Rencheng introduced somewhat shyly that he wrote it to motivate himself when he was experiencing a period of confusion after dropping out of school. It was reminiscent of "The King of Comedy" "At the beginning of the film, Stephen Chow shouted to the sea, "Work hard! Strive!" This flash of grassroots spirit gave "Xitan" one of the few keynote moments.

On the other hand, the tone of "Tuoyou" focuses on relaxation and joy. The slogan of the show is "Troubles in life, talk about them with talk shows." It aims to allow talk show actors to compete on the same stage with their own life experiences, and through funny, Fun and self-deprecating jokes relieve worries, share happiness, and convey a positive attitude towards life and comedy spirit.Although some actors were transferred to "Xidan", there are still many familiar faces in "Tuoyou". The scene is like a gathering of old friends, and the content of the jokes is also quite life-like: Xu Zhisheng shared his experience of playing the male lead, Doudou performed the famous scene of himself and his girlfriend dancing while exercising, and Hulan dissected the mental internal friction of young people... The familiar style and familiar characters all made the audience smile and reaffirm that "talk shows are really back."

The new contestants in "Tuoyou" also performed well. For example, Haha Cao, who talked about participating in a rap battle, and the big country player from the philosophy department, etc., all left a deep impression on netizens. But in comparison, the "passion talk show" pioneered by Fuhang in "Xidan" has the highest popularity, and may be the most "explosive" talk show actor this year.

The production team of the two talk show variety shows this year can be said to be split from the previous " Talk Show Conference ": Tan Xiaohong, the general director of "Xishan", was previously the "Talk Show Conference" The chief director, Yang Li, Wang Jianguo and others not only joined the show as stand-up comedy friends, but also took on the work of behind-the-scenes screenwriters. As for "Tuoyou", the screenwriters behind the scenes include well-known actors such as Niaoniao and Tong Monan.

It is worth mentioning that "Xi Dan" has a more accurate grasp of the detailed rhythm of the program. It puts all the relevant reality show content such as players' free formation of teams and allocation of opponents in the early stage into the "pilot film". It also quickly cuts some of the actors' scenes in the main film that did not perform particularly well. From the audience's point of view, this kind of editing operation makes the viewing experience better, and the "essence" of the entire program will be higher. In contrast, the "Friends Off" episode, which lasted nearly 3 hours, was a bit long and dull. Some contestants' jokes made people unable to resist turning on the double speed or dragging the progress bar.

However, "taking off friends" also has its intentions. For example, the director team seems to have consciously created an atmosphere close to an offline theater in the program. The circular stage where the actors perform is very close to the audience. In this space, The reduction makes the actors' performances more "conversational" and helps to embody emotions.

In terms of the tutor team, the configuration of "Tuoyou" balances the sense of variety shows with professionalism: among the combination of Da Zhangwei , Zhang Yuqi , Lu Yu, Dou Wentao , the first three are regulars on talk show variety shows. , Da Zhangwei is responsible for the atmosphere, and is also good at picking up and creating jokes; Lu Yu has a deep understanding of talk shows and the talk show actors in the show, and his comments are accurate; Zhang Yuqi can provide enough information when watching the performance Emotional value; Dou Wentao’s strong cultural attributes also bring a different perspective to understanding the content of talk shows. At the same time, the host Zhang Shaogang has professional dialogue and strong scene control skills. He is also very familiar with the venue and atmosphere of the talk show. He can cue the actors to answer corresponding questions at the right time, making their personality characteristics more distinctive.

In contrast, Jiang Long, who became famous in "Annual Comedy Competition", seemed a bit "acclimated" in his performance in "Xi Dan". First, there is some unfamiliarity with the actors on stage and the content of the talk show; second, there is an obvious lack of experience in hosting and controlling the show; among the tutor team, Guo Qilin, who is also a comedian, is a professional counterpart, and his expression is both in place and appropriate; Yang Tianzhen is very familiar with the content and show control. The actors all have their own understanding and preferences and can achieve effective output; while Wu Zhenyu's "Hong Kong popular" comments are slightly lacking in fluency and professionalism.

Competitive nature and competition system

"Comedies are definitely not suitable for competitions, but without competitions, variety shows lack a lot of fun to watch." After the first episode of the program was broadcast, "Xidan" actor Liu Yang posted on Weibo This is what the blog wrote. From the perspective of variety show creation, the competitiveness of the competition largely determines whether the program is exciting enough. At this point, the first issue of "happy orders" is obviously more interesting than "leaving friends".The competition system of

"His Single" is to divide the players into four groups. In each round of competition, each group will send one player to compete, and the two with more votes will advance to the next round. In addition, the "Big Devil Challenge" is also set up, which allows players to directly compete against the four "atmosphere team members" Pang Bo, Yang Li, Wang Jianguo, and Zhou Qimo. If they succeed, they can win a "death-free gold medal" for their team. Resurrection of an eliminated player in subsequent matches. In the first episode of the program, the two "talk show kings" Pang Bo and Zhou Qimo were defeated by two dark horses, Ronaldinho and Fu Hang, and the atmosphere on the scene was ignited. Especially in the last group of battles, the PKs of Zhou Qimo, Fu Hang, and Liu Yang were called the "peak showdown" of stand-up comedy. From the viewing point of the program, this kind of script in which a new star emerges, becomes a blockbuster, and defeats the "king" is full of satisfaction.

In contrast, the first issue of "Tuoyou" seems too conservative at the beginning. The competition format of the show is that the contestants perform in turn. After each actor's performance, other contestants can choose to challenge. The contestant with the highest number of votes will advance to the next round. If no one challenges, the contestant will automatically advance. In the first episode of the show, starting with actor Zhang Boyang who came on stage first, several contestants were promoted directly after the performance because no one challenged them. The contestants seemed to have concerns because they knew each other personally and were unwilling to compete head-on on stage, which directly led to the show's competitive feel being weakened.

On the other hand, the "friend-free" competition system has also been criticized. According to the rules of the show, contestants are divided into three groups according to their personal wishes: the laughing circle, the funny circle, and the smiling circle, and compete within the groups. The result of this arrangement is that it is extremely easy Strong versus strong, weak versus weak situations arise. For example, the British actor Harry, who performed surprisingly well, met Wang Defa, who also had a blast, and was unfortunately eliminated. In contrast, another actor Zhang Hui chose the mediocre Jiang Zihao as her PK opponent. She was able to advance successfully even though she only received 134 votes, which was unacceptable to the audience. Of course, there is still a chance for the show to be revived. We will wait and see how the two variety shows perform in the future.

No matter which program can win the last laugh, the fact that talk shows are returning online and being noticed and discussed in the public eye is enough to excite people inside and outside the industry. A talk show actor once said in an interview with reporters that online talk show programs have a clear driving effect on the offline performance market. Compared with the previous model of "one company alone", only when a hundred schools of thought contend and a hundred flowers bloom can the industry develop further. It is expected that in the future, in addition to "Xidan" and "Tuyou", more different forms of online IP will appear, so that good talk show content and talk show actors can be discovered and seen, forming a healthy and stable industry ecosystem.

Written by: Nandu reporter Zhu Wenyi