1) GERMANY: TWO FORMAT ADAPTATIONS
In the last days 2 formats have been adapted /ordered for the German market.
The first one is the celeb panel show Fakt oder Fake (Fact or Fake) which will premiere in 2022 on Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), ARD’s free-to-air channel for Bavaria. It comes from the near Austria, where it was launched with the same title in 2019 and was quickly reconfirmed for a second and then for a third series. The international distributor is BBC Studios.
In this fun and fast paced show, three guest comedians are shown viral videos and social media posts, newspaper headlines and urban legends by the show’s poker-faced host (and comedian himself) Clemens Maria Schreiner, and they must separate out the facts from the fiction.
The second one is a dating/reality, ordered by Germany’s Vox, based on the French show Et Si On Se Rencontrait? (And If We Met?), on air on M6 and reconfirmed for a second series.
The program follows couples of young people, who are emotionally invested with someone they have only ever met virtually, meeting finally face-to-face in an extraordinary location: will there be a romantic spark? The format explores the dynamics of online meetings and virtual datings, mixing them with the classical reality show formula.
The German version, entitled Love IRL (“In Real Life”), is being produced by Endemol Shine Germany, whose parent Banijay has also picked up format rights in the UK, Italy, Spain, Holland and Flanders in Belgium.
2) JAPAN: TWO NEW GAME-SHOWS
Japan reconfirms its strong tradition in game-shows: in the last months a number of new formats of this genre has been launched. Two in particular are quite interesting, being a long way from the stereotype of the “weird and wacky Japanese game”.
In the chase game, set in an electronic shop, Sneak n Shop (TV Asahi Corporation), 7 members of a team try to take to the “registered zone” as many items as they can. But they must be very careful: 2 drone drivers have the task of chasing them with their drones and, if they manage to read the key word written on the participant’s t-shirt and helmet, the first time the contestant looses 1 point, the second time he is eliminated and all the items he has caught so far are confiscated.
In addition to be entertaining in itself, this format is also a clever example of brand funded program: the drones can capture various items in a “casual” and “indirect” way every time they want.
Play Innocent (Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation) is a psychological battle: 4 celebrities contestants play what seems to be a normal quiz, but one of them (named “X”) has been provided with all the correct answers right before the show. While the 3 “honest” players want to answer correctly, X tries to mislead them in order to win (all the answers must be given unanimously). At the end of the episode, the identity of X is revealed and if there are more correct answers, the team wins, otherwise the victory goes to X: the loosers or looser will have spectacular punishments.
To tell the truth it’s not the first time that this mechanism (based on the traditional “Whos’s the werewolf” game) is used in a quiz, but in this format the “psychological” element is well balanced with a traditional quiz show, in a fully entertaining formula.
3) DANCING WITH SHAKIRA
US broadcast network NBC together with LA prodco Irwin Entertainment is going to launch the challenge series Dancing With Myself with famous singer Shakira.
The show will see a new group of dancers each week compete in a series of challenges that are designed and demonstrated by the show’s creators. Isolated in their own pods, contestants have a short time to learn the new routines, add their unique flair and then perform in front of a live audience. As they progress through the competition, Shakira (who gives the format a social media slant) and her judging panel provide feedback and encouragement before the studio audience decides the winner.