1) TOP FORMAT DOG
German broadcaster RTL has commissioned a second season of the ‘pet format’ Top Dog (with the title Top Dog Germany - Der Beste Hund Deutschlands), which is distributed by A+E Networks Global Content Sales. The German version was launched last year and will return with seven two-hour long episodes, including a celebrity special.
In the show, teams of highly skilled dogs and their owners compete against each other, testing the canines’ speed, agility and teamwork in a series of fun but also tough challenges against the clock.
Top Dog first aired on A&E in the US and is one of the titles of the trend which has improved most during these pandemic years: the ‘pet shows’. Formats about animals existed of course also before the Covid era, but during this period they literally exploded, with a number of shows like Dieting With My Dog, Pooch Perfect, Pet Heroes, Dog Patrol, Puppy School, Dog Almighty, Dog House and many others.
In any case this trend will last for sure beyond the emergency: pets are not only man’s best friends, but also very fit for television…
2) THE MILLIONAIRE’S FINGER
In Italy -and in other places- there is a figure of speech: ‘nothing of the pig is thrown away’. In other words, if something has success, let’s get the most out of it, using all its segments and parts. This is exactly the sense of Fastest Finger First, spin-off of the world-famous quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, soon on ITV.
As the name suggests, Fastest Finger First expands on the first round of Millionaire, where contestants have to put their answers to a multiple-choice question in a specific order. Five contestants play against each other to take it in turns to work their way up the question ladder. The two players with the biggest score at the end of the round go head-to-head in a ‘Fastest Finger First duel’. At the end of each episode, whoever is in the seat when the klaxon sounds has won a place to be fast tracked to sit in the hot seat in front of Millionaire’s host Jeremy Clarkson, by-passing the usual ‘Fastest Fingers First’ round that opens the show.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? is a Sony Pictures Television format and it is the most adapted format in the history of television (over 120 territories around the world since launching in 1998). It is also a multi-award-winning franchise (it has won over 65 awards worldwide) and its merchandising has been expanded to 140 product lines, from board games to Christmas crackers.
But not for this all its spin-offs are necessarily unmissable.
2) BABY & JOHNNY ARE BACK!
A few years ago there was a boom of dancing competitions/talents, with lots of interesting shows (one among all, Armoza’s Dancing Revolution). Then, as always happens, a brief pause of this genre has followed. Today, with The Real Dirty Dancing, which will premiere on February 1 in prime time on Fox, there is a come-back.
Eight celebrities fully immerse themselves in the ultimate experience of Dirty Dancing, the famous 1987 film starring Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze. Set at Virginia's Mountain Lake Lodge, the real location for the film's fictional Kellerman's Lodge, the stars partner up and attempt to re-create classic scenes, including the legendary lift that cemented the film's spot in cinematic history. Thanks to the memorable music and unforgettable fashion, viewers will be transported back to the magical summer in 1963. The competition also features special guest judges who help decide which celebrity couples make it through and which couples are ‘put in a corner.’ In the end, one man and one woman are crowned the winning ‘Baby’ and ‘Johnny’, becoming ‘The Real Dirty Dancing’ champions.
Following the episodes’ linear debuts, the series will become available on FOX’s free streaming platform Tubi. Welcome back, Baby & Johnny!