With Eric Tsang at the helm, TVB released a full line-up of new variety shows in April. Here are my thoughts on them:
- Big Big Old World (尋人記): I watched two episodes of this and it was not as boring as I thought it would be. It was interesting to see what has changed and what hasn't for the subjects of the old news clips. Rating: 5/10.
- Stars Academy (聲夢傳奇): The format of the competition is what makes this show thrilling. The
stagedtotally coincidental twists and turns has me at the edge of my seat each week. The singing talent is good for the most part, but not as great as JW's expressions. Rating: 9/10.
- Mamas' Day (日日媽媽聲): This show is unexpectedly hilarious with the three hosts badgering male guests. It is probably borderline male-hating, but women go through enough with pregnancy and childbirth that they should be allowed to have some fun at the expense of men. Rating: 7/10.
- Have a Big Laugh (開心大綜藝): Many people say this show is just a revival of Enjoy Yourself Tonight (EYT), but I don't mind that. The first episode was way too loud and chaotic, which they thankfully fixed in more recent episodes. The segments range from unfunny to mildly entertaining. Rating: 5/10.
- Prankenstein (大整蠱): This show is a straight-up copy of Johnson Lee's Office of Practical Jokes, except with more immature and juvenile pranks. The only watchable part was the "big" prank of each episode and even most of those fell flat. However, the show gave us this cute segment that basically made me an instant fan of Ali Lee, so I will forgive its shortcomings. Rating: 2/10.
Even though I don’t love all of the shows, it’s great to see TVB finally putting the “variety” back in its variety shows, rather than just travel and cooking shows!