Comedy variety shows won't work by "wrist" and "routine" alone

　　【Viewers have a heart】

　　In the busy days, comedy has long become a necessity of life, and laughing has become a necessity of life.

Because of this, the sketches on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala are highly anticipated every year, and all kinds of comedy and variety shows often whet the appetite of the audience.

A large number of comedy variety shows will end in 2021, and another batch of comedy variety shows will be launched in 2022.

For some comedy shows, audience reviews were mixed.

What kind of comedy can make people laugh, what kind of comedy can make people laugh with tears and fall into thinking, what kind of comedy is worth watching repeatedly, there may not be a standard answer, but what is certain is that comedy variety shows rely on actors alone" "Big wrist" won't work, and it won't work by copying and imitating low-level routines.

　　How much do audiences need comedy?

In the past, audiences looked forward to the Spring Festival Gala, and one of the most important reasons was that there were sketches in the Spring Festival Gala.

And after the Spring Festival every year, the most cyclical programs on the major TV stations must be the language programs of the Spring Festival Gala. Among them, there are both new programs of the year and old programs of previous years, and many series of programs are broadcast continuously.

With the emergence of comedy variety shows, the audience's enthusiasm for comedy has increased unabated.

The emergence of comedy variety shows has even set off a new climax for the public to watch sketches, listen to cross talk, and pay attention to comedy models. Many comedy jokes have become Internet hits, and a group of comedians have entered the public eye.

　　However, the consumption power of variety shows is obvious in various types of programs.

In the early days, comedy variety shows competed for beauty, both actors and programs had a certain degree of freshness, and the continuous output of excellent works was a feast for the eyes.

However, as various TV stations, commercial websites, etc. scrambled to compete in the comedy field, rushing to get a piece of the pie, various problems were quickly exposed.

The more obvious problems include that some actors are busy with "playing together" and "swiping their faces" on multiple variety shows, old stories are told back and forth, old jokes are repeated, and aesthetic fatigue is quickly reflected in the audience's viewing experience; although some Actors hope to take every arena seriously and strive to continue to create good works, but the fast pace of variety shows will drain their inspiration sooner or later. In the end, they are exhausted and helplessly fall into a vicious circle of earning money; compared to actors earning money, what is more terrifying is "stealing money". Eating "other people's money", imitation, plagiarism, and routine will eventually consume the future of comedy.

　　In the years from 2015 to 2020, comedy variety shows have gone through a battle for hegemony and iterative upgrades, such as sketches, cross talk, talk shows, sitcoms, etc. You can sing and I will appear, which greatly meets the spiritual and cultural needs of the people, but In the later stage, the overall development of comedy variety shows gradually showed fatigue.

Still, as long as audiences need comedy, there will be people who will go after the market.

Just around 2021, several major comedy groups we are familiar with have also begun to test the waters of comedy variety shows, and have launched group variety shows one after another.

Because of the audience base accumulated in the early stage, it is also expected that it will become popular before it is broadcast.

Objectively speaking, these troupes combined professionalism and entertainment to explore and try, and indeed contributed a lot of burdens and laughs, but there is still a certain gap between this and the audience's expectations.

The reason is that the audience is already aesthetically tired of some entertainment-oriented game modes and even spoof modes, and the ticklish giggling can no longer meet the audience's expectations.

In essence, these troupes rely on the traffic accumulation of some actors, apply the variety show model, copy the game routine, and still follow the old road of traffic realization, and the results are not satisfactory.

　　In recent years, we have suddenly discovered that some people have narrowed the path of comedy.

For example, with the proliferation of "Happy Heads and Sad Tails"-style programs, more and more works are deliberately provocative, creating a tragic ending in order to sublimate the theme.

Some once-popular comedy variety shows have also been abandoned by the audience due to the intensification of "happy ends".

What is the reason?

As many comedians often say, it's easier to make people cry than to make people laugh.

Comedy variety shows are fast-paced, and comedians choose shortcuts because of "time pressure", and the routine script of "happy beginnings and sad endings" is forced to be the first choice.

This method not only consumes itself, but also consumes the audience relationship accumulated by the older generation of comedians relying on classic works.

　　In fact, a variety show featuring sketch comedy in 2021 will bring a lot of surprises to the audience, and its innovations in many aspects have aroused heated discussions.

For example, the actors invited by this show are almost all "waist actors" who have no traffic but outstanding acting skills, which has changed the trend of "traffic first"; the comedy shows presented include comics, mimes, musicals, object dramas, one-man shows, etc. Form, works are eclectic, winning by quality; pushing excellent screenwriters to the front, reaffirming that "content is king"; works highlight the characteristics of the times, seek themes and inspiration from current life, and resonate with the audience.

This show appeared when the comedy variety show was showing signs of fatigue. Like a ray of sunshine in the cold winter, people saw hope and looked forward to another spring of comedy.

　　In 2022, some comedy and variety shows will be broadcast one after another. At present, the whole is developing in a good direction, but we should also beware of the rebound of some old problems.

For example, some programs rely on the popularity accumulated by previous programs to launch "upgraded versions", and the comedians invited are not small, but it is difficult to see good works, which is disappointing; It was performed in a more relaxed way. As a result, the comedy was not seen, and there were a lot of farces. It was difficult for the embarrassing mode to cover up the lack of innovation.

There is a very good saying, "We are serious about being funny", which should be the common attitude of comedians in doing comedy, not an empty slogan.

Audiences want comedy, and they want quality comedy that is up to date.

Comedy variety shows should still take "really bringing happiness to the audience" as the highest pursuit, and comedians should use excellent works to win the audience.

Only in this way can the future of comedy be more splendid.

　　(Author: Li Wei, is an associate researcher at the Shaanxi Provincial Research Center for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and the Shaanxi Academy of Social Sciences)