There are shows that we secretly enjoy and which we rarely talk about for fear of seeming a little light.
Masked singerswhich still sits at the top of the TVA ratings, is one of those shows that delights all audiences. The concept, however, is disconcertingly simple: a panel must discover the identity of a star singing in an extravagant costume that hides her from head to toe. An eagle, a unicorn, an ear of corn, a zebra, a rhino, no disguise, no matter how eccentric, is proof against costume designers.
How can you let yourself be captivated by a show that is as simple as pie? When Masked singers started, I resisted. Like perhaps thousands of viewers who claim to be sophisticated and demanding. My resistance was short-lived.
It only took a few Sunday evenings for me to become addicted, despite the infantilizing enthusiasm of Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge, which got on my nerves (skillfully replaced since by Sébastien Benoît), and a few elements that seemed useless to me, like the cardboard vault. Since then, I have never ceased to marvel at the breathtaking costumes and magical settings in which the stars operate.
The concept comes from Korea
The idea of Masked singers was born in South Korea. Titled King of Mask Singerthe concept is the opposite of another recent Korean success, Squid Gamea violent series whose fame here was quite short-lived. As is often the case – consider Surprise on catchwhich the late Marcel Béliveau had so much difficulty selling – the American promoter Craig Plestis toured the world in vain in the hope of monetizing his concept.
In the end, he, who had bought the concept after seeing the show by chance in a Thai restaurant, ended up finding a way to sell it. Originally, King of Mask Singer featured two stars in competition from head to toe and singing the same tune. A sort of duel. Plestis decided instead to focus on identifying stars singing solo. An even simpler concept. Fox was the first to take the bait.
An absolute record
The first show was presented on January 2, 2019 with Nick Cannon as host and four panelists, including American comedian Ken Jeong, of South Korean origin, as the concept.
The reviews were lukewarm, but not the public response. The first broadcast attracted more than nine million viewers and, unusually, 11.48 million people watched the repeat the following month. On February 2, 2020, 23.7 million viewers watched the broadcast, which immediately followed the Super Bowl. An absolute record.
The simplest ideas are often the best.
