Shanghai Street View: Too Much Talent?

I must admit that I have a love-hate relationship with TV talent shows, which perhaps explains my mixed reaction to the news that the granddaddy of the genre, “American Idol” is finally coming to China more than a decade after its huge success in the US. On the one hand, I do think these shows that have become a Chinese TV staple seem more like a waste of talent that could be better spent on more productive things like saving the environment or building faster computers. On the other hand, I doubt that any of the karaoke kings or other performers that populate these shows are capable of such grand achievements, so perhaps it’s not bad that at least they can entertain everyone else. I also have to admit my own secret fondness for some of the better produced shows, including “American Idol” itself.

All that said, it does seem appropriate that Shanghai was at the epicenter of the TV breakthrough that will finally bring “Idol” to China, since the city was historically the nation’s entertainment capital and is fast regaining that crown. This newest deal is the latest in a string for Shanghai’s main TV broadcaster, Shanghai Media Group (SMG), which has already brought local versions of the popular US franchises “America’s Got Talent” and “The Amazing Race” to China.

SMG said the Chinese version of “Idol” will premier in May, and will go by the Chinese name of Zhongguo Meng Zhiseng, or “The Sound of the Chinese Dream”. (Chinese article) SMG will work with FremantleMedia on the project, following the pairs’ successful collaboration on the highly popular Chinese version of “America’s Got Talent,”, known locally as Zhongguo Da Renxiu.

In the US the talent show craze was part of a broader explosion in reality TV that began in the late 1990s with the successful “Survivor” series, which pitted ordinary people against each other to see who could stay in the game the longest. But Chinese audiences have shown less interest in most of the many reality show formats that have appeared in the west, even as they wholeheartedly embraced the talent show. In China the trend dates back to 2004 and 2005, when the talent show “Supergirl” took the airwaves by storm and thrust the androgynous Li Yuchun onto the Chinese national stage.

As China’s talent show fascination grew, TV stations started filling up major portions of their prime time schedules with such programs, starring everyone from urban yuppies to aging grannies and pre-adolescent kids. China’s paternalistic industry regulator finally decided the trend had gone far enough in 2011, when it placed severe limits on the amount of talent and other reality shows that TV stations could broadcast.

You can still find plenty of talent shows on TV stations throughout the country nowadays, though I do get the sense that their numbers have shrunken considerably since the regulatory crackdown. My own personal view is that the popularity of these shows is related to the Chinese and Asian love of karaoke, and the idea that everyone has a hidden star inside him or her. I’ll also personally admit that I have become fond of some of the shows, especially when I’m exercising at the gym, because they often require little thought or attention and some of the participants really are quite talented.

Shanghai also seems like a particularly appropriate place for “Idol” to make its China debut, as the city seeks to regain its title as the Chinese and Asian capital for more contemporary-style culture. The city is already home to a vibrant culture for western-style theater, and will soon become home to the mainland’s first Disneyland. Entertainment is also thriving behind the scenes, with global giant DreamWorks Animation (NYSE: DWA) announcing last year it would join hands with SMG to set up its first Chinese animation studio in Shanghai. The pair later announced an expanded partnership that included plans to build a 20 billion yuan ($3.2 billion) entertainment center in the city’s Xuhui District. (previous post)

So, what’s the outlook for the new Chinese “Idol” show as it makes its somewhat belated arrival to Shanghai’s and China’s entertainment scene? Based on the huge success of SMG’s rendition of “America’s Got Talent”, I would say the new Chinese “Idol” show could be equally or even more successful. I don’t usually make special efforts to watch Chinese TV talent shows, but I’ll probably tune in to at least the first few episodes of Zhongguo Meng Zhisheng to see how it looks. If the picture is good, which seems likely, look for the show to quickly become a major hit in China, bringing Shanghai yet another step closer to retaking its title as Asia’s entertainment capital.