Six TV Professionals Reveal the Behind-the-Scenes Stories of the Legendary Shows from the “Golden Age of ’80s Variety,” Which Consistently Achieved Viewing Ratings Over 50%
It looks back on the golden age when Fuji TV and the industry as a whole were at the height of their glory
Ultra-long shoots—such as “wrapping up at 30:00 (6:00 a.m.) with two boxed meals”—were the norm, and production costs per program ran into the tens of millions of yen. Compliance regulations and work-style reforms were non-issues. In the 1980s, when “if it wasn’t entertaining, it wasn’t TV,” monster variety shows with peak viewership ratings exceeding 50% appeared like stars in the sky.
Focusing on the theme of the “masterpiece variety shows” from the 1980s—the funniest era of all—FRIDAY visited six seasoned television professionals, including former TV producers and scriptwriters, to conduct interviews and determine the top 10. Let’s explore the appeal of the shows that made the list.
The program most frequently cited by experts as the “supreme variety show” was *Takeshi’s Genki ga Deru TV!!* (Nippon TV network). Despite airing against NHK’s Taiga drama, it achieved a peak viewership rating of over 25%. Former TV Asahi producer Hiromichi Shizume speaks highly of it.
“Aside from iconic segments like ‘Early Morning Bazooka’ and ‘The 100-Man Squad,’ the show’s projects involving ordinary people—such as recruiting bōsōzoku members into the Self-Defense Forces, hosting a national high school dance battle tournament, and challenging students retaking the entrance exams to get into the University of Tokyo—were outstanding.
The approach of ‘focusing on interesting ordinary people’ has been carried on by *Monday Late Show* (Nippon TV), while pranks that mentally corner the targets have been inherited by *Wednesday Downtown* (TBS).It’s easy to see why Beat Takeshi (79) takes pride in saying, “Most of what’s considered funny in variety shows today was done on ‘Genki ga Deru TV.’”
TV columnist Tamami Hiyama also praises the show, saying, “It incorporated media-mix strategies that were groundbreaking for the time, such as selling original merchandise like the ‘Takeshi Maneki-neko’ and opening talent shops.”
“Numerous stars have emerged from this show, including YOSHIKI (60) of ‘X JAPAN,’ Junichi Okada (45), and Taro Yamamoto (51) of the Reiwa Shinsengumi. Its contribution to the television industry is immeasurable.”
Legendary Shows That Have Shaped Today’s Variety Scene
“Oretachi Hyokkinzoku” (Fuji TV), which began airing in 1981, also garnered enough support to come close to taking the top spot. Former Nippon TV producer Gotomine Okada highly praises it as “the textbook of variety shows.”
“Up until then, variety shows had been dominated by the carefully choreographed stage skits that *The Drifters* were known for.As if to counter that, *Hyokin-zoku* prominently featured backstage gags and ad-libs. In fact, the popular segment *Take-chan Man* was a battle of ad-libs between Takeshi and Sanma Akashiya (71).
Furthermore, *Hyokkinzoku* was the first to adopt the style of “staff members participating in skits,” which was considered taboo at the time.“There are numerous popular shows that were influenced by *Hyokkinzoku*, including *Mecha×2 Iketeru!* (Fuji TV) and *Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!* (Nippon TV).”
“Tonneruzu’s *Neruton Red Whale Troupe* (Fuji TV), an indispensable part of any discussion of the ’80s, came in third place. Despite airing in the late-night slot, it was a hit show that averaged over 17% in viewership ratings.
“Noritake Kinashi (64) and Takaaki Ishibashi (64) would watch matchmaking parties for ordinary men and women while playfully teasing the participants.This show pioneered the modern dating reality show and established the so-called ‘monitoring’ format. Unlike today’s dating reality shows featuring delinquents or wealthy people, the participants on ‘Neruton’ were ordinary men and women. Their down-to-earth romantic dynamics resonated with viewers.
Unique rules—such as “Men must be Keio University students” and “Women must have long hair”—were also entertaining. Amid the massive boom of ‘Neruton,’ ‘Tonight Is the Best!’ (Nippon TV), a sophisticated talk variety show for adults hosted by Tamori (80) that aired in the same time slot, quietly came to an end.“The phenomenal popularity of *Neruton*, which centered on young people, had a momentum that even surpassed Tamori’s,” said Takahiko Kageyama, a professor at Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts.
The show that catapulted the comedy duo Tunnelz to stardom was “All Night Fuji” (Fuji TV), which began in 1983. It was packed to the brim with outrageous segments, such as visits to adult entertainment establishments and introductions to adult videos.
“It was a free-wheeling show—with no set end time, celebrities would drop in unannounced during the live broadcast, and cast members would get completely drunk. Apparently, the show was so outrageous that it was flooded with complaints, but it still achieved a peak viewership rating of 7.2%, an exceptional figure for a late-night slot,” said a variety show producer at a major network.
In ’85, “Yuyake Nyan Nyan” (Fuji TV) debuted.
“The ‘Onyanko Club,’ which debuted through the flagship audition segment ‘Search for an Idol,’ was a huge success.However, while it started off strong, it failed to discover new stars afterward, and its raunchy humor felt like a pale imitation of *All Night Fuji*. Surprisingly, it ended after just two years. Even when comparing the caliber of the stars it produced, it couldn’t hold a candle to *All Night Fuji*,” (same source)
Kinichi Hagimoto (85) and The Drifters—the two giants who rose to stardom in variety shows throughout the ’60s and ’70s—maintained their momentum well into the ’80s.Broadcast writer Mihoko Yamada argued that the “Kin-Don!” series (Fuji TV network) should be included in the top 10.
“The one I’d particularly like to highlight is the second-season show, *Kin-Don! Good Kids, Bad Kids, Average Kids*. It was a program where the cast created improvised skits based on viewer submissions. It was born from an idea proposed by Mr. Hagimoto, who had a regular radio show, to incorporate a ‘postcard corner’ into television as well.
Viewers could enjoy the feeling of actually helping to create the show themselves. It was innovative for its time and showcased Mr. Hagimoto’s talent as a producer.”
From the July 31, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*