“The Drifters,” “The Hyokkinzoku,” and “Iitomo!”: A Thorough Examination of the Untold Stories Behind the Legendary Variety Shows of the 1980s Golden Age of Television, Based on Testimonies from Those Involved

The Drifters struggled as new shows rose to prominence.

In Part 1, we introduced the variety shows that defined the 1980s, as selected by six experts well-versed in the television industry—including former TV producers, broadcast writers, TV columnists, and university professors. Now, the focus shifts to a phenomenon of a show that achieved peak viewership ratings of over 50%.

In contrast, *It’s 8 O’Clock! Everyone Gather Here* (TBS), featuring The Drifters, was a show where the cast devised their material from scratch and underwent extensive rehearsals. Although it was a “monster show” with peak viewership ratings exceeding 50%, former Nippon TV producer Gotomine Okada analyzed that “The Drifters were entering a turning point.”

“They would rehearse for three to four days just for a single skit and spend several million yen on set design per episode. That meticulousness was the show’s strength, but by the 1980s, improvisation—as exemplified by the aforementioned *Hyokkinzoku*—had become the trend.

In fact, *It’s 8 O’Clock! Everyone Gather Here* struggled to compete in the ratings race. For the Drifters—who, for better or worse, were craftsmen—the 1980s marked a turning point where their own style began to diverge from the prevailing trends.”

In step with that trend, *Waratte Iitomo!* (Fuji TV) debuted in 1982.

“It was packed with the thrills of live broadcasting, such as actually bringing on stage ordinary people who had been accidentally connected during the signature segment ‘Telephone Shock.’ It also served as the catalyst for Tamori—who had previously made the late-night slot his main arena—to leap into the mainstream,” said TV columnist Tamami Hiyama.

“Sekai Marugoto HOW Match” (TBS) also defined an era.

“It was a quiz variety show where contestants guessed the prices of rare items from around the world—such as cheese made from breast milk and ice cream for dogs—based on clues from on-site reports.Initially, the production team had envisioned a concept similar to the smash hit *Quiz Derby* (TBS), but host Kyosen Ohashi (who passed away at age 82) dismissed the idea outright, saying, ‘That won’t work.’

A new quiz variety show was born. In an era dominated by stage comedy sketches and outrageous special segments, it was remarkable that a show centered on quizzes achieved viewership ratings of over 30 percent,” said Mr. Kageyama (mentioned earlier).

While the TV industry was centered in Tokyo, one show that stood out was *Owarai Manga Dojo* (Nippon TV network), produced by Chukyo TV. In the show, cast members competed to draw manga based on themes announced by the host.

“The participating manga artists would sometimes take jabs at each other and occasionally weave in some risqué humor as they responded to various themes through their manga. Their banter had a peaceful charm that was different from Tokyo-style variety shows.

The ‘Bonus Corner,’ where Naomi Kawashima (died at age 54) and Dankichi Kuruma (82) presented gifts based on postcards sent in by viewers, was also hugely popular,” said Hiromichi Shizume, a former TV Asahi producer.

The legendary shows from television’s golden age still shine brightly today.

From the July 31, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*