What to expect from Táo Quân 2025?

Việt Nam•17/01/2025

Audiences are hoping that Táo Quân 2025 will revive the spiritual treat that has somewhat "cooled down" on New Year's Eve in recent years.

For over two decades, the Year-End Gathering (Tao Quan) has been an unmissable event, a source of laughter to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new for generations of viewers. However, that laughter has become less frequent in recent years. Most recently, Tao Quan 2024, with its disjointed script and revamped cast, failed to meet audience expectations.

This year, Táo Quân welcomes back a cast of veteran artists whose names are closely associated with the program. This is a positive sign to revitalize the spiritual feast during the Lunar New Year. Audiences are looking forward to a captivating script that summarizes a series of outstanding events in each field. In particular, the character played by People's Artist Tự Long will be the center of attention with his appeal from "Brother Who Overcame a Thousand Obstacles".

Veteran artists make a comeback.

For a long time, personnel changes have been a hotly debated topic every season of Táo Quân (the annual Lunar New Year comedy show). Most viewers believe that the "old generation giving way to the new" principle needs to be considered. In 2022, the duo of Nam Tào and Bắc Đẩu were first led by young actors Duy Nam and Hà Trung, replacing People's Artist Công Lý and People's Artist Xuân Bắc. 2024 saw an unprecedented "reshuffling" of personnel in Táo Quân. However, these adjustments did not yield the desired results.

After a year's absence, veteran artists including People's Artist Tu Long, Meritorious Artist Quoc Khanh, Meritorious Artist Quang Thang, Meritorious Artist Chi Trung, and artist Van Dung will reunite with audiences in Tao Quan 2025. However, People's Artist Xuan Bac and People's Artist Cong Ly will not appear in this year's program. In addition, young actors such as Duy Nam, Ha Trung, and Manh Dung will continue to accompany the "Tao" characters.

The hallmark of Táo Quân (the annual Lunar New Year comedy show) lies not only in its familiar faces but also in its format and content. The program focuses on reflecting social issues through a humorous lens and sharp satire. With its structure of the Kitchen Gods reporting to the Jade Emperor, the show has repeatedly innovated its approach with competitions, incognito visits to the mortal world, and television game shows.

The cast of artists including Tu Long, Van Dung, Quang Thang, and Chi Trung are making a comeback after a year-long absence.

According to images posted by Meritorious Artist Chi Trung, the 2025 Táo Quân (Kitchen Gods) show will feature a competition called "Road to the Heavenly Palace" with Kitchen Gods representing the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

In fact, the competition format has been used many times in Táo Quân (the annual Lunar New Year comedy show), such as "Hoa Táo" in 2009, "Táo Idol" in 2011 based on the music program Vietnam Idol, "Who's the Assistant" in 2015 inspired by the show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and "Táo Bạo" in 2023. Therefore, whether Táo Quân 2025 is insightful or bland depends on the selection of prominent issues and how trends are captured through the artists' witty banter.

In 2024, major events occurred in the political , economic, cultural, and social spheres. The fight against corruption, negative practices, and waste continued to be intensified. Many major cases were tried last year, including those involving Van Thinh Phat Group and Tan Hoang Minh Group, attracting significant public attention.

Last year, the historic Typhoon Yagi and subsequent floods caused extensive damage to the northern provinces, but during those difficult times, many stories of sharing and solidarity were shared.

The cultural and entertainment sectors boomed with the airing of two programs, "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles" and "Brother Says Hi," accompanied by a series of unprecedented concerts. More recently, sports marked a milestone with the Vietnamese men's national football team winning the ASEAN Cup 2024.

Besides that, several other viral events on social media promise to be talked about, such as the sport of pickleball, the extravagant lifestyle in charity work, and scenes of people rushing to buy gold... While the material for Táo Quân 2025 is diverse and abundant, its success also depends on how the production team processes and stages the program.

The Challenges of the Kitchen God

Over the years, the quality of Táo Quân has declined rapidly, with viewers repeatedly disappointed by the formulaic staging, forced comedic elements, and the lack of depth in addressing anticipated issues. For many viewers, seeing the veteran artists is the reason they continue to support the program.

"Audiences love Táo Quân because of the cast of comedians like Tự Long, Xuân Bắc, Chí Trung, Vân Dung, Quốc Khánh, Quang Thắng, and Công Lý, who interact with each other, delivering witty and biting lines that are sharper than a sea of chili peppers... not because of bland comedic skits. So, even the absence of one comedian feels disappointing, let alone two," commented a viewer.

Táo Quân faced difficulties as its veteran cast showed signs of fatigue, but audiences were still shocked when Táo Quân 2024 suddenly changed its lineup of veteran artists, leaving only Meritorious Artist Quốc Khánh in the role of Ngọc Hoàng (Jade Emperor).

This year, Táo Quân (the annual Lunar New Year comedy show) is revamping its production team for the new season. Táo Quân 2025 is being produced by VTV3, instead of VFC as in previous years. The show is helmed by director and Meritorious Artist Bùi Như Lai – Vice Rector of the Hanoi University of Theatre and Film. However, the remaining roles are handled by familiar faces: the script is still written by Đinh Tiến Dũng, the costumes are designed by Đức Hùng, and singer Minh Quân is involved in music production.

Artists prepare costumes and props before the filming of Táo Quân 2025. Photo: Đức Hùng.

Despite having a new production team, the challenge of improving the show remains unresolved. Previously, the Táo Quân team had experimented and strived to innovate both in format and cast. Each season, the program received some positive feedback, but at other times it failed to satisfy viewers. Witnessing Táo Quân's struggles over the years shows that innovating the highlight program of New Year's Eve is no easy task.

Currently, Táo Quân 2025 has the advantage of a massive amount of material this year along with the return of veteran artists. Notably among the Táo Quân cast is People's Artist Tự Long. The male artist has been trending on social media since the show "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Thorns".

Based on images shared by Meritorious Artist and fashion designer Duc Hung from the first filming session, the New Year's Eve comedy show "Meeting at the End of the Year" for the Year of the Snake depicts a stormy weather scene, and it's highly likely that the characters Khuong "the reckless" (Duy Hung) and Chai (Long Vu) will also make an appearance.

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