Lip Sync Battle

Lip Sync Battle is an American musical reality competition television series which premiered on April 2, 2015, on Spike, later known as Paramount Network. The show is based on an idea by Stephen Merchant and John Krasinski, in which celebrities battle each other with lip sync performances. The idea was first a recurring segment on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon before being developed into a separate show.

Lip Sync Battle
Logo of the first three seasons
GenreReality competition
Created by
Directed byBeth McCarthy-Miller
Presented by
Theme music composerMarc Bolan
Robert Ginyard
Opening theme"20th Century Boy" performed by T. Rex (seasons 1-3)
"It Takes Two" performed by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock (season 4-present)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes91 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
John Krasinski
Jimmy Fallon
David Larzelere
Stephen Merchant
Casey Patterson
Jay Peterson
Rick Schwartz
ProducerLL Cool J
Camera setupMultiple-camera setup
Running time23 minutes
Production companies
Eight Million Plus Productions
Matador Content
Sunday Night
Four Eyes Entertainment
Casey Patterson Entertainment
Release
Original networkParamount Network[1]
Picture formatHDTV 1080i
Original releaseApril 2, 2015 (2015-04-02) 
present (present)
Chronology
Related showsLip Sync Battle Shorties
External links
Website

The premiere episode was the highest-rated premiere in Spike's history. Lip Sync Battle has been a hit show for the network. The series' success has led to the creation of various international adaptations. In August 2018, the show was renewed for a fifth season which premiered on January 17, 2019.

On September 22, 2020, it was announced that the series would move to another ViacomCBS network as part of the Paramount Network's upcoming shift to movies.[2]

Overview

Lip Sync Battle debuted on the American cable network Spike, on Thursday April 2, 2015.[3] It is produced by John Krasinski and Stephen Merchant and hosted by rapper and actor LL Cool J.[4][5] Model Chrissy Teigen serves as color commentator.

The show is a spin-off of a bit first introduced on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Merchant, Krasinski and Krasinski's wife, Emily Blunt, were brainstorming ideas for Krasinski's upcoming appearance on Late Night when the idea took shape.[6] Jimmy Fallon then developed it into a recurring segment on his show. The game pits two celebrities against each other in a lip syncing battle for two rounds with the crowd determining the winner of the battle after both rounds have been completed. The winner is presented with a Lip Sync Battle belt reminiscent of the WCW Television Championship title belt.

In 2014, Merchant, Krasinski and Fallon pitched the show to NBC. The network passed on the show as NBC felt that the pitch lacked sufficient development to merit a separate show. NBC's cable channels USA Network and Bravo also passed.[6] The competition series was eventually picked up by Spike cable channel, which was in the process of rebranding. "Part of what I wanted to do with Lip Sync Battle is increase co-viewing, but also add diversity to the network," said Kevin Kay, the president of the network.[7]

Lip Sync Battle has been a major success for Spike. With 2.2 million viewers, its series premiere was the highest-rated non-scripted premiere in Spike's history.[8] Kay described the show as "a television and viral rock star for Spike."[9] The show was renewed for a second season on April 22, 2015, with the network ordering 20 new episodes.[9]

The show continued to deliver high ratings. In January 2016, the network renewed the series for a third season consisting of another 20 episodes. "Lip Sync Battle is a multiplatform pop-culture phenomenon that has played an integral role in delivering a new and broader audience to Spike," said Kevin Kay, the president of the network.[10]

In July 2016, the show received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the Outstanding Structured Reality Program category.[11]

In 2017, it was announced that the show would air a live hour-long special (Lip Sync Battle Live: A Michael Jackson Celebration) on January 18, 2018, in honor of the relaunch of Spike as Paramount Network. Neil Patrick Harris, Taraji P. Henson and Hailee Steinfeld were announced as the first set of performers in January 2018 for the Michael Jackson-themed special, which originated from the Dolby Theatre and also included a presentation from Cirque du Soleil's Las Vegas residency Michael Jackson: One.[12] On August 22, 2018, the show was renewed for a fifth season consisting of 12 episodes that premiered on January 17, 2019.[13]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
118April 2, 2015 (2015-04-02)August 20, 2015 (2015-08-20)
ChristmasNovember 19, 2015 (2015-11-19)
221January 7, 2016 (2016-01-07)June 23, 2016 (2016-06-23)
LiveSeptember 11, 2016 (2016-09-11)
324October 12, 2016 (2016-10-12)July 19, 2017 (2017-07-19)
Hip HopOctober 10, 2017 (2017-10-10)
Soul TrainNovember 25, 2017 (2017-11-25)
Michael JacksonJanuary 18, 2018 (2018-01-18)
417January 25, 2018 (2018-01-25)October 29, 2018 (2018-10-29)
513January 17, 2019 (2019-01-17)June 27, 2019 (2019-06-27)

Reception

Critical response

Josef Adalian writing for Vulture noted the show's success by saying that Lip Sync Battle is "looking like a legitimate hit, both on TV and online." He also added that the show's creators "opted not to impose artificial demographic targets. They also went out of their way not to futz up the very simple premise that worked so well on Fallon’s late-night shows."[14] Amy Amatangelo of The Hollywood Reporter said that the debut of the show "had moments of great fun," although she added that the series "still seems like it is better suited as an interlude on The Tonight Show," and that "some things are better in small doses."[15] Adelle Platon of Vibe wrote that the show "is a welcome break from other singing shows crowding primetime," also adding that "with the in-house crowd serving as judges, the spirit of competition between both parties makes it a fun-for-all".[16] Emily Yahr from The Washington Post was more negative towards the show by saying that "taking out all the spontaneity and replacing it with the cheesy-slick production values of an American Idol group medley, Lip Sync Battle will probably wear out its welcome soon."[17]

Ratings

The series premiere of Lip Sync Battle delivered 2.2 million total viewers via Nielsen ratings, including a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which is the most important to advertisers. The episode notched the largest viewership for an unscripted series debut in the network's history and the largest average audience in the slot in more than eight years.[18][19] The total audience for the first several episodes of the show, including DVR replays and multiple reruns, has climbed past 15 million television viewers. Spike has also stated that various performance clips from the first three half-hour episodes of the show had already generated nearly 100 million online streams, as of April 2015.[14]

In Australia, the series premiere scored 1.124 million viewers in preliminary overnight viewership, making it the fourth most-watched program on free-to-air television for the evening.[20][21] The second episode the following week scored 1.087 million preliminary overnight viewers and ranked the fifth-highest-rated program on free-to-air television of the night.[22] This success has led to suggestions by commentators that a local adaption could be imminent.[23]

International versions

CountryTitleNetworkHostPremiere
MENALip Sync Battle Bel Arabi
ليب سينك باتل بالعربي
MBC 1Abdallah Al-NasrMarch 20, 2017
 Canada
( Quebec)
Lip Sync Battle: Face à Face[24]MusiquePlus/VJoel Legendre
Marie-Soleil Dion
October 2, 2015
 ChileLip Sync Chile[25]TVNKaren DoggenweilerJuly 6, 2015
 ChinaLip Sync Battle
Chinese: 对口型大作战
Shenzhen TV/SohuNic Li
Yu Shasha
January 29, 2016
 HungaryPlayback párbajRTL Spike/RTL KlubLaci Gáspár
Zsófi Szabó
December 2, 2016[26]
 IndonesiaCelebrity Lip Sync Battle[27]NET.Ananda OmeshOctober 12, 2015
 IndiaLip Sing Battle[28]Star PlusFarah KhanSeptember 16, 2017
 LebanonLip Sync Battle Waleha[29]LBCIDolly Ayash
Tarek Abou Jaoude
April 16, 2016
 MoroccoLip Sync Battle MarocAl AoulaAli MesbahiNovember 26, 2019
 MexicoLip Sync Mexico[30]Comedy Central/Azteca 7Nicky Jam
Adriana Ron Pedrique
July 6, 2016
 PanamaLip Sync Battle PanamáTVMaxIngrid De Ycaza
Miguel Oyola
Franklyn Robinson
July 28, 2016
 PeruLos reyes del playback[31]LatinaCristian Rivero
Jesús Alzamora
Jazmín Pinedo
February 15, 2016
 PhilippinesLip Sync Battle Philippines[32]GMA NetworkMichael V.
Iya Villania
February 27, 2016
 PolandLip Sync Battle. Ustawka[33]player.plNatalia Jakuła
Piotr Kędzierski
January 27, 2016
 PortugalLip Sync Portugal – Playback TotalSICCésar Mourão
João Manzarra
January 13, 2019
 South AfricaLip Sync Battle Africa[34]MTV Africa
e.tv
Pearl Thusi
D'Banj
April 14, 2016
 RussiaKings of Lip Sync[35][com 1]Channel One RussiaPavel Priluchnyy
Yana Koshkina
September 16, 2017
 ThailandLip Sync Battle Thailand[36]ONE HD 31 (Season 1)
GMM 25 (Season 2)
Niti Chaichitathorn
Panisara Arayasakul (Season 1)
Thanakrit Panichwit (Season 2)
July 17, 2017
 Ukraine Lip Sync Battle Ukraine[37] 1+1 TBA TBA
 United KingdomLip Sync Battle UK[38]Channel 5Mel B
Professor Green
January 8, 2016
 VietnamKỳ Phùng Địch Thủ Lip Sync Battle[39]HTV7Vân Sơn
Ngọc Trinh
Trấn Thành
August 6, 2016

Spin-off

A one-hour special hosted by Sarah Hyland aired on Nickelodeon on December 11, 2016 (followed by a repeat airing on Spike on December 14).[40] In March 2017, a series order was announced for the kid-centered spinoff.[41] In August 2017, it was announced that Nick Cannon would be replacing Sarah Hyland as the host and that JoJo Siwa would be joining him as his sidekick on Lip Sync Battle Shorties, which was expected to premiere in early 2018.[42]

See also

Notes

  1. Plywood is a Russian slang term for "lip-sync record".

References

  1. Known as Spike until the Soul Train special, including the first 3 seasons. The first episode broadcast as Paramount Network was the Michael Jackson special.
  2. White, Peter (2020-09-22). "Paramount Network To Rebrand As Paramount Movie Network; Focus On Television Movies, Cancels Non-Scripted Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  3. "Lip Sync Battle – Overview". Zap2it. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  4. Goldberg, Lesley (March 3, 2015). "Spike TV Rebrands, Inks Deal With Dwayne Johnson". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  5. "Lip Sync Battle – Episode Guide". TV Guide. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  6. Rose, Lacey (May 8, 2015). "How NBC Passed on Jimmy Fallon's 'Lip Sync Battle' and Gave Spike a Hit Show". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  7. Ross, L.A. (April 16, 2015). "How Jimmy Fallon's 'Lip Sync Battle' Launched SpikeTV's Rebrand: 'Right Swing at Right Moment'". The Wrap. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  8. Kuperberg, Jonathan (April 3, 2015). "'Lip Sync Battle' Breaks Ratings Records for Spike". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  9. Kenneally, Tim (April 22, 2015). "'Lip Sync Battle' Renewed for Season 2 by Spike TV". The Wrap. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  10. Porter, Rick (January 19, 2016). "'Lip Sync Battle' renewed for Season 3 on Spike". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  11. Craddock, Lauren (July 14, 2016). "Emmy-Nominated 'Lip Sync Battle': The 7 Best Battles (So Far)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  12. "'Lip Sync Battle LIVE' announces first three celebrities for Michael Jackson celebration". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  13. Petski, Denise (August 22, 2018). "'Lip Sync Battle' Renewed For Season 5 By Paramount Network". Deadline. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  14. Adalian, Josef (April 16, 2015). "How Spike's Lip Sync Battle Became Such a Stunning Success". Vulture. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  15. Amatangelo, Amy (April 3, 2015). "'Lip Sync Battle': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  16. Platon, Adelle (April 3, 2015). "Review: Spike TV's 'Lip Sync Battle' Is Worth Every Note". Vibe. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  17. Yahr, Emily (April 7, 2015). "'Lip Sync Battle': Aw, isn't it so cuuute when celebrities goof around? Ugh, enough!". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  18. Kenneally, Tim (April 3, 2015). "'Lip Sync Battle' Premiere Delivers Ratings Record for Spike". The Wrap. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  19. de Moraes, Lisa (April 8, 2015). "'Lip Sync Battle' Scores Live+3 Ratings Victory". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  20. Knox, David (June 30, 2015). "Q & A wins timeslot on strong night for ABC". TV Tonight. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  21. Knox, David (June 30, 2015). "Monday 29 June 2015". TV Tonight. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  22. Knox, David (July 7, 2015). "Monday 6 July 2015". TV Tonight. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  23. Knox, David (July 7, 2015). "1.09m viewers….. should Nine produce a local Lip Sync Battle?". TV Tonight. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  24. "Lip Sync Battle Face a Face: animé par Joel Legendre" (in French). MusiquePlus. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  25. "Batalla de famosos" (in Spanish). Televisión Nacional de Chile. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  26. winnie (November 4, 2016). "Hírpéntek – Workaholics-kasza!". Sorozatjunkie. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  27. "Indonesian version of Lip Sync Battle" (in Indonesian). NET. Archived from the original on June 11, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  28. "Lip Sing Battle New Show On Star Plus". filmymama.com. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  29. "Lebanese version of Lip Sync Battle -first episode" (in Arabic). LBCI. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  30. "Mexican version of Lip Sync Battle" (in Spanish). Comedy Central. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  31. "Los Reyes del Playback". Los Reyes del Playback (in Spanish).
  32. "Lip Sync Battle Asia to be aired via GMA". Adobo Magazine. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  33. Slowik, Adriana (November 17, 2015). ""Lip Sync Battle Ustawka". Nowe show platformy player.pl". Telemagazyn (in Polish). Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  34. "SA's getting its very own Lip Sync Battle TV show soon!". Channel24. February 9, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  35. Clancy, Michelle (September 5, 2017). "Channel One Russia". Rapid TV. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  36. Clancy, Michelle (March 31, 2017). "Viacom brings Lip Sync Battle to Thailand, Russia". Rapid TV. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  37. "Телеканал "1+1" работает над новым звездным развлекательным шоу пародий". ТСН.ua (in Russian). 2021-01-05. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  38. Lee, Ben (August 3, 2015). "A UK version of Lip Sync Battle is coming to Channel 5". Digital Spy. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  39. "Lộ ảnh hậu trường, Ngọc Trinh sắp "công phá" sóng truyền hình với vai trò host" (in Vietnamese). Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  40. Stone, Natalie (November 17, 2016). "Mic Drop! Sarah Hyland to Host Lip Sync Battle Shorties". People. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  41. Littleton, Cynthia (March 2, 2017). "'Lip Sync Battle Shorties' Grabs Series Order From Nickelodeon". Variety. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  42. Petski, Denise (August 1, 2017). "Nick Cannon to Host "Lip Sync Battle Shorties" on Nickelodeon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
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