Saudi Idol Leads December’s Wit List

Saudi Idol, the Saudi adaptation of the hit talent contest format, generated the most buzz on Instagram out of all the new shows that premiered around the world in December, according to The WIT.

Saudi Idol debuted on MBC1 at the end of December and garnered 69,000 followers to take first place. Hosted by Saudi musician Rajeh Alharthi, who has 3.9 million followers himself, the show features Ahlam Alshamsi (14.6 million followers), Assala Nasri (11.2 million), Majid Almohandis (2.9 million) and Aseel Abubakr (31,000) as judges.

The Turkish telenovela Kan Çiçekleri (Blood Flowers) earned 29,000 followers after its December 5 premiere on Kanal 7 to take second place. It follows the complicated relationship between a man and a woman who agree to an arranged marriage in order to close a blood feud that has raged between their two families for years. Barış Baktaş (131,000 followers) and Yagmur Yüksel (37,000) star.

La última (Our Only Chance), which made its debut on December 2 on Disney+, racked up 21,000 followers for third place. The Spanish YA comedy-drama follows Candela, who works for a logistics company but never stops pursuing her one and only passion: music. One night, a record company executive overhears her singing in a bar. Singer Aitana Ocaña, who has 3.5 million followers, stars in the lead role. She was originally discovered by the Spanish talent competition Operación Triunfo.

Airing on Rai2 in Italy, Viva Rai2 is a morning magazine show hosted by singer and TV personality Fiorello (1.9 million followers) that features music guests, interviews and ironic commentary on the news. The show picked up 20,000 followers for the fourth spot on December’s list.

Rounding out the top five, the ALLBLK series Hush (16,000), is about a top marriage and sex therapist, TV personality and best-selling author who finds herself entangled in a web of lies, sex and murder that could cost her everything. It stars Ts Madison (727,000), Caryn Ward (34,000) and Joyful Drake (16,000).

Nikki Bella (10.6 million followers) hosts a celebrity game show in the sixth-place program Barmageddon (13,000). The show stars Blake Shelton (5.8 million) and Carson Daly (619,000), who go head to head in a series of classic bar games with a fun twist to win a prize for an internet star each is supporting.

With 9,000 followers for the seventh slot on the list, FOX Turkey’s Hayatımın Şansı (The Chance of My Life) tells the story of a young single mother who tries to hold on as best she can while taking care of her daughter. Erkan Avcı (427,000 followers), İlker Kızmaz (174,000) and Alican Yücesoy (159,000) star in the series.

Breinholts Julekalender 2022 (Breinholt’s Christmas Calendar 2022) is in eighth place on December’s list, with 6,000 followers. The Danish factual-entertainment show sees journalist Anders Breinholt, who has 224,000 followers, and his friends taste different beers for 24 days in order to pick the best of the year.

Kindred, starring Micah Stock (14,000 followers), Lindsey Blackwell (8,000) and Mallori Johnson (5,000), racked up 5,000 followers for ninth place. The time-travel drama series, available on FX on Hulu in the U.S., is based on Octavia E. Butler’s novel of the same name about a young Black woman and aspiring writer who has uprooted her life of familial obligation and relocated to Los Angeles.

Closing out December’s list, Spain’s adaptation of The Bachelorette, Para toda la vida: The Bachelorette, garnered 4,000 followers after its debut on Telecinco. Hosted by Jesús Vázquez (1 million), the series sees a young woman look for love among a group of 20 suitors.

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