Social Wit List: January 2016

NEW YORK: In January, of all the new programs to launch globally, FOX’s Grease: Live stirred up the most buzz in social media, according to The WIT.

FOX’s live three-hour special based on the Broadway musical that inspired the 1978 cult movie starred Vanessa Hudgens (who had just lost her father) and Julianne Hough. The broadcast had around 955,000 tweets on Twitter and Facebook, making it number one in the top ten most-buzzed-about new shows in social media last month. Many comments were about the #MindBlowing live musical, #GreatSingingSkills and #PerfectFemaleCast and gave #KudostoVanessaHudgens.

Number two in the month of January was The X-Files, also on FOX. The new limited series of the cult drama that lasted for nine seasons on FOX generated around 271,000 tweets. There was a lot of #Excitement from the #AddictedFanbase about the #ClassicRevival that went #BacktotheRoots.

TV Globo’s The Voice Kids in Brazil had some 269,000 social media comments. The local adaptation of the junior singing contest from Talpa had people talking about the #AmazingKids who had #MoreTalentThanAdults. Many thought the broadcast was #Emotional and deserved a #ThumbsUp.

The Lifetime TV movie Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart also ranked high in social media buzz. The TV movie is based on the singer’s memoir, following her journey from being discovered by mega producers L.A. Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds to her battle with Lupus. Sending around 259,000 tweets, viewers were commenting about the #Riveting and #PowerfulStory of the #EngagingDrama.

Number five on the list was Shadowhunters, a new series on Freeform (formerly ABC Family) in the U.S. Based on Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments, the series is about a young woman who finds out on her 18th birthday that she comes from a long line of human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons. There were some 168,000 social media comments about the #GoodLooking and #Entertaining series, though there was also #DebateonAdaptation of the book.

From GMA Network in the Philippines, That’s My Amboy is a daily series charting the love story between a simple yet determined girl and a hot young actor. Around 67,000 tweets were sent about the show, with many giving #Kudos to the #GreatChemistry and #EngagingRomance.

La leona, which debuted on Telefe in Argentina, had around 64,000 social media tweets. The telenovela charts a romance between two diametrically opposed individuals against the backdrop of power struggles at a factory on the brink of closure. Many were commenting about the #ProductionValues and #NiceSettings and about the chemistry of the #RealLifeStarCouple.

Génération Balavoine, 30 ans déjà—a live concert in Paris honoring the late singer Daniel Balavoine, who died in an accident 30 years ago—broadcast on TF1 in France last month. The concert generated approximately 62,000 comments in social media, many of which highlighted the #GreatSongs but #WeakVoices and there was #Disappointment among viewers who were tweeting.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow‘s premiere on The CW drew around 54,000 tweets. In the series, time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter, who has seen the future, is tasked with assembling a disparate group of heroes and villains to confront an unstoppable threat. Viewers commenting in social media thought the show was #FastPaced, #Promising and #Entertaining.

NBC’s premiere of Shades of Blue comes in at number ten. The drama series stars J-Lo as a single mother and detective recruited to work undercover for the FBI’s anti-corruption task force. She finds herself faced with the moral dilemma of working against her cop brothers in order to redeem herself. Approximately 53,000 tweets were sent corresponding to the show’s debut, with #MixedReviews from the #JLoCraze and #JLoSkepticals, but there was also mention of the #NiceCast.

Want this info in your inbox every month? Sign up for the Social Wit List from World Screen and The WIT here.