Social Wit List: March 2018

Of all the new programs that debuted around the globe in March, YouTube Red’s launch of Burn the Stage in multiple markets earned the most social media buzz, according to The WIT.

With some 455,000 Facebook and Twitter comments during the premiere, Burn the Stage ranks first in the list of the top ten most-buzzed-about new shows in social media. The docuseries chronicles the worldwide stardom achieved by K-pop group BTS against the backdrop of a recent 20-city tour that spanned the globe. The show, which evoked #FeelingCloserToMyIdol, saw a lot of #Fangasm and left many viewers #InTears.

ABC in the U.S. debuted the return of the classic sitcom Roseanne—featuring the complete original cast—which followed the lives of the Conners, a working-class family in fictional Lanford, Illinois. The reboot drew approximately 122,000 tweets and made audiences #GladThatTheConnersAreBack with its #PoliticallyAndSociallyDiverse and #FunToWatch first episode.

The premiere of Koh-Lanta: Le combat des héros on TF1 in France saw around 79,000 social media remarks. The new spin-off of the local adaptation of the adventure format Survivor follows 18 former participants in Fiji. The series, although #TooLong for some viewers, had others #CheeringForMyFavoriteContestant and saying #WelcomeBackSurvivor.

Another revival on ABC in the U.S., American Idol generated around 79,000 tweets. The new adaptation of the talent search format that aired on FOX from 2002 to 2016 led many to give #ThanksForTheReboot and appreciate the #RelatableContestants and #AmazingJudges in spite of what some perceived as #TooManyAdBreaks and #NotEnoughAuditions.

Over in Spain, Canal #0 debuted FAMA a bailar to 53,000 Facebook and Twitter comments. The dance competition, based on the format Floor Filler, was previously made in Spain on Cuatro and Antena 3. Audiences were impressed with the #TalentedContestantsAndTeachers and #HighLevelDanceRoutines, while also giving #ThumbsUpForTheDirector.

GMA Network in the Philippines began airing Contessa, a telenovela about Bea, who, after being accused and imprisoned for a crime she did not commit, is determined to seek revenge on those who took everything and everyone she loved away from her. Among the 38,000 social media remarks were people saying the show was a #CopycatofWildflower with #BigShoesToFillAfterIka6NaUtosEnded, although they also recognized the #FierceAndBoldLeadActress.

Mehmed Bir Cihan Fatihi on Kanal D in Turkey drew in 37,000 tweets. The period drama series tells the story of Mehmed the Conqueror, who ended the Byzantine Empire and brought closure to the Dark Age. Viewers were #LovingTheSoundtrack while also admiring the #AmazingHistoricalReconstruction and #GreatCast.

O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession on FOX in the U.S. garnered approximately 31,000 social media comments. Hosted by journalist Soledad O’Brien, the one-off featured the recently found tape of O.J. Simpson’s 2006 barred interview in which he gives a shocking hypothetical account of the events that occurred the night his ex-wife and her friend were murdered. The #Unbelievable broadcast left many feeling #Creepy and convinced #HeSureDidIt.

The U.S. also saw the debut of Teyana & Iman on VH1, sparking some 27,000 tweets that included #CuteFamily, #CoupleCrush, #RefreshingAndFunny, #AllAboutLove and #NoCatfightsAndDramas. The reality series provides an intimate look into the lives of newlyweds Teyana Taylor, a trend-setting singer and actress, and basketball player Iman Shumpert.

Coming in at number ten was Tehlikeli Karım on Show TV in Turkey, where there were around 23,000 Facebook and Twitter remarks. The Turkish version of the Japanese scripted format My Dangerous Wife is about a cheating husband who plots with his mistress to kill his wife. Audiences were #HereForTheCast of the #GoneGirlCopycat that they still found to be #Entertaining.

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