The year 2025 saw a diverse lineup of Chinese variety shows capturing audiences online.

Outdoor challenge reality programs became frontrunners, delivering entertainment and laughter; travel series took audiences across borders, fostering cross-cultural exchanges; mystery-solving shows engaged audiences with thought-provoking cases; veteran and rising comedians competed with wit and satire, bringing laughs and heartfelt stories; relationship-focused programs explored love across cultures; and a Chinese culinary series made its African debut, bridging cultures through food.

Here are 10 popular variety shows of the year that entertained audiences while offering societal insight.

[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

HAHAHAHAHA Season 5

HAHAHAHAHA Season 5 was a variety show frontrunner in 2025, blending humor with outdoor challenges and travel experiences across Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Hainan province and beyond.

Co-presented by Tencent Video and iQIYI, the 12-episode outdoor reality show features celebrities including Deng Chao, Chen He and Wang Mian. From vast snowfields to tropical seas, the cast guides audiences across China's stunning landscapes and regional diversity, showcasing the richness of Chinese folk traditions.

The series gained over one billion valid full-episode views in 2025, ranking among the most-watched variety shows on digital platforms, according to Enlightent, a data service analyzing online videos and TV programs.

A still from Divas Hit the Road · Hearts United. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Divas Hit the Road · Hearts United

Travel reality show Divas Hit the Road · Hearts United, which aired on Hunan Satellite TV and streamed on Mango TV from August to November 2025, follows Chinese celebrities on a 25-day journey to work on projects under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative in countries including Madagascar, Egypt, and Norway.

The lineup includes singer Na Ying, actresses Ma Sichun and Li Qin, and actors Gong Jun and Zhang Wanyi. In the first episode, the stars visited a hybrid rice demonstration center in Madagascar. In Luxor, Egypt, they observed how the city's museums utilize micro-trace scanning technology provided by Chinese technical teams to document cultural relics.

The 13-episode program is rated 8.4 out of 10 on Douban, a popular review site in China.

A poster of Wow the World. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Wow the World

A breakout new program of 2025, Wow the World, produced by Tencent Video, features Chinese celebrities traveling overseas to discover diverse cultures, while weaving in environmental concepts.

The 10-episode travel reality show brings together actors Sun Honglei, Liu Yuning and Gong Jun, along with actresses Wang Yuwen and Ouyang Didi, who collaborate to complete a series of missions during their travels.

Beyond visiting historical attractions and sampling local cuisine, the team members immersed themselves in cultural experiences such as participating in a castell (human tower) performance. The show also consists of tasks designed to encourage interactions with locals. In one segment, foreigners listen to Chinese songs via headphones and hum the melody, while the cast guesses the original lyrics based solely on the tune.

The popularity of Wow the World extended beyond the screen. Videos tagged with "Wow the World" have drawn over 5.4 billion views on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

A still from Who's The Murderer·Season of Memories. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Who's The Murderer·Season of Memories

Over the past decade, the reasoning series Who's the Murderer has grown into a long-running IP with a loyal audience base.

Its tenth installment, Who's The Murderer·Season of Memories, broadcast on Mango TV from February to May, reached over 630 million valid full-episode views in 2025, according to data platform Enlightent. This season presented 12 cases built around a format combining role-play with deductive analysis.

Set in carefully designed spaces, each episode revolved around a mysterious case based on a real-world social issue. Seven guest participants, led by host He Jiong, took on different roles and acted in character, working with clues and key scenes to uncover the truth. Through teamwork, the participants ultimately identify the hidden mastermind, while conveying legal knowledge to the public.

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The King of Stand-up Comedy Season 2

As China's younger generation embraces a wide range of global entertainment, stand-up comedy has been a vehicle for self-expression, challenging social norms and poking fun at the pressure of modern life.

The King of Stand-up Comedy Season 2, launched on iQIYI on July 11, continued the franchise's focus on unknown voices - turning overlooked lives into widely resonant stories. Season 2 saw 48 stand-up comedians, both solo performers and groups, from comedy clubs across China and overseas.

Contestant Xi Ha, a former national-level athlete who later became a flight attendant, stood out for her energetic delivery and female viewpoint. Through sharp humor, she critiques unrealistic beauty standards, joking about uncomfortable uniforms — short skirts, stockings and high heels — as well as unreasonable passenger demands. Xi Ha finished second when the season concluded in September.

The championship title went to Zhai Jianing, who won applause with a straight-faced, tough style, and bold materials. His routines tackled social issues such as food safety and even openly criticized the show's competition format, drawing strong public attention.

Enlightent data shows the program earned 390 million valid episode views online in 2025. Short videos tagged with the show's major topic garnered more than 2.7 billion plays on Douyin.

A poster for Stand-up Comedy and Friends Season 2. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Stand-up Comedy and Friends Season 2

Stand-up Comedy and Friends Season 2 took a relaxed, witty tone, using stand-up performances to gently engage with everyday life and its struggles. The series premiered on Tencent Video on June 27.

Across 12 episodes, more than 50 comedians, established names and newcomers, competed in multiple rounds. Veteran comic He Guangzhi secured the championship. At the finale broadcast on Aug 30, he delivered a humorous yet touching "career report" tracing his seven-year journey - from a backstage crew member in small venues in 2018, to a widely recognized performer with a broad fan base nowadays.

Comedy duo Manzai Brothers (Xu Haolun and Tan Xiangwen) finished as runner-up with their signature manzai style, blending absurdity and surreal twists to portray daily situations. The Gen Z performers from Hunan province fused traditional cross-talk, Hunan dialects and the manzai format to create a distinctive Chinese style.

This season also introduced several emerging talents such as Xiao Pa from Aksu in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. She rose to instant fame after her debut in June, sharing personal stories from a female perspective. Through wit and self-mockery, she spoke about growing up in a family shaped by her father's six marriages.

Season 2 scored 8 out of 10 on Douban, while clips linked to its main topic amassed over two billion views on Douyin.

A poster for Amazing Night II. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Amazing Night II

A comedy competition show embracing realism, absurd imagination and warm storytelling, Amazing Night returned in September 2025 with a laughter-filled yet heartfelt journey for audiences.

This season showcased a wide array of styles and themes. Sketches such as An Old Police Story offered sharp social observation, focusing on corruption in a Hong Kong police station in the 1980s. The piece Skill Gomoku — a playful reimagining of the classic board game with added "skills" — became a viral hit for its offbeat humor. Skill Gomoku earned 1.7 billion topic views on Douyin, with more than 55,000 users joining its song-and-dance challenge.

Season 2 placed greater emphasis on teamwork, encouraging collaboration alongside competition. By means of group brainstorming and joint scriptwriting, the show highlighted ensemble portraits and the power of collective creativity.

Via La Romance participants. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Viva La Romance 2025

Produced by Hunan Satellite TV and Mango TV, Viva La Romance 2025 explores cross-cultural marriages via global travel. Under the theme of "Embracing differences is the true meaning of love", the 12-episode series examines how couples handle, understand and embrace cultural differences in marriage.

This season follows four celebrity couples, including singer-actress Qi Wei and her US husband Nathan Lee; singer Han Geng and his wife Celina Jade from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; and actress Hu Jing with her Malaysian husband Frank Choo. Their 18-day journey spanned cities such as Milan and Paris before concluding in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, where they took part in traditional Chinese wedding ceremonies in Wufengxi ancient town, discovering the beauty of Chinese-style romance.

Statistics show the program, aired from February to May 2025, received more than 190 million valid episode views in the first half of the year, triggering heated discussions on cross-cultural relationships.

A poster of The Blooming Journey 2. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Blooming Journey Season 2

The travel reality series The Blooming Journey Season 2 premiered on iQIYI on Oct 24 and wrapped up on Dec 26, 2025. Across journeys and candid talks, the 10-epsisode program spotlights female perspectives and generational viewpoints.

This season brings together veteran Chinese actresses Liu Xiaoqing, He Saifei, Carina Lau, Ning Jing and Cecilia Cheung, alongside young performers Ke Chun and Shao Ziheng. Together, they embarked on a journey of open exploration, sharing genuine, everyday moments that celebrate individuality and self-expression.

Filmed across destinations including Guizhou, Chongqing and Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the series also offers a panoramic view of China's rich landscapes and cultures.

Clips related to the show's major topic have generated more than 2.8 billion views on Douyin, fueling discussions on women's growth, age anxiety and generational dialogue.

A still from The Chinese Restaurant Season 9. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Chinese Restaurant Season 9

In its ninth season, The Chinese Restaurant made its African debut in Morocco, using Chinese cuisine as a bridge between cultures.

The 12-episode restaurant start-up reality show stars celebrities such as Huang Xiaoming, Jiang Yan, Ding Yuxi and Shen Yue. Aired weekly on Hunan Satellite TV and Mango TV from June to September, it recorded 150 million valid episode views in the third quarter of 2025.

Over 21 days, the celebrity partners experienced the ups and downs of running a restaurant in a foreign country. Alongside classic Chinese dishes, the menu drew attention for its fusion of Chinese and Moroccan flavors. Local ingredients and spices combined with Chinese cooking techniques to create new tastes, appealing to diners from different backgrounds. The show documented the restaurant's growth from an unknown newcomer to a local favorite.

After nine editions, The Chinese Restaurant has been hailed as a symbol of "culinary diplomacy". The series has sparked broad discussion on social media, with its main topic on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to X, surpassing 29 billion views since its launch in 2017.