Last year, TBS cancelled "Karakuri TV," hosted by motor-mouthed comedian Sanma Akashiya. "Karakuri" lasted 22 years and was considered the progenitor of the talk-based variety show. It was also the first Japanese series to popularize funny home videos.
"Karakuri" was dropped because it couldn't compete in its Sunday nighttime slot with Nippon TV's "The Tetsuwan Dash" with the boy band Tokio, but this Sunday, Sanma will return to that time slot, now on Nippon TV with a special two-hour program, "Shijo Saidai no Sanma Hayaoshi Talk." ("Sanma: The Fastest Reaction Talk in History"; 7 p.m.)
The show is all about Sanma. In fact, he is quizzed on his own life by a panel of celebrities who ask him about his salad days, his many romances and his career. Some of his "dates" even show up to talk about his qualifications as a lover.