Lip Sync Battle

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Lip Sync Battle
Logo for the first three seasons
GenreReality competition
Created by
Directed byBeth McCarthy-Miller
Presented by
Theme music composerMarc Bolan
Robert Ginyard
Opening theme"20th Century Boy" performed by T. Rex (seasons 1–3)
"It Takes Two" performed by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock (season 4–5)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes91 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
John Krasinski
Jimmy Fallon
David Larzelere
Stephen Merchant
Casey Patterson
Jay Peterson
Rick Schwartz
ProducerLL Cool J
Camera setupMultiple-camera setup
Running time23 minutes
Production companies
Eight Million Plus Productions
Matador Content
Sunday Night Productions
Four Eyes Entertainment
Casey Patterson Entertainment
Original release
NetworkParamount Network[1]
ReleaseApril 2, 2015 (2015-04-02) –
June 27, 2019 (2019-06-27)
Related
Lip Sync Battle Shorties

Lip Sync Battle is an American musical reality competition television series that premiered on April 2, 2015, on the American cable network Spike, later known as Paramount Network. The show is based on an idea by Stephen Merchant and John Krasinski, in which celebrities battle each other with lip sync performances. The idea was introduced as a recurring segment on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and later The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, before being developed into a separate show.

The premiere episode was the highest-rated premiere in Spike's history. Lip Sync Battle has been a hit show for the network. The series' success has led to the creation of various international adaptations. In August 2018, the show was renewed for a fifth season which premiered on January 17, 2019.

On September 22, 2020, it was announced that the series would move to another ViacomCBS network as part of the Paramount Network's now-scrapped planned shift to films.[2] However, no new home for the program was ever announced.

Overview[edit]

Lip Sync Battle debuted on Spike on April 2, 2015.[3] It is produced by John Krasinski and Stephen Merchant and hosted by rapper and actor LL Cool J.[4][5] Model Chrissy Teigen serves as color commentator.

The show is a spin-off of a segment first introduced on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Merchant, Krasinski and Emily Blunt, were brainstorming ideas for Krasinski's upcoming appearance on Late Night when the idea took shape.[6] Jimmy Fallon then developed it into a recurring segment on his show. The game pits two celebrities against each other in a lip syncing battle for two rounds.[further explanation needed] The audience votes for the winner,[how?] who receives a Lip Sync Battle belt reminiscent of the WCW Television Championship title belt.

In 2014, Merchant, Krasinski and Fallon pitched the show to NBC, who passed on it. NBC's cable channels USA Network and Bravo also passed.[6] The competition series was eventually picked up by Spike, which was then rebranding. "Part of what I wanted to do with Lip Sync Battle is increase co-viewing, but also add diversity to the network," said network president Kevin Kay.[7]

Lip Sync Battle has been a major success for Spike. Its series premiere drew 2.2 million viewers, the channel's highest-rated non-scripted premiere.[8] Kay described the show as "a television and viral rock star for Spike."[9] The show was renewed for a second season of 20 episodes on April 22, 2015.[9]

In January 2016, the network renewed the series for a third season consisting of another 20 episodes. "Lip Sync Battle is a multiplatform pop-culture phenomenon that has played an integral role in delivering a new and broader audience to Spike," Kay said.[10]

In July 2016, the show received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in the Outstanding Structured Reality Program category.[11]

In 2017, it was announced that the show would air a live hour-long special (Lip Sync Battle Live: A Michael Jackson Celebration) on January 18, 2018, to coincide with the relaunch of Spike as the Paramount Network. Neil Patrick Harris, Taraji P. Henson and Hailee Steinfeld were announced as the first set of performers for the Michael Jackson-themed special, which originated from the Dolby Theatre and included a presentation from Cirque du Soleil's Las Vegas residency Michael Jackson: One.[12]

On August 22, 2018, the show was renewed for a fifth season consisting of 12 episodes that premiered on January 17, 2019.[13]

Episodes[edit]

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
118April 2, 2015 (2015-04-02)August 20, 2015 (2015-08-20)
ChristmasNovember 19, 2015 (2015-11-19)
221January 7, 2016 (2016-01-07)June 23, 2016 (2016-06-23)
LiveSeptember 11, 2016 (2016-09-11)
324October 12, 2016 (2016-10-12)July 19, 2017 (2017-07-19)
Hip HopOctober 10, 2017 (2017-10-10)
Soul TrainNovember 25, 2017 (2017-11-25)
Michael JacksonJanuary 18, 2018 (2018-01-18)
417January 25, 2018 (2018-01-25)October 29, 2018 (2018-10-29)
513January 17, 2019 (2019-01-17)June 27, 2019 (2019-06-27)

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

Josef Adalian in Vulture said that Lip Sync Battle is "looking like a legitimate hit, both on TV and online." He also added that the show's creators "opted not to impose artificial demographic targets. They also went out of their way not to futz up the very simple premise that worked so well on Fallon’s late-night shows."[14] Amy Amatangelo of The Hollywood Reporter said that the debut of the show "had moments of great fun," although she added that the series "still seems like it is better suited as an interlude on The Tonight Show," and that "some things are better in small doses."[15] Adelle Platon of Vibe wrote that the show "is a welcome break from other singing shows crowding primetime," also adding that "with the in-house crowd serving as judges, the spirit of competition between both parties makes it a fun-for-all".[16] Emily Yahr from The Washington Post was more negative towards the show by saying that "taking out all the spontaneity and replacing it with the cheesy-slick production values of an American Idol group medley, Lip Sync Battle will probably wear out its welcome soon."[17]

Ratings[edit]

The series premiere of Lip Sync Battle delivered 2.2 million total viewers via Nielsen ratings, including a 1.3 rating in the 18–49 demographic, which is the most important to advertisers. The episode notched the largest viewership for an unscripted series debut in the network's history and the largest average audience in the slot in more than eight years.[18][19] The total audience for the first several episodes of the show, including DVR replays and multiple reruns, has climbed past 15 million television viewers. Spike has also stated that various performance clips from the first three half-hour episodes of the show had already generated nearly 100 million online streams, as of April 2015.[14]

In Australia, the series premiere scored 1.124 million viewers in preliminary overnight viewership, making it the fourth most-watched program on free-to-air television for the evening.[20][21] The second episode the following week scored 1.087 million preliminary overnight viewers and was ranked the fifth-highest-rated program on free-to-air television of the night.[22] This success has led to suggestions by commentators that a local adaption could be imminent.[23]

International versions[edit]

Country Title Network Host Premiere
 Arab League (MENA) Lip Sync Battle Bel Arabi
ليب سينك باتل بالعربي
MBC 1 Abdallah Al-Nasr March 20, 2017
 Brazil Batalha do Lip Sync[24]
(Segment from Domingão com Huck)
TV Globo Luciano Huck
Rafael Portugal
August 14, 2022
 Canada (Quebec) Lip Sync Battle: Face à Face[25] MusiquePlus/V Joel Legendre
Marie-Soleil Dion
October 2, 2015
 Chile Lip Sync Chile[26] TVN Karen Doggenweiler July 6, 2015
 China Lip Sync Battle
Chinese: 对口型大作战[citation needed]
Shenzhen TV/Sohu Nic Li
Yu Shasha
January 29, 2016
 Hungary Playback párbaj RTL Spike/RTL Klub Laci Gáspár
Zsófi Szabó
December 2, 2016[27]
 Indonesia Celebrity Lip Sync Battle[28] NET. Ananda Omesh October 12, 2015
 India Lip Sing Battle[29] Star Plus Farah Khan September 16, 2017
 Lebanon Lip Sync Battle Waleha[30] LBCI Dolly Ayash
Tarek Abou Jaoude
April 16, 2016
 Morocco Lip Sync Battle Maroc Al Aoula Ali Mesbahi November 26, 2019
 Mexico Lip Sync Mexico[31] Comedy Central/Azteca 7 Nicky Jam
Adriana Ron Pedrique
July 6, 2016
 Panama Lip Sync Battle Panamá TVMax Ingrid De Ycaza
Miguel Oyola
Franklyn Robinson
July 28, 2016
 Peru Los reyes del playback[32] Latina Cristian Rivero
Jesús Alzamora
Jazmín Pinedo
February 15, 2016
 Philippines Lip Sync Battle Philippines[33] GMA Network Michael V.
Iya Villania
February 27, 2016
 Poland Lip Sync Battle. Ustawka[34] player.pl Natalia Jakuła
Piotr Kędzierski
January 27, 2016
 Portugal Lip Sync Portugal – Playback Total SIC César Mourão
João Manzarra
January 13, 2019
 Russia Короли фанеры
Koroli fanery[35][com 1]
Channel One Russia Pavel Priluchnyy
Yana Koshkina
September 16, 2017
 South Africa Lip Sync Battle Africa[36] MTV Africa
e.tv
Pearl Thusi
D'Banj
April 14, 2016
 Thailand Lip Sync Battle Thailand[37] ONE HD 31 (Season 1)
GMM 25 (Season 2)
Niti Chaichitathorn
Panisara Arayasakul (Season 1)
Thanakrit Panichwit (Season 2)
July 17, 2017
 Ukraine Ліпсінк батл
Lipsync batl[38]
1+1 Potap
Tina Karol (Season 1)
Lesia Nikitiuk (Season 2)
March 6, 2021
 United Kingdom Lip Sync Battle UK[39] Channel 5 Mel B
Professor Green
January 8, 2016
 Vietnam Kỳ Phùng Địch Thủ – Lip Sync Battle[40] HTV7 Vân Sơn
Ngọc Trinh
Trấn Thành
August 6, 2016

Spin-off[edit]

A one-hour special, hosted by Sarah Hyland, aired on Nickelodeon on December 11, 2016 (followed by a repeat airing on Spike on December 14).[41] In March 2017, a series order was announced for the kid-centered spinoff.[42] In August 2017, it was announced that Nick Cannon would be replacing Sarah Hyland as the host and that JoJo Siwa would be joining him as his sidekick on Lip Sync Battle Shorties, which premiered in early 2018.[43] It ended in 2019.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Plywood is a Russian slang term for "lip-sync record".

References[edit]

  1. ^ Known as Spike until the Soul Train special, including the first 3 seasons. The first episode broadcast as Paramount Network was the Michael Jackson special.
  2. ^ White, Peter (2020-09-22). "Paramount Network To Rebrand As Paramount Movie Network; Focus On Television Movies, Cancels Non-Scripted Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  3. ^ "Lip Sync Battle – Overview". Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 8, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  4. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (March 3, 2015). "Spike TV Rebrands, Inks Deal With Dwayne Johnson". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  5. ^ "Lip Sync Battle – Episode Guide". TV Guide. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Rose, Lacey (May 8, 2015). "How NBC Passed on Jimmy Fallon's 'Lip Sync Battle' and Gave Spike a Hit Show". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  7. ^ Ross, L.A. (April 16, 2015). "How Jimmy Fallon's 'Lip Sync Battle' Launched SpikeTV's Rebrand: 'Right Swing at Right Moment'". The Wrap. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  8. ^ Kuperberg, Jonathan (April 3, 2015). "'Lip Sync Battle' Breaks Ratings Records for Spike". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Kenneally, Tim (April 22, 2015). "'Lip Sync Battle' Renewed for Season 2 by Spike TV". The Wrap. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  10. ^ Porter, Rick (January 19, 2016). "'Lip Sync Battle' renewed for Season 3 on Spike". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  11. ^ Craddock, Lauren (July 14, 2016). "Emmy-Nominated 'Lip Sync Battle': The 7 Best Battles (So Far)". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  12. ^ "'Lip Sync Battle LIVE' announces first three celebrities for Michael Jackson celebration". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  13. ^ Petski, Denise (August 22, 2018). "'Lip Sync Battle' Renewed For Season 5 By Paramount Network". Deadline. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  14. ^ a b Adalian, Josef (April 16, 2015). "How Spike's Lip Sync Battle Became Such a Stunning Success". Vulture. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  15. ^ Amatangelo, Amy (April 3, 2015). "'Lip Sync Battle': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  16. ^ Platon, Adelle (April 3, 2015). "Review: Spike TV's 'Lip Sync Battle' Is Worth Every Note". Vibe. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  17. ^ Yahr, Emily (April 7, 2015). "'Lip Sync Battle': Aw, isn't it so cuuute when celebrities goof around? Ugh, enough!". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  18. ^ Kenneally, Tim (April 3, 2015). "'Lip Sync Battle' Premiere Delivers Ratings Record for Spike". The Wrap. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  19. ^ de Moraes, Lisa (April 8, 2015). "'Lip Sync Battle' Scores Live+3 Ratings Victory". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  20. ^ Knox, David (June 30, 2015). "Q & A wins timeslot on strong night for ABC". TV Tonight. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  21. ^ Knox, David (June 30, 2015). "Monday 29 June 2015". TV Tonight. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  22. ^ Knox, David (July 7, 2015). "Monday 6 July 2015". TV Tonight. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  23. ^ Knox, David (July 7, 2015). "1.09m viewers….. should Nine produce a local Lip Sync Battle?". TV Tonight. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  24. ^ "Paulo Vieira e Letícia Colin duelam na estreia do 'Batalha do Lip Sync', no 'Domingão com Huck'". Gshow (in Portuguese). August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  25. ^ "Lip Sync Battle Face a Face: animé par Joel Legendre" (in French). MusiquePlus. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  26. ^ "Batalla de famosos" (in Spanish). Televisión Nacional de Chile. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  27. ^ winnie (November 4, 2016). "Hírpéntek – Workaholics-kasza!". Sorozatjunkie. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  28. ^ "Indonesian version of Lip Sync Battle" (in Indonesian). NET. Archived from the original on June 11, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  29. ^ "Lip Sing Battle New Show On Star Plus". filmymama.com. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  30. ^ "Lebanese version of Lip Sync Battle -first episode" (in Arabic). LBCI. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  31. ^ "Mexican version of Lip Sync Battle" (in Spanish). Comedy Central. Archived from the original on June 11, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  32. ^ "Los Reyes del Playback". Los Reyes del Playback (in Spanish).
  33. ^ "Lip Sync Battle Asia to be aired via GMA". Adobo Magazine. 6 December 2015. Archived from the original on 11 June 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  34. ^ Slowik, Adriana (November 17, 2015). ""Lip Sync Battle Ustawka". Nowe show platformy player.pl". Telemagazyn (in Polish). Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  35. ^ Clancy, Michelle (September 5, 2017). "Channel One Russia". Rapid TV. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  36. ^ "SA's getting its very own Lip Sync Battle TV show soon!". Channel24. February 9, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  37. ^ Clancy, Michelle (March 31, 2017). "Viacom brings Lip Sync Battle to Thailand, Russia". Rapid TV. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  38. ^ "Телеканал "1+1" работает над новым звездным развлекательным шоу пародий". ТСН.ua (in Russian). 2021-01-05. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  39. ^ Lee, Ben (August 3, 2015). "A UK version of Lip Sync Battle is coming to Channel 5". Digital Spy. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  40. ^ "Lộ ảnh hậu trường, Ngọc Trinh sắp "công phá" sóng truyền hình với vai trò host" (in Vietnamese). Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  41. ^ Stone, Natalie (November 17, 2016). "Mic Drop! Sarah Hyland to Host Lip Sync Battle Shorties". People. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  42. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (March 2, 2017). "'Lip Sync Battle Shorties' Grabs Series Order From Nickelodeon". Variety. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  43. ^ Petski, Denise (August 1, 2017). "Nick Cannon to Host "Lip Sync Battle Shorties" on Nickelodeon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 14, 2017.

External links[edit]