Year-ender: Hit Chinese variety shows in 2025

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.