How do you like Wednesday?
| Suiyō Dōdeshō | |
|---|---|
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| Created by | Tadahisa Fujimura Masamichi Ureshino |
| Starring | Takayuki Suzui Yō Ōizumi |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| No. of episodes | |
| Production | |
| Running time | approximately 30 minutes (per episode) |
| Release | |
| Original network | HTB |
| Original release | October 9, 1996 – September 25, 2002 |
How do you like Wednesday? (水曜どうでしょう? Suiyō Dōdeshō) was a Japanese television variety series that aired on HTB in Hokkaidō, Japan, and on other regional television stations in Japan. The program debuted on HTB on October 9, 1996. The series was one of the first local variety programs to be produced on Hokkaido; prior to this series' launch, local variety programs in Hokkaidō were virtually non-existent. The program also had a significant influence on other local programs in other regions in Japan, most notably Kwangaku! in Kansai and Nobunaga in Tokai.
The series achieved a record 18.6% viewing share on December 8, 1999, the highest share for a late-night program on a local TV station.
Production of the weekly regular series ended in September 2002, though new limited-run series were produced on average of every 18 months; the latest series was shown on HTB in late 2005, eight episodes in length.
Most of the series have been rerun under the names of Dōdeshō Returns and Suiyō Dōdeshō Classic.
Suiyo Dodesho is considered a travel TV program, but most of the show consists of humorous dialogue and antics by the two cast members (with the occasional participation of Fujimura) while in transit, usually in response to the tough situations they encounter; hardly any time is spent at the "destinations". A typical travel episode consists of Oizumi being tricked into visiting a distant location that serves as the starting point of that episode's journey, which he refers to as being "kidnapped". Oizumi, lacking sense of direction or distance, often does not realize that he's being taken to the Sapporo airport until the crew arrives at the terminal.
One of the most popular serial episodes in the program. 7 series produced during the run of the show. A typical series begins by the cast and crew in Tokyo, often with Oizumi being "kidnapped" and not knowing the nature of the activities panned for the episode being videotaped. The intent is to return to Sapporo from Tokyo stopping at multiple locations along the way, but at each location (including the starting point), they are faced with 6 choices of destinations, coupled with a means of public transportation, which the cast chooses by rolling a die. The rule is that the cast and crew must go to the destination determined by the dice, even if the direction or the means of transportation are unfavorable. They also have to continue moving day and night until they return to Sapporo unless the outcome of the dice throw allows them to stay overnight. Due to the limited production budget and time, overnight stays are seldom included as a choice and overnight buses ("shinya buses") are frequently used, leading to many tough situations for the cast and crew (but hilarious for the viewers). In the course of the show, the cast has often gotten the worst choice possible among the 6 destination/transportation choices. Of the two, Suzui tends to roll the worst choices, to which Oizumi have occasionally responded by shouting "You Loser (Dame-Ningen)!". The humor comes from the cast's (and sometimes the crew's) emotional reaction and dialogue arising out of the tough situations encountered on the less desirable means of transportation.
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