After almost four years of absence, Jokes aside returns to prime time on Canale 5 and immediately finds favor with the public. The historic format, capable of providing laughter for over thirty yearsraised last night more than 3 and a half million of spectators, with the 26% share: numbers that confirm how the program has not lost its luster and has managed to dominate the evening’s ratings.
He arrives at the conduction of the new season Max Giustiwhich takes over from Paolo Bonolis, face of the last two editions. Giusti, hosting a Mediaset program in prime time for the first time, reveals himself right from the start as a different front-man from his predecessors: he puts his characters at the service of the show through sketches and imitations (like that of Alessandro Borghese).
Supporting him in this first episode are six “guest-victims”, well-known faces from the Italian television scene: Gabriel Garko, Lorella Cuccarini, Paolo Conticini, Gilles Rocca and Isobel Kinnear.
The jokes of this edition mark a change of pace compared to the past and are constructed as real “mini-films”. To open the season is Gabriel Garko, face of Honor and respectvictim of an obsessive fan (Valentina) who haunts him during the filming of the drama Guilt of the sensesgoing so far as to follow him to the hotel. Lorella Cuccarini instead found herself struggling with the sudden illness of her driver. And, to complicate the situation, two passers-by (accomplices) intervene and, instead of helping her, torment her with constant requests for selfies, triggering the presenter’s reaction.
The big news brought by this new edition, however, is another: the victims of pranks will no longer be just VIPsbut also ordinary people who will be able to hear the famous person address them “you’re on Jokes aside”. The first unfortunates are a couple, Paolo and Giulianapresent in the studio among the audience. He’s a die-hard Juventus fan, she’s now exasperated by a passion she can no longer bear. The joke involves Gianluca Zambrotta, former flag of the national team and the Juventus club, who, disguised, disturbs the couple during the broadcast.
The turning point comes at the end: Giuliana manages to extract from her husband the promise to dedicate a little more time to her, taking him away, at least in intention, from her beloved Juventus.
This first episode demonstrates how much the formula of Jokes aside still knows how to renew itself, finding in Max Giusti an empathetic and versatile host. Between moments of thriller tension and pure fun, the program confirms itself as a solid prime time event, capable of bringing together different generations in front of the screen with the most powerful weapon of all: a healthy and unexpected laugh.
