Expectations for a fresh new look in Táo Quân 2025.
With just over two weeks left until the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Snake, amidst all the worries and preparations, people are thinking about what to watch and listen to during the holiday. Among these, the "Meeting at the End of the Year - Táo Quân" (Kitchen Gods) program on New Year's Eve is always eagerly anticipated by viewers. Which artists will participate, what content will the Kitchen Gods bring to Heaven to report to the Jade Emperor… these are the things that the public is most interested in.
Expectations for a star-studded cast.
For many years,The program "Meeting at the End of the Year - Táo Quân"It is considered an indispensable source of spiritual nourishment for many Vietnamese people every Tet holiday, featuring familiar artists such as Meritorious Artist Quoc Khanh, Meritorious Artist Chi Trung, People's Artist Cong Ly, Artist Van Dung, People's Artist Xuan Bac...
However, according to the production team, this year's Táo Quân (Kitchen Gods) show will have many changes in content, and the number of actors participating in the program will also be larger. Information about the 2025 Táo Quân show featuring new and exciting elements has attracted the attention of many viewers.
People's Artist Tu Long shared: "This year, the 'Tao Quan' show is returning, and we're preparing for rehearsals." Meanwhile, Van Dung also sparked public curiosity by sharing a photo of herself with People's Artist Tu Long and People's Artist Xuan Bac in their 'Tao Quan' costumes from previous years' 'Tao Quan' program.
Meritorious Artist Chí Trung also attracted attention when he posted a picture on his personal Facebook page of himself wearing a Táo Quân costume from a few years ago, with the caption: "My Táo Quân 2025 sends greetings to life," "Oh, almost everyone!", "Friends, I know that if we had the full 'old Táo Quân cast' that everyone has loved for over 20 years, it would be great, but 'things change,' demanding the full cast is too difficult and unintentionally hurts the entire Táo Quân team, both young and old, who have contributed to the success of the past 22 years!" Chí Trung also said that he has received an invitation to participate in the Táo Quân Spring 2025 program, but is waiting to see if the script and director are suitable!
For the 2024 Lunar New Year season, the program underwent a major change in its cast. Only People's Artist Quoc Khanh retained the role of the Jade Emperor, while Thao Van continued as the host. The role of Nam Tao, which had been synonymous with comedian Xuan Bac for many years, had to be given to another actor due to Xuan Bac's busy performance schedule.
Taking on the roles of the Táo Quân (Kitchen Gods) in 2024 are "new" faces of artists such as: Meritorious Artist Tú Oanh: Táo Văn Thể (Culture and Sports); Meritorious Artist Bá Anh: Táo Giao thông (Traffic); Meritorious Artist Quốc Quân: Táo Kinh tế (Economy); Hà Trung: Apartment Manager; Quân Anh: Táo Xã hội (Social Affairs); Meritorious Artist Tiến Minh: Thiên Lôi (Thunder God); Việt Bắc: Assistant to Thiên Lôi (Thunder God); and other artists. Notably, the character Nam Tào has been given to young actor Đỗ Duy Nam.
This year, everyone also expected Xuan Bac's Nam Tao to return. However, at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's regular press conference for the fourth quarter of 2024, he confirmed that he would not participate in "Tao Quan 2025".
Not only Xuan Bac, but Cong Ly is also absent from this season's Tet Comedy Show.
Currently, the production team of the 2025 Tet Comedy Show is urgently rehearsing. Although there is no clear information yet, Duy Nam's appearance in rehearsals has led many viewers to speculate about the possibility of him playing Nam Tao this year.
Duy Nam is not a new actor in the Táo Quân (Kitchen Gods) show; he has had a long association with the program through various roles. From the mischievous "apprentice Cô Đẩu" in 2017 to the majestic "Phó Thiên Lôi" in 2019, and then "promoted" to Nam Tào in Táo Quân 2022, Đỗ Duy Nam has gradually affirmed his abilities.
In 2023, when People's Artist Xuan Bac returned, he and Trung Ruoi took on the role of assistants to the duo Nam Tao - Bac Dau. For the 2024 Tet Comedy Show, amidst many changes to the cast, Do Duy Nam was entrusted with the important role of Nam Tao, accompanying the Jade Emperor on his journey to the mortal world in a completely new version of the show.
This year, the Television Film Center of Vietnam Television (VFC) will not be producing the Táo Quân (Kitchen Gods) show; instead, VTV3 will take over the production. Meritorious Artist Quang Thắng stated that he has received an invitation to participate in Táo Quân 2025. "Even with a change in the production team, Táo Quân remains a highly anticipated comedy-comedy show with a political commentary theme," shared Meritorious Artist Quang Thắng.
Anticipating the trend-following antics.
The script for the Tet Comedy Show is being continuously updated right up to the filming date. Therefore, prominent events leading up to the Lunar New Year may be added. Audiences expect the 2025 Tet Comedy Show to feature witty banter that capitalizes on current events and address many topical issues, as many social events in 2024 could serve as material for the program's script.
Táo Quân is a show that brings laughter through sharp satire of vices and the dark sides of social life. Therefore, major economic cases are predicted to appear in the program, even occupying a significant amount of time.
This refers to the trial of 38 defendants in the Viet A mega-case, which concluded that it was "a prime example of vested interests" and "systematic collusion and corruption," profiting personally while the people faced dangers caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. It also includes a series of major economic and corruption cases brought to trial, involving prominent names such as Truong My Lan - Chairwoman of Van Thinh Phat Group; Trinh Van Quyet - former Chairman of FLC Group; and Do Anh Dung - Chairman of Tan Hoang Minh Group...
Some youth trends can also be hilarious if recreated through the comedic interplay of artists. In 2024, many trends and catchphrases went viral on social media, such as "exceeding the pickleball limit," "beautiful and lovely," "pink baby hunter," "check var," "banknote," "backdrop," etc. Or like the story of young people going crazy over "blind bags." This toy was introduced to Vietnam in mid-2024. The keyword "blind bag" quickly became a trend on TikTok with thousands of videos and live streams of tearing open bags... hopefully, it will be mentioned by the "Táo" (characters in the annual New Year's Eve comedy show) in their final report to the Jade Emperor.
Furthermore, the highlights of 2024 in the entertainment field, such as the two concerts "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles" and "Brother Says Hi," which attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers and generated hundreds of billions of dong in revenue, will surely be reported to the Heavenly Court by the Gods of the Kitchen, with the participation of the cast of the "Brother" game show.
The script for the Tet Comedy Show is constantly updated right up to the filming date, so events such as the Vietnamese men's national football team winning the ASEAN Cup 2024 and other prominent events leading up to Tet may also be added.
According to images released by the producers, the 2025 Tet Comedy Show will definitely feature the return of veteran artists such as People's Artist Tu Long, Meritorious Artist Quoc Khanh, Meritorious Artist Quang Thang, Meritorious Artist Chi Trung, and artist Van Dung... Along with them, young actors Do Duy Nam, Thai Son, Anh Duc, and Manh Dung will also continue to be given the opportunity.
The return of renowned artists will give viewers more peace of mind about a quality program, providing refreshing laughter during the transition from the old year to the new year 2025.
