The Masked Singer (American TV series) season 1
The first season of the American television series The Masked Singer premiered on Fox on January 2, 2019, and concluded on February 27, 2019. The season was won by rapper T-Pain as "Monster", with singer Donny Osmond finishing second as "Peacock", and singer Gladys Knight placing third as "Bee".
The Masked Singer
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
The premiere episode received mixed reviews. Vulture felt that the series was more entertaining, yet "weirder, sillier, and stupider" than other U.S. music competition programs, and described the format as having the "vibe" of "what if [Philadelphia Flyers mascot] Gritty walked out on a soundstage made to look like an arena concert, belted out Sam Smith's 'Stay With Me,' was described as 'a professional' by Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, took off his head to reveal he was Joey Fatone, and the entire experience felt three clicks away from an episode of Black Mirror?"[29] The panelists were considered to be "weak" and "[approaching] their jobs with all the insight and acumen of an America's Next Top Model contestant trying to decipher the Tyra Mail",[29] and that the performances were "underwhelming" (using Ryan Reynolds' surprise appearance on the Korean version singing "Tomorrow" in a "low-rent" unicorn mask as a benchmark) due to the contestants not always being singers.[29] However, the format was deemed to have depth for being "a pretty fascinating examination of celebrity culture, mass appeal, performance, image, and fame."[29]
Emily Yahr of The Washington Post described the premiere episode as "one of the craziest reality shows of our time", acknowledging other similar reactions to the series.[30]
Ratings[edit]
The show's premiere was the highest rated unscripted television series debut since The X Factor in 2011. Following three days of DVR viewing, the first episode's 18–49 rating grew by 30 percent—the highest increase ever for a premiere in the show's genre.[31] Although initially dropping, ratings grew towards the end of the season, and the finale became the most watched episode.[32] According to Comscore, the show had one of the highest viewer engagement levels of any series during the week the finale aired.[33] It concluded the 2018–19 television season as the highest rated new series among adults 18–49, averaging a 2.6 rating throughout all ten episodes,[34] and as the highest rated entertainment series among teenagers, men 18–34, adults 18–34, and adults 18–49.[35] The show was the first unscripted series to rank number one in the genre in its first season since Joe Millionaire in 2003,[36] and was one of the reasons why Fox was the only network to gain viewers compared to the previous television season.[37]