FormatBiz | Italian Unscripted Premieres of May: Classics return with Wheel of Fortune and Io Canto spin-off on Mediaset - Rai 1 attempts with the original show L'Acchiappatalenti

The first week of May saw the return of a refreshed version of La Ruota della Fortuna (Wheel of Fortune), which launched on Canale 5 on Monday, May 6, in an early evening slot. The game show, which originally aired in Italy from the 1980s and enjoyed significant popularity for many years, had its first broadcast in 15 years. The launch, marking the centenary of legendary presenter Mike Bongiorno's birth, who hosted the show from 1989–2003, recorded 3.1 million viewers with a 22.83% audience share. The show is produced by Endemol Shine Italy and distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

The musical event Una. Nessuna. Centomila. (Tr. One. None. A Hundred Thousand) aired on Rai 1 on Wednesday, May 8, attracting 3.8 million viewers with a 25.8% audience share. The charity event, hosted by Amadeus, garnered attention due to his announced switch from Rai 1 to another network this autumn (NOVE).

Rai 1 launched a new original show, titled L’Acchiappatalenti (Tr. The Talent Catcher) on Friday, May 10, which recorded 2.6 million viewers with a 17.2% audience share. However, the prime-time slot was won by the Turkish series Terra Amara (Bitter Lands, distributed by Inter Medya), which attracted 3 million viewers and an 18.2% share. The second episode of L’Acchiappatalenti on Friday, May 17, saw a drop to 2.3 million viewers (15.2% share), with Terra Amara winning the slot again. The entertainment show, hosted by Milly Carlucci (known for Ballando con le stelle and Il Cantante Mascherato), features five celebrities testing their talent-scouting skills, deciding whether to bid on stage performances with an auctioneer’s gavel in just 15 seconds. It is produced by Fremantle Italy.

Canale 5 launched Io Canto Family (Tr. I Sing Family) on Monday, May 20, which recorded 2.4 million viewers with a 16.93% audience share, maintaining a similar share with the second episode on Monday, May 27. This singing competition, a spin-off of Io Canto Generation (a recent reboot of the classic format Io Canto first aired in 2010 by Mediaset), features young talents aged 10 to 15 competing alongside family members to impress a jury of Italian showbiz veterans. The show is produced in-house by Mediaset and distributed by Mediaset Distribution.

In the same prime-time slot on Monday, May 20, Rai 2 presented a new entertainment show titled Da vicino nessuno è normale (Tr. Up Close Nobody is Normal), hosted by Alessandro Cattelan. The show, produced by Rai-Entertainment and Fremantle Italy, features comedic monologues, hidden camera pranks, and social experiments. It was watched by only 912,000 viewers, achieving a 5.5% share.

The latest edition of Canale 5’s hit talent show Amici (Tr. Friends) concluded on Saturday, May 18, after launching its 23rd series on Saturday, March 23 and produced by Fascino PGT. The final episode attracted 4.4 million viewers (31.8% share), outperforming Rai 1’s entertainment show I migliori anni (2.1 million viewers, 14.3% share).

May also saw the return of several shows. Celebrity Hunted – Caccia all’uomo returned to Amazon Prime Video for its fourth edition on Monday, May 6. This reality format, produced by Endemol Shine Italy and distributed by Banijay Rights, features celebrities attempting to evade capture by a team of experts.

Scarpetta d'Italia returned to Food Network for its third series on Tuesday, May 14. The 6x60’ format, produced by Casta Diva for Warner Bros. Discovery, sees Tuscan chef Luca Terni searching for the perfect "scarpetta" by challenging two restaurateurs in each episode.

Real Time is set to broadcast the factual series SOS ACNE – The Skin Doctor on May 29 at 21:20. The 6-part series, produced by Casta Diva, features Dr. Ines Mordente meeting patients with various dermatological problems in her office.

Food Network launched several new shows in May. Giusina in cucina on the road, a travel-food show, premiered on May 25 at 3:45 pm. The series, produced by Casta Diva for Warner Bros. Discovery, follows Giusina and her friend Lello Analfino as they travel through beautiful Sicilian cities, meeting locals and creating new recipes inspired by their encounters.

Cucina al mercato con Ruben (Tr. Cooking at the Market with Ruben) launched on Sunday, May 26 at 3 pm. This 8x30' series, produced by Jumpcut for Food Network (Warner Bros. Discovery), features Ruben Bondì, a social media star who cooks from his terrace.

Canale 5 also aired the 3-part musical event Il Volo - Tutti per Uno, celebrating the world-renowned Italian trio's 15-year career. The final episode recorded 2.933 million viewers with a 20.2% share. The event was produced by Friends TV.

Among the returning shows, the factual entertainment series Casa a prima vista on Real Time and Discovery+ is the Italian adaptation of the French format Flat Hunters, locally produced by Blu Yazmine. Its premiere recorded 604,000 viewers with a 3% share.

The new talk show Donne sull’orlo di una crisi di nervi, hosted by Piero Chiambretti on Rai 3, achieved a weak result for his return to the public broadcaster after many years at Mediaset.