Format

The brand-new comedy entertainment format Fake Show - Diffidate dalle Imitazioni (tr. beware of imitations), produced by Endemol Shine Italy, part of Banijay Italy, and created together with Rai Radio Televisione Italiana SPA, premiered last Monday 18th September in primetime on the Italian public channel Rai2.
In each episode a number of celebrities - led by the Italian host and actor Max Giusti, together with the 2 impersonators Francesca Manzini and Claudio Lauretta  - showcase their improv skills, impersonating characters, dialects, objects, sounds and even their fellow showbiz counterparts. Among the trials and games, “Fakenomenon” (original, out of the box imitations), “Fake news”, “Karacover” and many others.
The show also pretends using Artificial Intelligence - in an ironic and funny way - to create eccentric sketches, characters and set designs of other tv shows. AI is increasingly taking hold in recent formats (for example, Falso Amor -Deep Fake Love - on Netflix: see Friday’s Espresso, 21st July), but sometimes in a “cold” way and a bit as an end in itself. In this case what is remarkable is the correct balance between new and “classic” elements, putting technology at the service of the program and not vice versa.