It has been announced that a new regular program starring Masatoshi Hamada of the comedy duo "Downtown," titled "Masatoshi Hamada and the Athlete's Theory of Happiness" (excluding some regions), will begin airing on TV Asahi. The program will be broadcast irregularly, with the first episode airing on May 17th from 1:55 PM to 3:20 PM. This will be Hamada's first program with his name in the title on the network in approximately 26 years, since "Hamachan's This is the Holy Place!" (July 2000).
The program features top athletes as guests. Based on a "happiness graph" created by the guests, in which they reflect on their lives from the perspective of "happiness level," the show delves into their triumphs, setbacks, the tears hidden behind them, and the turning points in their lives. Hamada, who has worked with many athletes in the past, engages in passionate discussions that bring to light the athletes' "way of life."
Announcer Ayumi Hirodo will be in charge of interviewing guests' associates, coaches, teammates, and rivals. Hirodo and Hamada, who have co-starred for many years on the popular variety show "Celebrity Ranking Check" (ABC TV), will once again engage in their perfect chemistry while delving into the lives of athletes.
The first episode, airing on May 17th, will feature Atsuya Furuta, a renowned catcher in professional baseball, and Ai Miyazato, a former world number one ranked female golfer, as guests.
After finishing the recording, Hamada commented, "I've worked on shows with many athletes before, but this is the first time I've been able to delve so deeply into an individual. It was a lot of fun." He added, "Hirodo is really good at adding supplementary information at the right time, which is what you'd expect from someone who's been working with me on 'Kakuzuke' for so long. He always manages to cover for things that would have been ruined if he'd been a few beats late, so he's truly my protégé! (laughs)"
From the very first episode, there was a moment where he had to hold back tears of emotion, and he said, "Is that really necessary (laughs)? I was getting teary-eyed, it was dangerous. I think viewers will be looking forward to seeing 'how many times Hamada will cry' (laughs). But I'll do my best not to cry no matter what!"
Regarding the program, he expressed his anticipation, saying, "I see my role as conveying the personalities of the athletes. I've never focused on one person's life to this extent before! Whether I've met them before or not... I'm looking forward to hearing all sorts of stories from whoever comes on the show."
