Wednesday Downtown
A TBS Original
People sometimes latch onto beliefs without regard to proof or science. In this playful information show, a celebrity lineup presents their pet theories to a studio crowd, arguing with scholars and riffing on outrageous logic. Can these ideas win converts, or do they flop as pop science that... Read more
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Streaming availability last verified: January 22, 2026
About Wednesday Downtown
People sometimes latch onto beliefs without regard to proof or science. In this playful information show, a celebrity lineup presents their pet theories to a studio crowd, arguing with scholars and riffing on outrageous logic. Can these ideas win converts, or do they flop as pop science that confuses more than clarifies? The host keeps score with curiosity, pushing for rigorous testing while embracing the humor in wild claims. Viewers follow a mix of casual experiments and on location checks designed to test each theory in real world settings.
Premiering in 2014, Wednesday Downtown follows a format built around famous faces presenting unsanctioned theories to a studio panel. Masatoshi Hamada serves as the host guiding the discussion and supervising the experiments. The program blends comedy with science talk and relies on on location checks to test claims. Specific director credits and the source material behind the concept are not widely documented.
It has a modest footprint in cultural conversations, mainly among viewers who enjoy celebrity driven debates and light science skepticism. The show leans into familiar pop culture tropes, with the host and guests trading lines in a playful, sometimes absurd, pursuit of truth. While not widely cited in academic or media histories, Wednesday Downtown exemplifies a trend toward entertainment first information that invites audiences to question everyday beliefs.
At its core the show treats belief and evidence as a playground rather than a battleground. Celebrities present their pet theories and the format nudges viewers to weigh claims against experiments and dialogue instead of blind faith. The humor comes from the push and pull between earnest effort and goofy conclusions, keeping science approachable without turning skeptical inquiry into a lecture. While it isn't a heavyweight documentary, the series mirrors a cultural appetite for friendly explanations and a gentle reminder that pop science can mislead if not checked.
Details
- Release Date
- April 23, 2014
- Episode Length
- 1h
- User Ratings
- 3 votes
- Type
- TV Series
- Seasons
- 14
- Episodes
- 460
- Network
- TBS
- Status
- Returning Series
- Genres
- Comedy
- Country
- Japan
- Studio
- TBS
- External Links
- View on IMDB
Cast
Masatoshi Hamada
Self - Host
Seasons (14 seasons, 460 episodes)
2014
25 episodes - 2014
2015
34 episodes - 2015
2016
34 episodes - 2016
2017
39 episodes - 2017
2018
37 episodes - 2018
2019
38 episodes - 2019
2020
42 episodes - 2020
2021
41 episodes - 2021
2022
41 episodes - 2022
2023
43 episodes - 2023
2024
42 episodes - 2024
2025
44 episodes - 2025
Season 13
1 episodes - 2026
2025
0 episodes