Spring Festival Gala Adaptation Diminishes Classic Comedy 'Little Ming's Family'
The 2025 Spring Festival Gala’s adaptation of the popular comedy sketch ‘Little Ming’s Family’ received mixed reactions, with many viewers noting significant changes from the original ‘Tiger Father Without a Dog’ that weakened its comedic impact and thematic depth.

The recent adaptation of “Little Ming’s Family” at China’s 2025 Spring Festival Gala has sparked considerable discussion about the challenges of adapting beloved comedy sketches for mainstream television. The original sketch, titled “Tiger Father Without a Dog” from the second season of the annual comedy competition show, was widely praised for its clever structure and meaningful exploration of family dynamics.
The adaptation made several significant changes that altered the original work’s essence. Most notably, the character of Little Ming’s mother was changed to a grandfather, disrupting the careful balance of family relationships that made the original so compelling. This modification removed many of the nuanced interactions that gave the original its charm and depth.
The performances by Liu Xin, Song Tianshi, and Yu Wenqiu, while competent, were constrained by the revised script’s limitations. The original’s perfectly timed physical comedy and emotional buildups were largely eliminated, leaving a more restrained version that struggled to capture the audience’s attention. The Spring Festival Gala’s staging also removed several key comedic moments, including the teacher’s tea-spitting scene that was a highlight of the original performance.
The structural changes extended beyond character modifications. The original sketch featured parallel storylines examining how behaviors pass from parents to children, incorporating both the family and school settings effectively. The Gala version simplified these elements considerably, reducing the narrative complexity that made the original version so engaging.
The adaptation’s attempts to make the content more “appropriate” for the Spring Festival Gala audience resulted in significant cuts to both humorous moments and thematic depth. The original’s message about the importance of family education and the impact of parental behavior on children became diluted in the process.
The timing and pacing issues were particularly noticeable, with many scenes feeling rushed or truncated. The addition of a “principal’s letter” as a closing device failed to provide a satisfying conclusion, especially compared to the original’s more organic ending.
Viewers familiar with the original version particularly noted the loss of several memorable comedic sequences, including physical comedy bits and character interactions that had made “Tiger Father Without a Dog” so successful. The changes reflect broader patterns in how comedy sketches are modified for the Spring Festival Gala platform, often resulting in diminished creative impact.
This adaptation serves as a notable example of how entertainment can be affected when adapted for mainstream television events, particularly in cases where content modifications are made to align with broadcast requirements. The experience suggests that sometimes preserving the integrity of original comedic works might be preferable to extensive adaptation.