This article interrogates the potential for the Idol talent show format, a sub-genre of the broader reality tv genre, and of its imitations to generate new forms of public expression and social inclusion in China and India, thus promoting a democratisation of the respective public spheres.
In particular, the article discusses the ability of the talent show genre to represent local identities vis-à-vis established cultural models endorsed or promoted by national cultural institutions such as state televisions.
To this end, a comparative analysis is presented of two popular talent shows during the last decade – China’s Super Girl and India’s Indian Idol 3 – whose cultural and social effects could be seen as carrying political implications for the issues of identity and citizenship in the world regions under observation.
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Gabriele Cosentino 
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