Description: The October 23, 2026 teaser made a guest's punctuality a punchline. Rinrin had arrived 108 minutes late to a live show four days earlier. Here's how the VIVANT references worked.
On October 23, Japan's TBS morning variety show Love it! asked whether returning guest Rinrin could make it to the studio by 8 a.m. It sounded like a strangely basic question. On October 19, the actor had arrived one hour and 48 minutes after the live broadcast began. His next appearance was now being promoted as a test of punctuality.
The incident on October 19
Love it! broadcasts live on weekdays from 8:00 to 9:55 a.m. Two actors from the Japanese spy drama VIVANT were scheduled that Monday: Rinrin, who plays Zhou Haoran, and Ryu Kohata, who plays Li Mingze. Their fictional organization, Xinxi, opposes the protagonists' secret unit Bekkan.
Rinrin overslept and then encountered traffic. Reports placed his arrival at 9:48 a.m., just seven minutes before the show ended. He bowed repeatedly to apologize. Host Akira Kawashima adopted the manner of VIVANT hero Yusuke Nogi, while Rinrin answered with a reference to his character's interrogation scenes. A real scheduling failure briefly turned into an improvised spy-drama exchange.
The actor also joked that the fictional Blue Walker had interfered with his phone alarm. That was an in-character gag, not a verified explanation. He later issued a serious personal apology.
Why the October 23 preview got laughs
At the end of Friday's broadcast, announcer Mako Tamura named the guests for Monday, October 26: Yusuke Hirayama, Ryo Tamaki and Rinrin. The studio reacted. The show replayed the apology footage and advertised a rhythm-game showdown between VIVANT's opposing factions. Kawashima then wondered whether Rinrin would arrive on time.
Ordinarily a television preview sells what a guest will do. This one first asked whether the guest would show up to do it. That reversal, not a second late arrival, was the joke.
The extra layer for VIVANT viewers
Zhou is a threatening adversary onscreen; his actor was visibly apologetic offscreen. Kawashima's imitation of Nogi and Rinrin's villainous reply connected the two worlds. The upcoming rivalry was also being transferred from a serious espionage story to a cheerful morning rhythm game. The first mission suddenly sounded less like covert operations and more like setting an alarm.
What is confirmed as of October 25?
TBS scheduled a recap of the incident for the October 24 early-morning compilation Yoake no Love it!. TBS and the official VIVANT site list the three actors for October 26 at 8 a.m. That appearance was still in the future on October 25. Whether Rinrin arrived on time and who won the game cannot yet be reported as results.
Conclusion
The laughter came from turning an already acknowledged mistake into a small cliffhanger, while keeping the actor's real apology separate from the comedy. The fictional villain's next challenge is unexpectedly ordinary: be in the studio when the show starts.
References (9)
- TBS・10/19: https://www.tbs.co.jp/tv/20261019_C198.html
- TBS・10/24: https://www.xc-gslb.tbs.co.jp/tv/20261024_C23E.html
- TBS・10/26: https://www.tbs.co.jp/tv/20261026_C28E.html
- VIVANT公式・10/23: https://www.tbs.co.jp/VIVANT_tbs/news/
- ORICON・10/23: https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2488377/full/
- ORICON・10/24: https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2488540/full/
- MANTANWEB・10/19: https://mantan-web.jp/article/20261019dog00m200005000a.html
- MANTANWEB・10/23: https://mantan-web.jp/article/20261023dog00m200007000a.html
- マイナビ・10/19: https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20261019-5156806/
