Evening Team’s new format meets unanimous backlash from viewers

L’Équipe du soir returned on Tuesday, unveiling a revamped format that many viewers had anticipated after Olivier Ménard announced it at the end of last season, yet social media has responded with unanimous criticism, leaving the show without a president beside its steadfast presenter.

New line‑up and immediate response

The presenter remains at the helm, but the show now lacks a president beside him. For its inaugural episode, the programme featured four commentators: journalists Dave Appadoo and Virginie Sainsily, and consultants Vikash Dhorasoo and Héloïse Kane.

On Wednesday, the former athlete on the panel was replaced by Mélisande Gomez, marking the first personnel change since the launch of the new format.

Social‑media users have responded unanimously, and the revamped formula has yet to convince any viewer, according to online commentary.

Critics also lament the disappearance of the ‘river’, the side‑screen banners that previously displayed the programme’s host and topics.

Legacy, departures and audience history

Many internet users mourn the absence of several historic contributors, a sentiment echoed hours earlier when prominent sports daily figures Bernard Lions and Vincent Duluc announced they would no longer take part.

Others accuse the programme of embracing ‘wokism’ and criticize its studio set as reminiscent of another era.

L’Équipe du soir first aired in September 2008 on channel 21 of TNT and regularly attracted strong audiences during the second half of the 2010s and the early 2020s.

Its all‑time audience record was set on 23 June 2021, following the Portugal‑France match in the Euro 2021 group stage.

The contrast between the show’s historic viewership peaks and the current wave of unanimous criticism highlights a precarious future for the revamped evening programme.