1. Running Man (SBS)
myspiffyrosegirl: Running Man (2010) is one of the "older" K-variety shows that is still going strong in its 4th year running (harhar) that has a competition-game set up. Each episode features a series of short games that are related to a central theme/mission where players compete to win points, hints, or some kind of favor that will help them in the final game at the closing of the episode. There is only one winner - either individually or as a team for the final game and they are essentially the ultimate winner for the episode, which can be bitter for some and redeeming for others. Sometimes, there a specials that last for multiple episodes, like the Asia Race Special that took them across Macau, China and Vietnam - this remains as one of my all-time favorites. This show is one that has kept its regular cast pretty consistent especially in the later years - Yoo Jae-suk (MC), Ji Suk-jin, Kim Jong-kook, Haha, Lee Kwang-soo, Gary, and Song Ji-hyo. More often than not, guests are invited ranging from actors to idols to athletes, from the well known to the up and coming, sometimes as a single guest, sometimes as a huge group like in their Idol Olympic specials. The show isn't split up by seasons because they don't change their regular cast; they've been airing every weekend since its inception with 219+ episodes now.
What I'm loving: As many fans know and commiserate, Running Man hasn't been at its best this year, but it has picked up recently in the last 6 episodes. My favorite one of late is definitely episode 213, It's Okay, That's Chaebol, which featured actresses who are known for playing the evil b**h/the "other" girl in Korean dramas. Because of Korean culture, girls often act delicate, polite, aka not competitive, and I always find that frustrating to watch on this show. So I love it when older actresses or females that care less about their image and have an actual drive to win come on the show. A close second for favorites is episode 217, Death Bingo Race, which had a pretty wicked variation of the classic name tag elimination game. Nothing drives up your blood pressure than to know that you are targeted specifically for someone else's gain...
My quibbles: I can see how tiring this show can be for both the writers (mentally) and for the cast (physically and mentally), so I get that they will have a less inspiring episode now and then, but for the majority of this year, they've been consistently lackluster. So much so that I actually completely tuned out until recently. I'm actually pretty impressed they kept this up consistently for 4 years...In order for this show to keep going, I wish SBS could let them just air an episode only every other weekend. I know that's not a likely set up, but in my ideal world, that's what I would want if I could have high quality Running Man episodes with a well rested cast that kept going on forever and ever... I also wish I could see more Monday Couple sparks. There's been less of that lately making it seem more and more like a thing of the past. </3
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| Episode 213: It's Okay, That's Chaebol |
mongolkhana: I love Running Man! I agree with myspiffyrosegirl that the show has seen better days, though some of the recent episodes have been a little more inspired. I've been a faithful follower since before the show even aired, and eagerly followed the premier and awkward first few episodes when the writers and the stars were trying to establish themselves. They've accomplished something that is extremely difficult to do in the variety world: gather a group of celebrities, create characters for themselves, and entertain the audience. That's probably why I've stuck with the show because I remember for it for what it has achieved over the last few years. I would love to see it revive the original hide-and-seek/mission games, but the members are way too skilled and guests have no chance.
Where to watch with English subtitles: Dramafever
2. Roommate (SBS)
mongolkhana: The idea of this show is to throw a bunch of actors, comedians, singers, and idols into one house and watch how they interact with each other as roommates. It's currently on the second season and from the first episode of the new season, almost all the new members have made a strong impact with their personalities while the first season members seem to take a backseat to let them shine.
Who stands out: GOT7's Jackson Wang. Oh. My. Gosh. Where do I even begin? His adoration/puppy love for Guk-joo? His carefree attitude? His amazing acrobatics and fencing skills? This kid is a born entertainer. It's hilarious to watch him, and even funnier to notice that the other roommates also have a similar "????...!! " reaction to him as well. I have high hopes for the second season, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this cast is able to pull the show together in a way that the first season didn't.
Some notes about the members (1st and 2nd season): The end of the first season saw the departure of singer and musical actor Shin Sung-woo, EXO's Chanyeol, MMA fighter Song Ga-yeon, model and radio host Lee So-ra, and actress Hong Soo-hyun. Park Bom of 2NE1 was also part of the first season cast but withdrew when her drug scandal broke out. The cast members who chose to remain include actor Lee Dong-wook, comedian Jo Se-ho, 5urpise member Seo Kang-joon, actor Lee Min-woo, and After School singer Nana. They have been joined by the following new members: KARA's new member Heo Young-ji, comedian Lee Guk-joo, Japanese actor Ryohei Otani, GOT7 idol member Jackson Wang, veteran actress Bae Jong-ok, SNSD member Sunny, and g.o.d. member Joon Park.
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| L: Jackson (GOT7). R: Guk-joo. |
myspiffyrosegirl: Agreed. Jackson is also the reason why I picked up this show. From his interview at the restaurant in the first episode of season 2, I knew I loved him and had to keep watching. If I had to choose one word to describe Jackson, it'd be "pabo," but its an endearing pabo, who is your innocent, fun-loving, heart-on-your-sleeves kind of guy. He also has the best reactions to guests - like his extremely shy reaction to Ga-yeon from season 1 - hahahahaha, and his reaction to SNSD's Yoona ("Is that Taeyeon?"). My two other favorites have to be Guk-joo and Young-ji. Guk-joo is hilarious, 'nuff said. As for Young-ji, besides her now infamous silent uvula laugh, I love her freshness and how down to earth she is. Since she hasn't been an idol for that long and got super lucky joining an already successful idol girl group, she doesn't have any arrogance or inclination to act pretty. In fact, Sunny has to remind her now and then that she's now an idol (see fresh octopus preparation scene, lol). It's great.
The show is an easy, breezy watch that doesn't suck you in or tickles your brain like Running Man, but still enjoyable nonetheless. That already is enough for me to keep watching, but I don't know how long I would keep it up. I hope that the production team will find some kind of direction or bring some more cohesiveness to the show soon. I get that it's supposed to be a simple look at a group of celebrities living together, but it can be more. For example, it's such a unique set up to have celebrities from so many different professions living under one roof - I wish they would bring that aspect out more. In the most recent episode, Jong-ok gave everyone a little acting training, which was hilarious. I wish I could see more of them learning from and supporting each other, because we all know they're hardworking celebrities with busy, tiring schedules. It just seems overly bright to me sometimes. I want some more touching moments, please.
Where to watch with English subtitles: Dramafever
mongolkhana: Celebrity dads left alone to take care of their kid(s) alone for 48 hours? I've always wanted to see what the kids of some of Korea's celebrities were like, and this show answered my desires! Crying babies, cooking (or attempting to do so), doctor and dental appointments, and more everyday things that usually are left to the moms are now suddenly left up to the dads. The show stars the following dads: Tablo (Epik High), MC Lee Hwi-jae, fighter Chu Sung-hoon, and actor Song Il-gook. Of course, the true stars are their children: cool and chic Haru, twins Seojun and Seoon, unstoppable eater Sarang, and trouble making triplets Dae-han, Min-guk, and Man-se. There have also been a number of guests on the show with their own children including Shin Aera, SES's Shoo, and trot singer Jang Yoon-jung.
Who stands out: The picture above is a little older so it doesn't have the new fixed member Song Il-gook and his triplets. I started off watching the show because of Tablo and his daughter Haru, but I instantly fell in love with Il-gook's cute little boys and their adoring father. Min-guk is my favorite little Song rascal because he is absolutely cuteness personified. Fans have even created an album of the songs that he has sung while recording the show.
This show brings back memories of my childhood when my dad would be at home with me a lot. I remember eating a lot of ramen ^_^ And the occasional soda.
Where to watch with English subtitles: KBS World Youtube playlist
Closing thoughts
myspiffyrosegirl: The extent of my Korean variety show watching has only consisted of Running Man, We Got Married, and a smattering of idol reality shows until recently, so I'm basically a K-variety newb. (Thank you mongolkhana for introducing me to more like Human Condition and Happy Together. Or maybe I should be cursing your name for getting me hooked onto more shows...haha, jk.) What I love about Korean variety so far is how different these shows are from any other show even in the Western media world. They're not quite reality shows like the high drama of The Bachelor or stupid antics of Jersey Shore (neither of which I actually watched, just heard from the news). They're also not exactly the game shows that Japan made popular (human tetris anyone?), nor are they straight up talk shows. Each show has a special mix of reality-game show-talk show that they make their own. There's no Western equivalent for many K-variety shows...So that makes Korean varieties its own genre. And I love that. But besides that, what makes them so great is how they're fun while not stooping to the level of "trash TV." While I may not continue or regularly keep up with every K-variety I start, I think I'll definitely be watching K-varieties in general for a while. It's the perfect antidote to long, hard days.
mongolkhana: Muahaha myspiffyrosegirl :) I definitely enjoy spreading the love of K-variety to anyone who is willing to listen to me rant and rave about one of my favorite on-screen forms of entertainment (for reasons so eloquently elaborated by myspiffyrosegirl). As it stands, I probably watch more variety shows than dramas! As we were putting together this post, I realized that I had many, many, MANY other variety shows that I wanted to write about. Some of them are on right now, and some of them are shows that are no longer airing. Some are talk-show formats, some are game-formats, and some just follow idols around in their everyday lives (to satiate my inner Kpop stalker personality). So... I'm happy to announce that we will definitely be releasing a Part 2 to this post in the near future!
myspiffyrosegirl: The extent of my Korean variety show watching has only consisted of Running Man, We Got Married, and a smattering of idol reality shows until recently, so I'm basically a K-variety newb. (Thank you mongolkhana for introducing me to more like Human Condition and Happy Together. Or maybe I should be cursing your name for getting me hooked onto more shows...haha, jk.) What I love about Korean variety so far is how different these shows are from any other show even in the Western media world. They're not quite reality shows like the high drama of The Bachelor or stupid antics of Jersey Shore (neither of which I actually watched, just heard from the news). They're also not exactly the game shows that Japan made popular (human tetris anyone?), nor are they straight up talk shows. Each show has a special mix of reality-game show-talk show that they make their own. There's no Western equivalent for many K-variety shows...So that makes Korean varieties its own genre. And I love that. But besides that, what makes them so great is how they're fun while not stooping to the level of "trash TV." While I may not continue or regularly keep up with every K-variety I start, I think I'll definitely be watching K-varieties in general for a while. It's the perfect antidote to long, hard days.
mongolkhana: Muahaha myspiffyrosegirl :) I definitely enjoy spreading the love of K-variety to anyone who is willing to listen to me rant and rave about one of my favorite on-screen forms of entertainment (for reasons so eloquently elaborated by myspiffyrosegirl). As it stands, I probably watch more variety shows than dramas! As we were putting together this post, I realized that I had many, many, MANY other variety shows that I wanted to write about. Some of them are on right now, and some of them are shows that are no longer airing. Some are talk-show formats, some are game-formats, and some just follow idols around in their everyday lives (to satiate my inner Kpop stalker personality). So... I'm happy to announce that we will definitely be releasing a Part 2 to this post in the near future!
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