12 Entertaining Korean Variety Shows for Lovers of K-Pop and K-Dramas
Korean variety shows are beloved for their zaniness, drama and twists and turns.
But besides their entertainment value, they can also offer insights into Korean culture that you won’t get anywhere else.
In this post, let’s take a look at 12 awesome examples of shows that can be enjoyed by all!
Contents
- 1. Knowing Bros
- 2. Infinite Challenge
- 3. Weekly Idol
- 4. The Return of Superman
- 5. 2 Days & 1 Night
- 6. We Got Married
- 7. I Live Alone / Home Alone
- 8. Law of the Jungle
- 9. Abnormal Summit
- 10. The King of Mask Singer
- 11. New Journey to the West
- 12. Crime Scene
- Why Korean Variety Shows Work for Language Learning
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1. Knowing Bros
Where to watch: Netflix, YouTube
What it’s about: Acting as high school students, celebrities play a series of games within a classroom setting.
Cast list: Kang Ho-dong, Seo Jang-hoon, revolving cast
In this show, a certain celebrity plays a transfer student and enters the lion’s den, uhm, I mean the classroom. Everything is fair game from that point on.
You might see interviews, debates, karaoke, random games, improv and more. There are even eating contests, poetry slams and every once in a while, a wrestling match.
The guests are usually from girl and boy groups who are put in uncomfortable situations to the delight of their fans.
2. Infinite Challenge
Where to watch: Kokowa, YouTube
What it’s about: In this zany show, celebrities are forced to endure a relentless series of nigh-impossible challenges.
Cast list: Yang Se-hyung, Park Myung-soo, HaHa, Jung Jun-Ha, Yoo Jae-suk, Noh Hong-chul
What do you get from a show whose tagline is, “Dirty, Dangerous, Difficult?” Well, everything. The challenges are so creative and sometimes so impossible that you just can’t help but stay glued to your seat.
You get tugs-of-war with cows, black noodle soup while on a roller coaster ride, hidden camera pranks, satirical TV ads and fake news segments.
That’s what you get when you have a show anchored by cast members who are ready to do just about anything at the drop of a hat.
This show has been so influential that it’s been reported the South Korean government wanted it to feature content based on its policies. It ran from 2005 to 2018.
3. Weekly Idol
What it’s about: K-pop stars are asked to carry out different tasks and play different games, all for an awesome reward.
Cast list: Lee Sang-min, Yoo Se-yoon, Kim Shin-young, revolving cast of K-pop idols
Each week on this show, different K-pop stars and groups come in for a jolly good time to win an appealing prize (like their favorite grilled beef?).
For example, they might be asked to dance to a specific song—then suddenly, some other song is switched in and they must go with the flow and adjust their dance moves.
If you want to see your idols both tense and relaxed, then watch this show. It’s all so zany and it gives you the chance to see your idols in a whole new light.
4. The Return of Superman
What it’s about: Celebrity fathers are left alone with their kids, in their own homes, for 48 hours, while mom enjoys a well-deserved break.
Cast list: Park Joo-ho, So Yoo-jin, Sayuri Fujita and more
If “The Bachelor” ended up marrying the girl, and they had kids, then it would be this show. Celebrity fathers must undergo a mission to keep their kids happy (and alive!) for those 48 hours—without any help.
From their kitchen foibles to their awful lullabies, this provides an intimate look into the lives of celebrities as regular and real-life fathers, doing everything from entertaining their kids to cleaning up after them.
5. 2 Days & 1 Night
What it’s about: Cast members visit little-known but interesting spots around South Korea, making merry and creating crazy.
Cast list: Kim Jun-ho, Jung Joon-young, Kim Jong-min, DinDin, Moon Se-yoon
This show is a dream for South Korea’s tourism office. But instead of targeting an international audience, it’s for South Koreans.
You’ll watch a motley crew travel to some mountain town, seaside village or a nearby island where they spend two days and one night. They explore the place, meet with locals and have interesting conversations along the way.
They’re also given a variety of challenges, followed by a reward or punishment. A reward might allow them a taste of a local delicacy; a punishment might mean going for a dip in the town’s frigid waters.
6. We Got Married
Where to watch: Viki
What it’s about: Two celebrities, who aren’t a couple, are asked to live the life of a married couple.
Cast list: Hong Kyung-min, Solbi, Kim So-eun, SG Wannabe members, 2AM members and more
Each week, a matched couple are given different tasks and missions, from getting groceries on a limited budget to spiffing up the house.
The couples might be fake but the tasks and the interactions are real, and fans are on the edge of their seats wondering if the two people in the situation are really starting to fall for each other.
This premise caught on and resulted in a Chinese spin-off featuring celebrities from Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
7. I Live Alone / Home Alone
Where to watch: Viki, Kocowa, YouTube
What it’s about: Follow the footsteps of a celebrity who lives the solo life.
Cast list: Lee Si-eon, Park Na-rae, Kian84, Sung Hoon and more
Its premise might sound quite mundane, but “I Live Alone” (also known as “Home Alone”) has become a hot favorite in and out of Korea.
Roughly a third of Korean celebrities live alone for varying reasons: the lack of a romantic partner, business matters that often keep a couple apart or a simple personal preference to live independently.
While there are a few variety show elements like group panels and such, the show’s special sauce is its honest portrayal of these individuals as they go about their everyday life.
The show is well-liked for its unscripted and genial nature, supported by the documentary-style footage that gives little peeks into the celebrity’s life.
8. Law of the Jungle
Where to watch: Viki, Kocowa, YouTube
What it’s about: Celebrities, actors, K-pop stars, etc. are plopped into remote locations where they’ll have to fend for themselves.
Cast list: Kim Byung-man, Noh Woo-jin, Park Jung-chul, Kangnam and more
The show has been to places like the Cook Islands, Madagascar, the Amazon and Antarctica.
The guest stars gather food and create shelter. They’ll have to survive extreme weather conditions and scarcity. But most of all, they’ll need to survive each other.
“Law of the Jungle” is hosted by Kim Byung-man, a comedian—because, you know, there’s nothing like humor to tide you over through a cold night in the middle of nowhere when your stomach is empty.
9. Abnormal Summit
Where to watch: YouTube
What it’s about: A panel of individuals, which includes both native Koreans and those from different nations, discuss topics concerning Korean culture and society.
The show features discussions from individuals who are fluent in the language. But being foreigners, they’re able to bring their own unique perspectives to the table as they talk and debate on a variety of matters.
This is a great show to indulge in some fun and genuinely thoughtful conversations about current affairs. It had a large appeal to viewers to native Koreans and foreigners interested in Korea.
Although the show is no longer airing, the formatting of the show offered an open space to air opinions from various viewpoints, especially when the panel consisted of members from nations beyond Europe or America.
10. The King of Mask Singer
Where to watch: Viki, Kocowa, YouTube
What it’s about: Different contestants compete in a paired singing competition while wearing some fabulous masks to hide their identities.
Cast list: Kim Sung-joo, Shin Bong-sun, Kim Gu-ra and more
If you’re a fan of the American TV series “The Masked Singer” then “The King of Mask Singer” will be right up your alley in both entertainment and learning value. Fun fact: it was originally a South Korean show!
Since each contestant must hide their identity, the judging panel’s ratings aren’t biased toward their actual backgrounds.
Besides belting out some favorite Korean tunes, the contestants are also open to panel interrogation and can showcase other neat tricks they can do, which can help the judges get an idea of who they really are.
The losing contestant of each pair-off must unmask and reveal themselves, while the winner goes on to challenge the previous competition winner (known as the “King”) in hopes to steal the crown.
11. New Journey to the West
Where to watch: YouTube, Naver TV (only available in Korea)
What it’s about: Well-known Korean celebrities travel through different Asian hotspots while undergoing an assortment of challenges.
Cast list: Kang Ho-dong, Lee Seung-gi, Ahn Jae-hyun, Song Min-ho, Lee Soo-geun
The title of the series refers to the classic, 16th-century Chinese novel known as “Journey to the West.” The show’s very first season has the cast traversing through Xian, China role-playing as characters from the story.
Later seasons have the troop venturing to places in Vietnam, Japan, Hong Kong and even their home country of South Korea.
The fun of the show revolves around the chemistry of the cast and the unexpected games and missions they must endure.
If you know anything about Korean group games, it’s that they can be quite demanding, and there are a lot of hilarious moments as members struggle and stumble through them.
12. Crime Scene
Where to watch: YouTube
Cast list: Park Ji-yoon, Jang Jin, Hong Jin-ho and more
What it’s about: A mock-up of a murder scene (inspired by actual real-life cases) is presented to the cast who must then use their personal detective skills, available resources and limited time to conduct thorough investigations.
With “Crime Scene,” Sherlock wannabes, crime-solving enthusiasts or general lovers of the game “Clue” can get their mystery fix. The end goal of this show’s cast is to figure out the criminal hiding among them.
If the members can correctly deduct the true murderer, then the cash prize is given to them; however, if the heinous perpetrator runs scot-free, he or she alone takes the whole cake.
A lot of fun and intrigue can be found in the dramatized portrayal of the crime scene investigation process. Any fans of the “whodunnit” brand will surely appreciate the effort put forward by the crime recreation and role-playing elements from the cast.
Why Korean Variety Shows Work for Language Learning
“Variety show” is a catch-all term for entertainment acts that include song numbers, dance performances, interviews, comedy sketches, magic, ventriloquism and juggling. The key word here is “variety.”
Korean variety shows, just like Korean dramas and movies, are their own unique brand of entertainment helping spread Korean language and culture around the world.
These shows are a tour de force when it comes to language learning for a number of reasons.
Korean variety shows are authentic.
Today’s technology means that language learners don’t need to purchase a plane ticket just to get immersed in authentic Korean material. You can watch what Koreans watch and you don’t even have to change into a fresh pair of pajamas to do it.
Yes, it can be more difficult to follow the Korean used, but certain resources can hone your ability to dissect and absorb all the valuable information that the content naturally possesses.
One example is FluentU, a website and app (iOS and Android) that takes clips like music videos, commercials and show snippets, and then combines them with study tools.
These include interactive subtitles that provide instant word translations, as well as a video dictionary that shows how words are used in different clips.
This way, you can efficiently learn realistic Korean in context, then review them with quizzes that also test your writing and pronunciation skills. Native Korean media will ensure that you learn the Korean language as it’s actually used.
And while fictional dramas, series and films are also generally considered to be authentic content, variety shows add a whole new level because the situations on-screen tend to be less scripted and the language more realistic.
Korean variety shows are fun.
When these shows were conceived by their producers, they had ratings in mind. And in order to win the ratings game, shows have to entertain.
As a rule, these shows cannot be boring. Every minute should have something going on—something funny, interesting, intriguing, an unexpected twist or a dilemma.
These elements all work for the language learner, making the show and the language memorable. Learning the language becomes doubly easy when you’re having fun.
Korean variety shows are contextually and culturally insightful.
Korean variety shows provide a vivid context for the language being used. Often, this context is tied to culture.
In the midst of fun and games, an observant language learner will, for example, see a demonstration of Korean honorifics in how a host greets his guests. This exchange could clue you into their sense of relationship hierarchy.
These shows give you a powerful visual of Korean culture. It can be gleaned from the objects and props on set, the places the shows go to, the different activities they engage in and the meaningful non-verbal cues that pop up on the screen.
With Korean language shows, you’re learning about language and culture at the same time. And maybe you’re even seeing your favorite Korean idol getting poked by a foam finger in the face, which of course easily makes your day.
Not only will you laugh and cry your heart out with these Korean variety shows, but you’ll also learn a language, parts of the culture and perhaps a thing or two about life.
That’s hitting three birds with one stone, which is a pretty darn good use of your time. So now, there’s only one thing left to do is press “play.”
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
