Variety Show Recs
Added 2022-01-16 19:11:20 +0000 UTC
Do you like variety shows? Do you watch any regularly? Are you curious? Unsure? No idea where to being. Please make some recs in comments...talk up shows you like (or specific episodes).
Personally, I'm not an avid variety show watcher, but they really serve a purpose for me when I need a palette cleanser after a drama where I need a breather.
My current go to's are:
Traveller Season 2: (making my way slooooowly through this as I've travelled in the same places and would take a bullet for Kang Ha-neul and Ahn Jae-hong.
1 Day 1 Night: It's just so delightful and Hometown Cha Cha Cha leaned into some of funny moment of the show w/ Kim Seon Ho. Ravi forever!
Run BTS: There are about a zillion episodes so I just dip in and out as the fancy takes me.
-Lia
Comments
Ooooh great rec, I want to check that out! Thank you :)
Megan Erickson
2022-01-19 18:34:19 +0000 UTCI don’t watch many of these—with so many dramas, I don’t have the time! I did watch episodes of 2 Days and 1 Night and laughed like crazy. But I stopped watching after the producers dropped Kim Seon Hoo like a hot potato, even though I like Ravi and DinDin a lot. Sorry, I do hold grudges about some things. One that I would like to watch in its entirety if it were available somewhere is Sea of Hope, a 2021 show. It’s not a variety show in the typical sense, but it has a small cast of idols like Rose from Blackpink, Onew from SHINee, 10cm, and some actors (Lee Dong Wook, Kim Go-run), and it’s all about the singing, the music. All I‘ve seen are parts of episodes on YouTube videos but I love it.
Claudia Copeland
2022-01-19 18:10:47 +0000 UTCYay, thanks for link--I had looked for these unsuccessfully in the past. Wanted to see for Yoo Yeon Seok among others...
Antonina (Tonya)
2022-01-17 23:08:32 +0000 UTCAlso How Do You Play? - but especially episodes from 42-69!! Also...Come Back Home - where they go to different actors home when they were still unknowns. And give that place a remodels and talk to the current tenants. What bout Sixth Sense - where they go different places, mostly restaurants and have to find the fake. All of these are Yoo Jae Suk variety shows!
Jodi Guira
2022-01-17 03:49:24 +0000 UTCAlso Unnie Slam Dunk all on viki. The 1st season was bringing 6 awesome ladies together to help each other achieve their 'dreams'. The first part of the first season was REALLY good and then got a little boring, but still worth the watch. I'm realizing I really like variety shows!
Jodi Guira
2022-01-17 03:33:30 +0000 UTCRunning Man is my jam! Watched it every week since the beginning!! It's also a great way to see your favorite kpop idols and actors be competitive and be more themselves. Mostly on viki If you find episodes of We Got Married, those are just fun to see mainly kpop idols pretend to be married and do couple things - favorite pairing Victoria from f(x) with Nickhan from 2pm. The Return of Superman, seeing korean husband's take care of their children for a whole 48 hrs. The earlier episodes feel more real and we're just adorable. Superman is in viki. Manager - where they highlight the stars manager with different stars on every 2 weeks. On viki Home Alone - seeing different actors and kpop idols living on their own. On viki
Jodi Guira
2022-01-17 03:28:49 +0000 UTCWhoa that sounds great!
Megan Erickson
2022-01-17 02:15:10 +0000 UTCI have seen a few clips of her (via Megan) and I like how she takes it far enough to push the envelope but then backs off
Megan Erickson
2022-01-17 02:14:47 +0000 UTCMegan sent me down an Eric Nam rabbit hole and I ended up discovering Jessi Showterview. I've been told it's different from other shows because she's so American, but perhaps that's why I like it?
Hannah
2022-01-16 23:31:12 +0000 UTCOoh also another rec: Amazing Saturday. It's pretty useful if you want to learn korean too, because the whole show is about listening to a part of a korean song and trying to figure out the lyrics. If they get it right in 3 tries, they are able to eat a specialty meal from a korean market. It has worked wonders for my listening and vocabulary. I don't watch all the episodes, but I choose episodes by who the guests are, or if I am interested in the 2 songs they are guessing.
Jules
2022-01-16 23:01:17 +0000 UTCI have watched Running Man clips but never full shows— I clearly need to rectify asap.
Megan Erickson
2022-01-16 22:00:17 +0000 UTCI'm like a total Variety show virgin I think. The only ones I watched are the Hospital Playlist specials doing Journey to the West and they were freaking hilarious. Thanks so much for all the recs and for this thread, Lia!
Sarah @afternoonaasks
2022-01-16 21:58:14 +0000 UTCAlso, since you like 2 Days 1 Night, the guy who produced the first season is pretty famous, Na PD, and he has made some other great shows. He did a few travel series: Grandpas Over Flowers Noonas Over Flowers Youth Over Flowers YOF had seasons with the Reply 94 & Reply 88 male casts, as well as one with Jo Jung Seok & Kang Haneul. These boys would literally have no notice of these trips, they would get surprised with them, it was great. https://youtu.be/YoH2sUQ-enk
Jules
2022-01-16 21:49:44 +0000 UTCRunning Man is definitely the first thing you should check out. Some other things I enjoy watching: Ask Us Anything/Knowing Bros - Check out ep 208 King of Mask Singer - Costumes are much less creepy than US version. Also, it features new contestants every 2 episodes, so you don't have to watch a full season. Recs: 119/120 153/154 163/164 165/166
Jules
2022-01-16 21:46:53 +0000 UTCSome Running Man episode recs: 138 (Kim WooBin & Lee Jong Suk) 162 (Apink, 2pm, B2ST, Infinite, Girl's day, Sistar, MBlaq) 240(Junho, Kim WooBin, Kang Haneul) 362 (Kang Haneul & park Seo joon) 473 (no guests, but I watch this episode when I want to laugh hard) 499 (Rowoon & Lee Do Hyun) 510 (Lee Do Hyun again) 513 (kpop girls) 520 (feat a wonderful rendition of The Lion sleeps Tonight)
Jules
2022-01-16 21:30:24 +0000 UTCWell... I mostly watch the most legendary of all Korean variety shows, Running Man. It is 12 years old (and still going) and has 500+ episodes. I started watching from Episode 1 and am just getting to the episodes filmed in 2013. But... despite being old, almost each episode is pure variety gold. A big plus is that I get to see some of my favorite actors and actresses, be it in their earlier days, have fun in a casual environment, while also discovering new ones to follow around the dramaland - not to mention getting acquainted with the brilliant main cast. Episodes starting from 300-something are on Viki, but you can watch every one on a site called myrunningman.com I also love Youn's Kitchen Season 2, mainly because watching Park Seo-joon calmly working as a waiter in Spain is like meditating. * Oh, I also watched all King of Masked Singer episodes with Ha Hyun Woo. Incredible experience.
Barisbi
2022-01-16 20:20:00 +0000 UTC
