A beginner's guide to South Korean Variety Shows!

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Experiencing foreign television programmes for the first time can be a very overwhelming and confusing experience. Each country has its own ways of editing, its own humour and its own ideas of what is and what isn’t entertaining. Place on top of this the need to read subtitles (if you are not fluent in the programme’s language) and you have quite a tough task on your hands.

Speaking personally and from an English background, I can certainly say that my first forays into this world were not completely smooth. So today, we have decided to gather some identifiable tropes of South Korean variety programmes specifically and provide something in the way of an  explanation. Hopefully this article will serve as a preparation guide of sorts for newcomers, but also serve to amuse even the most seasoned SK variety fan!

[EDITORIAL] Regarding 'We Got Married' Idols: Differences in fan reception.

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Before getting started on this piece, I must admit that I have never actually watched a single episode of the South Korean programme ‘We Got Married’. However, I do know that the basic principle of the programme is that a male and a female celebrity embark upon a fake married life together for the entertainment of its viewers. This will include a wedding photoshoot and even a honeymoon amongst many other things. I recall when I first heard about the programme some time ago and was left quite perplexed by the whole thing. Having said this though, I can still understand why the programme has done so well over the years, it provides a space for viewers to fantasise, whether that be in entertaining the fact that there might actually be a real relationship forming between the two celebrities, or perhaps by allowing the viewer to put themselves in the place of the ‘wife’ or ‘husband’ of their bias.