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This was definitely not a good year for local entertainment shows. The once-popular shows "Running Man" and "Infinite Challenge" struggled amid their single-digit viewership ratings while cooking shows and reality programs searching for musical talent have fatigued viewers.
The representative long-running variety show "Running Man," whose viewership once topped 20 percent, had been suffering from falling ratings that tumbled to below 6 percent, before SBS decided to end the long-running show. A dispute surrounding the production team's unilateral decision to sack two original members — Song Ji-hyo and Kim Jong-kook — made the six-year-old show's final farewell less graceful.
MBC's 10-year-old variety show "Infinite Challenge" is in the same position. It is struggling, maintaining ratings slightly over 10 percent. Its rival, KBS' "2 Days & 1 Night," has faced a better situation, but a cast reshuffle dealt a blow to the show's image, as did its member Jung Joon-young who left after sexual harassment allegations surfaced.
A noteworthy trend this year has been the rise of so-called "observation" camera shows. SBS' new variety show "Mom's Diary — My Ugly Duckling," a reality show spotlighting bachelor celebrities and their mothers, has shown their single life unfiltered and expanded it to deal with troubles in single households and in mother-son relationships
The mothers in the show watched the videotaped daily lives of their sons, while viewers watch their mothers' spontaneous reactions to them. Four celebrity bachelors including singer Kim Gun-mo, Tony Ahn of former boy band H.O.T., show host Park Soo-hong and journalist Heo Ji-woong enjoy newfound popularity after appearing on the show with their mothers.
Since airing in August, the Friday late-night show has topped viewership ratings in its timeslot for 17 consecutive weeks.
"Those mothers are common mothers you can encounter near you, who gather around and chat about their children. Their unfiltered conversations seem to have gained popularity," said Kwak Seung-young, the program's producer.
MBC also brought the daily life of stars in front of the camera with a show with a similar format "I Live Alone." By showing their faces without makeup and their unscripted selves, while using documentary techniques with variety show elements, it has been regarded as having gained a firm foundation to become another long-running television show.
Parenting shows have suffered from falling popularity. "Oh! My Baby," an SBS reality program starring celebrities and their children, suffered low ratings and finally came to an end, after raising controversy that the luxurious lives of the celebrities' children makes viewers feel out of place. KBS parenting show "The Return of Superman" is also falling fast in ratings.
(The Korean Times)
