11 Korean variety shows to binge watch

Haven’t watched a Korean variety show before? You don’t know what you’re missing out on in life. As they say, variety is the spice of life and Korean variety shows spice it up with their creativity, comedy and cast.

Many popular celebrities and K-pop idols are often featured on these Korean variety shows, which comprise games, performances and skits.

Check out our list of the 11 best Korean variety shows to binge-watch over the holidays.

1. Running Man (2010 – present)

There is no reality TV show more synonymous with “Korean variety show” than Running Man, which propelled its cast to international fame. The show also gained popularity among Hallyu fans for the cast’s chemistry. If you have been living under a rock, Running Man pits members against each other to do missions to avoid punishments or win rewards.

To emerge triumphant, the cast members engage in actions, from betrayals (that often become comedic situations in themselves), to cheating and wrestling with one another.

While such tropes have become tiresome after 700 episodes, their special themed episodes are still worth a second watch, especially if you miss the good old days of nametag-ripping.

These include the superpower-themed episodes (e.g. Episodes 74, 257) and Yoomes-Bond series (e.g. Episodes 140, 449), where Yoo Jae-suk used a water gun to eliminate his foes.

2. Busted! (2018)

If you are a fan of the mystery-themed episodes in Running Man, catch Busted!. It is a Netflix Original by the same production company behind Running Man. The whodunit variety show also features two of its cast members, Yoo Jae-Suk and Lee Kwang Soo.

Each episode also features guest celebrities. Unlike other shows, guests play characters with the same names as the celebrities themselves. The mystery in each episode usually implicates the characters, who then help the cast find various clues to solve the puzzle.

This includes uncovering the secret behind Project D, where a chip containing the DNA of renowned detectives is implanted into the cast members. The members also investigate perplexing cases linked to Hwalbindang, a shadowy corporation that murders wrongdoers.

3. I Live Alone (2013 – present)

If you are afraid to watch mystery-themed variety shows while at home alone, catch the light-hearted I Live Alone instead. The program shows viewers how single celebrities live at home. It has become popular in South Korea due to the relatability of the unfiltered single lifestyles of celebrities. After all, there are about 5 million singles in South Korea.

Some of the recurring guests include comedian and show host Park Na-Rae, manhwa artist Kian84, actor Lee Si-eon, singer Hwasa and singer Son Dam-bi. A must-watch is Episode 476, featuring golf athlete Pak Se-ri, who gives the viewer a tour of her house. You’ll be surprised to know that even a fitness buff like her has a snack shelf for guilty pleasures.

4. We Got Married (2008 – 2017)

If you are single and are dreaming of meeting your Mr Right, catch We Got Married. The South Korean television variety show, which aired on MBC from 2008 to 2017, paired up celebrities who pretended to be husband-and-wife and embarked on challenges together.

A must-watch is Season 2’s Chuseok Special (Episode 40), where Gain from Brown Eyed Girls & 2AM’s Jo Kwon appeared as a new couple. After a Brown Eyed Girls performance, Gain goes to Gumi and finds her husband to be 2AM’s Jo Kwon hidden behind a mongoose costume.

After revealing his identity, the couple leave to find their new abode, which to their horror, is shown to be a container box. The episode achieved the highest viewership of Season 2.

5. Single’s Inferno (2021)

If you are a fan of dating variety shows, catch Single’s Inferno on Netflix. The show’s main concept takes the idea of survival shows and combines it with the idea of fighting for their intended love interest. The 12 singles are meant to find their love on a deserted island called Inferno through challenges and getting to know one another throughout the season.

Single’s Inferno received positive reviews and landed a spot in Netflix’s Global Top 10 list, making it the first Korean reality show to reach the list. It also became popular internationally. The hashtag #singlesinferno was trending on social media as it was being aired.

6. Law of the Jungle (2011 –  2021)

If you like the concept of deserted islands, a must-watch is Law of the Jungle. On the show, celebrities join Korean comedian Kim Byung-man to experience living in the wild.

Catch Law of the Jungle in Antarctica (Episodes 311 – 314). Meant to celebrate the 300th episode, it was the first Korean reality TV show to send a team to Antarctica on a mission.

Moreover, the Korean variety show was filmed in 4K ultra-HD high resolution, a first for a Korean TV program. This was done to capture the undisrupted, unthawed beauty of the continent.

7. 2 Days 1 Night (2007 – present)

Bitten by the travel bug but can’t head overseas? Catch the popular Korean travel variety show 2 Days 1 Night. The hosts travel to unexplored regions of Korea and showcase tourist destinations while doing missions (think Running Man meets Law of the Jungle).

Unlike other shows where producers are the ones determining the guests, members can invite guests to join them (e.g. Episodes 396 – 399). But guests have to meet the criteria.

Catch their Lunar New Year time-travelling special (Episode 159) for its unconventionality. The cast is in a race that sends them back in time… to age 0. To age backwards, they must win games to eat rice cake soup. The 3 youngest members get to sleep indoors.

1 Night 2 Days has garnered high viewer ratings. The show’s third season helped to revive and maintain KBS2’s Happy Sunday ratings, withstanding competition from other networks.

8. Master in the House (2017 – 2023)

On Master in the House, cast members, including NCT’s Kim Doyoung and Got7’s BamBam spend 2 days and 1 night with leading figures from various fields and professions. These experts are known as Masters (Sabu) and the objective is to learn from them.

In must-watch Episodes 62 and 63, regular cast member Lee Seung-gi brings his dog, Perro, to meet their master, dog whisperer Kang Hyung Wook. The group also went to Busan to meet Hyung Wook’s old pal, Leo, who served as a police dog for 8 years.

9. Produce 101 (2016 – 2019)

Besides its variety shows, South Korea is known for being a K-Pop powerhouse. What do you get when you combine the two? Produce 101, which is a reality TV show centred around the visceral element of competition.

The show has no judges. Instead, it employs audience participation to whittle down the fierce competition, beginning with a very large number of competitors, 101.

4 Produce 101 series aired from 2016 to 2019 on the Mnet network. If you don’t have the time to watch all of them, just catch Produce 101 Season 2 (male trainees).

The highly-raved season gave rise to the popular K-Pop boy group Wanna One. It also had more than its fair share of controversies, from vote rigging to contestants leaving because of sexual assault and bullying allegations. But no good reality TV show is controversy-free.

10. Weekly Idol (2011 – present)

If you are a K-Pop stan, Weekly Idol invites a different K-pop idol group every week to their studio to know all about them through a variety of games and special conversation sessions.

Hosted by Boom and Lee Jang-Jun, the show puts guests through challenges, such as the X2 Speed Dance Challenge, where guests dance to one of their songs at double speed.

Another popular segment is the Random Play Dance. One of the guests’ songs stops at a random point or changes. The guests must keep dancing with the correct choreography.

11. Knowing Bros (2015 – present)

If you like Weekly Idol’s brash comedic style, catch Knowing Bros. The talk show is hosted by male comedians, including Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun and Kim Young-Chul.

The program takes place in a high-school classroom setting with the fixed cast posing as same-aged students. Guests arrive acting as visiting students from another school and are interviewed in a talk show segment.

The program’s second half features a variety segment. Here, members partake in activities such as games, a talent show or spontaneous acting.

A noteworthy aspect of the show is the use of the banmal (informal language) way of speech by everyone, regardless of age or seniority. This contradicts the Korean language’s inflexible seniority rules with spoken language. The informal speech and casual setting thus encourage the guests and cast to interact with each other as equals.

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