[07/26/24 - 01:01 AM] Can't Get Enough of K-Variety? New Unscripted Series Debuts Every Month from August Newly announced projects include "Culinary Class Wars," "Comedy Revenge," "Rugged Rugby: Conquer or Die" and "Kian's Bizarre B&B."
[via press release from Netflix]
Can't Get Enough of K-Variety? New Unscripted Series Debuts Every Month From August
Netflix is rapidly expanding its Korean unscripted slate, growing to 10 shows this year - more than double the number from 2022. In its third run, today's Netflix Unscripted Festival in Seoul showcased the diversity of its upcoming titles. Offering an immersive experience for the press, the event featured various booths representing the different genres of Korean unscripted content.
Audiences enthralled by the battles of strength in Physical: 100 or the fiery love connections in Single's Inferno are in for a treat: Beginning in August, a new Korean unscripted series will debut every month until the first quarter of 2025. With nine new shows on the horizon, Korean unscripted series are cementing their place in global entertainment.
Reflecting on how far the format has come, Ki Hwan Yoo, Director of Content at Netflix Korea, emphasized that increasing the slate wasn't the primary goal - it was always about creating shows that people loved. "We believe it's important to be loved locally first before we can win over global audiences. Our main aim is to create shows that our viewers truly enjoy, and each show has its own unique appeal that matches what they want," he shared.
A variety show for every taste
Things are kicking off with The Influencer on August 6, where top influencers compete to prove their worth, followed by A-list to Playlist on August 30, chronicling actor Cho Jung-seok's journey to debut as a singer. September will bring Culinary Class Wars, where star chefs and hidden masters face off in a cooking showdown. October will see the release of Comedy Revenge, a competition where Korea's top comedians go head-to-head to see who's the funniest. At the end of the year, the second season of Korea's unique zombie variety show returns with Zombieverse: New Blood, followed by the new series Rugged Rugby: Conquer or Die, which showcases the intense and gritty world of rugby in Korea.
In 2025, another season of the addictive romantic reality show returns with Single's Inferno 4, along with the comeback of the intense mind game competitions in The Devil's Plan 2. Kian's Bizzare B&B was introduced as a new concept guesthouse variety show featuring the artist KIAN84.
Spanning themes from survival and music to cooking and comedy, the upcoming Korean unscripted shows promise something for everyone, solidifying Netflix as the ultimate destination for must-watch K-content.
Read up on all the reality and variety shows coming soon here.
Following fan-favorite K-survival unscripted shows like Physical: 100, Siren: Survive the Island, Zombieverse, and The Devil's Plan, comes a new competition to crown the ultimate influencer. The Influencer is a social survival unscripted show in which 77 of South Korea's top influencers - whose influence directly translates to their market value - compete to determine who holds the greatest sway. These influencers, who collectively boast a staggering 120 million followers across platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and AfreecaTV, include prominent figures like Jang Keun-suk, RISABAE, PaniBottle, Jin Yong-jin, Shim Eu-ddeum, and DaeDo. They are all set to engage in an intense and thrilling competition.
CREATED BY
Lee Jae-seok, Son Soo-jeong
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Kakao Entertainment
AUGUST 30
A-List to Playlist
A-list to Playlist stars Cho Jung-seok, a dedicated music enthusiast with a 20-year acting career, who's long dreamed of becoming a singer-songwriter. Assisting him on this journey is his close friend Jung Sang-hoon, known for his love of starting new ventures, and Moon Sang-hoon, a beloved figure among Korean millennials and Gen Z. Supporting Cho Jung-seok are several legendary Korean musicians, including Gummy - celebrated as one of the country's finest vocalists and Jung-seok's enduring muse - and Dynamicduo, one of Korea's most iconic hip-hop acts.
CREATED BY
Yang Jung-woo, Lee Jung-won
PRODUCTION COMPANY
CJ ENM
SEPTEMBER 2024
Culinary Class Wars
In Netflix Korea's first culinary competition show, 100 talented chefs will go head-to-head in a fiery battle. Among the cooks in Culinary Class Wars are hidden masters (aka "black spoon") who will challenge the star chefs (aka "white spoon") to become the best in Korea. Will the star chefs cement their status, or will the hidden masters outshine them? Judges Paik Jong-won, the famed restaurateur known for his Midas touch, and chef Anh Sung-jae of MOSU Seoul, Korea's only three-starred restaurant, are ready to offer their unforgiving evaluations.
CREATED BY
Kim Hak-min, Kim Eun-ji
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Studio Slam
TBA
Zombieverse
Season 2
Zombieverse, first launched in August 2023, returns as Zombieverse: New Blood. Set in a zombie apocalypse simulation, the first season tasked its participants with completing quests in various parts of Seoul in order to survive. In the new season, the universe expands beyond Seoul, with even more larger-than-life characters and moments of intense laughter.
CREATED BY
Park Jin-kyung, Moon Sang-don
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Kakao Entertainment
OCTOBER 2024
Comedy Revenge
This coming fall, Comedy Revenge will follow the much-touted Comedy Royale, where contestants compete purely based on talent and skill regardless of age, experience, or background. Lee Kyung-kyu, a comedy legend with a 43-year career who led his team (Lee Chang-ho, Eom Ji-yoon, and Jo Hoon) to victory in Comedy Royale, will now host Korea's 22 most beloved comedians in this all-new battle of wits.
CREATED BY
Kwon Hae-bom, Park Hyun-seok
PRODUCED BY
Kakao Entertainment
DECEMBER 2024
Rugged Rugby: Conquer or Die
Producer Chang Si-won, known for reality shows such as A Clean Sweep, Steel Troops, and The Fisherman and the City, will helm Rugged Rugby: Conquer or Die. This sports survival reality show showcases the intense competition among rugby athletes who give their all for the glory of victory. Filled with the thuds of bodies colliding and shouts of determination to move one step forward, this merciless rugby war highlights the athletes' passion and genuine emotions.
CREATED BY
Chang Si-won, Choi Tae-gyu
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Studio C1
2025
Single's Inferno
Season 4
This spicy dating reality show features the hottest singles searching for love on a deserted island. Just like in the previous seasons, the only way the singles can leave their home base of Inferno -- where they must live with limited resources -- is to find a match and escape to paradise together. There, the couples can explore their connections in the lap of luxury. But in Single's Inferno you can't get too comfortable, as unexpected rule changes and twists lurk behind every corner. It's the first Korean Netflix reality series to return for a fourth season.
CREATED BY
Kim Jae-won, Kim Jung-hyun
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Shijak Company
2025
Kian's Bizarre B&B
Kian's Bizarre B&B is a variety show where KIAN84 sets up and runs an extraordinary guesthouse on the island of Ulleungdo called KIAN Bizarre B&B, which offers a unique experience for young visitors. The guesthouse operates in a realm between healing and hilarity, with everything unfolding through KIAN84's unique perspective. The unpredictable host, KIAN84, and the diverse and colorful guests who come to enjoy the romantic atmosphere of KIAN Bizarre B&B are set to deliver big laughs and special moments of empathy.
CREATED BY
Jung Hyo-min, Lee Soo-min, Hwang Yoon-seo
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Studio Modak
2025
The Devil's Plan
Season 2
The Korean mind-game show returns for Season 2. In this series, contestants from various professions stay together for seven days to determine who is the smartest among them. The Devil's Plan not only offers a fierce competition of wit, strategy, and wisdom, but also sees shifting dynamics between contestants as the competition progresses - it resembles one big social experiment.
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