It's time to let go of the 10-year-old 'Shoodol', with its 'sloppy viewership ratings'

《Kim Ji-won’s KakaoTalk》
‘Today’s story that is open and harsh’. Reporter Kim Ji-won of Ten Asia harshly criticizes entertainment and broadcasting industry issues from a difficult perspective.

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Similar scenes have been repeated for 10 years, and viewership ratings have fallen to the 1% level. This is the story of the parenting entertainment show KBS2's 'The Return of Superman' (hereinafter referred to as 'Superman'). 'Shoodol', which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, is now ready for midnight.

'Shoodol' was broadcast as a corner of 'Happy Sunday' in 2013, and was organized independently as a program in 2019. It started as a format where celebrity dads took care of their children without their wives.

In the meantime, many famous families went through 'Shodol'. Lee Hwi-jae and his twin sons Seo-eon and Seo-jun, Choo Seong-hoon and his daughter Sarang, Lee Dong-guk and his five siblings, and Park Joo-ho and his three siblings Jingeon Nabli. Among them, original member Chu Sarang, who appeared from November 2013 to March 2016, was loved by numerous viewers as the epitome of loveliness. Song Il-gook and his triplets Daehan, Minguk, and Manse, who appeared from July 2014 to February 2016, also monopolized the love of aunts and uncles on the online TV network. In 2014, the triplets, who were 3 years old at the time, were now 12 years old and in the 5th grade of elementary school. The foot size has grown significantly to a whopping 270mm. Chu Sarang is also 13 years old and is said to be going through puberty.

In 2015, when 'Shoodol' was at its peak, 'Shoodol' members swept all the awards at the year-end KBS Entertainment Awards. Lee Dong-gook won the Best Entertainer Award in the Variety Category, Choo Sung-hoon won the Hot Issue Entertainer Award, Song Il-gook won the Male Excellence Award in the Show/Entertainment Category, and Lee Hwi-jae won the Grand Prize. Afterwards, coupled with changes in trends in the broadcasting industry, the topicality of 'Shoodol' gradually cooled down. However, because it was still a popular program within KBS entertainment, there was a 'scenario' in 2019 in which the fathers of 'Shodol' jointly received the grand prize, causing controversy.

Because so many young children appeared, it also had side effects. Choo Sung-hoon talked about his daughter Sarangi's current status on the JTBC entertainment show 'Knowing Brothers', which aired on the 25th. Choo Seong-hoon said, “He has grown a lot, and he is now 12 years old, so he will soon be entering middle school. He has long arms and legs, just like his mother.” At the same time, he said, "I was traumatized at first. I was scared because a lot of people I didn't know came, so I told them about it gently. I was so famous in the past that everyone loved me," and expressed the hardships caused by appearing on the broadcast. Fortunately, Sarangi said, “I am now slowly realizing how popular I am.”

There are not only side effects. As it has been on the air for a long time, 'Shoodol' has had some meaningful moves. It shows various types of modern families, such as multicultural families such as the Choo Seong-hoon and Sam Hammington families, multiple-parent families such as the Song Il-gook family and Park Joo-ho family, and voluntary single-mother families such as the Sayuri family.

Hong Hyun-hee and Jay's family appeared on 'Shoodol' in July last year. 'Shoodol' tried to use Hong Hyun-hee's family as a breakthrough in his slump, but the effect was minimal. Recently, Jang Shin-young and Kang Kyung-jun's family decided to join 'Shoodol'. Jang Shin-young married in 2006, gave birth to her first son, and divorced in 2009. Afterwards, she married actor Kang Kyung-jun in 2018 and gave birth to her second son in 2019. Accordingly, 'Shoodol' began to show the daily life of raising children in remarried families.

'Shoodol' was so popular that it once recorded a peak viewership rating of 20.7%. However, the viewer rating on March 3 this year was 1.7%. Taking a picture of the floor. Interest in parenting methods in the era of low birth rates is gradually decreasing, and above all, the repetition of obvious patterns in parenting entertainment shows is no longer able to elicit viewers' desire to watch. The method of simply showing the daily lives of families with children rather than concerns about childcare is also the reason why it was relegated to a simple observational entertainment style. The overlap of performers in the order of romance entertainment, couple entertainment, and parenting entertainment also creates fatigue in viewing. It is unclear whether the addition of Jang Shin-young's family will be able to turn around the decline of 'Shodol'. I think it's time for 'Shoodol' to put down its 'low ratings' and think about a beautiful ending.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr