'Gugidong Friends' Takes Over Friday Night with Fresh Cohabitation Concept

'Gugidong Friends' is riding the wave of popular Friday night entertainment, following the success of Park Bo-gum's 'Bo-gum Magical'.

tvN's 'Gugidong Friends' reflects the current trend of seeking loose connections, featuring Jang Do-yeon, Lee Da-hee, Choi Daniel, Jang Keun-suk, Ahn Jae-hyun, and Kyung Soo-jin living together under one roof, offering viewers a glimpse into a new lifestyle.

The show's fresh approach is further validated by a Consumer Insight survey conducted among 423 men and women aged 20 to 49, which showed a preference for the 1.5 household lifestyle. 35.4% of respondents had a positive view, while 15.5% had a negative view, with positivity prevailing. The highest preference was among women in their 30s. The top reasons for positive evaluations were alleviating loneliness, maintaining independence and coexistence, and novelty and interest.

The reasons for the 'cohabiting friends' moving in, as shown in the first episode, mirrored the survey results. Lee Da-hee expressed a vague fear of living alone, pondering, "Is there a new form of family?" Jang Keun-suk desired companionship in a time when doing everything alone felt empty. Meanwhile, Jang Do-yeon sought to find a lifestyle that suited her by trying cohabitation, resonating with viewers.

Notably, 'Gugidong Friends' achieved 137% of the digital cumulative views compared to the first week of 'Bo-gum Magical', with a video featuring Jang Do-yeon and Choi Daniel's banter reaching 1.7 million views, gaining significant online popularity. Viewers praised the show, saying, "It's so fresh and fun. It's like watching a sitcom," and "The cast is great. It's like 'Three Guys and Three Girls'."

'Gugidong Friends' will air its second episode on Friday, the 17th, at 8:35 PM.

Lee So-jung, TenAsia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr