Korea's longest-running comedy show going on indefinite hiatus

“Gag Concert” will go on indefinite hiatus after falling viewership. / Korea Times file

By Kwak Yeon-soo

“Gag Concert,” Korea's longest-running TV comedy show on KBS, will go on indefinite hiatus after struggling with falling ratings.

“The program will be taking a break for renewal due to various reasons, including the changing media landscape, comedy trends and limits of an open comedy show,” KBS said Thursday.

“Gag Concert,” launched in 1999, soared in popularity with a mix of slapstick and prop comedy skits. Its viewership peaked at 28.9 percent in 2003 and hovered around 20 percent until the early 2010s. However, the numbers plunged to about 5 percent to 6 percent in recent years as entertainment trends changed.

Outdoor variety shows and dating, cooking and music competition shows have gained wide popularity over the past few years, signaling the end of sketch comedy TV shows. As a result, SBS's long-running comedy show “People Looking for a Laugh,” which enjoyed its heyday in the mid-2000s, faded into history in 2017.

In 2017, “Gag Concert” attempted a turnaround by injecting veteran comedians into the cast including Kim Dae-hee, Jang Dong-min and Shin Bong-sun. But this effect did not last even a year. Its ratings, which briefly rose to 7 percent 8 percent, crashed to half of what they were.

Due to the program's low ratings, the show's producers suspended it for two weeks last July to bring new satirical sketch comedy to the audience. It also moved timeslots, from Sunday nights to Saturday nights, last November.

However, it was difficult to win back viewers. As the ratings continued to fall, KBS again shifted the show, from Saturday nights to Friday nights, in April. The show's latest viewership rating for the May 8 episode was 2.5 percent.

“Gag Concert” has served as a launching pad to bigger careers for many comedians, including Kim Jun-ho, Kim Byung-man, Lee Su-geun and Kim Jun-hyun.

Comedian Lee Yong-sik stages a one-man protest in front of a broadcasting station to prevent the comedy show “People Looking for a Laugh” from being cancelled. The picket reads: “Comedians, who brought laughs to the audience, are crying. Give them one more chance.” / Courtesy of Lee Yong-sik

But the emergence of online streaming platforms, which give people immediate access to countless uncensored, raw comedic videos, led to the downfall of the sketch comedy TV show.

“The show's cast members will continue to appear on our YouTube channel Funtastic to perform comic feats,” KBS said.

The production team did not elaborate on when the show would go on hiatus. It also did not name a resumption date, leaving many to believe the show will disappear.

Comedians expressed strong regret over the discontinuation of the program.

“I think now is the time for comedians to give strength and comfort to people who are suffering from COVID-19,” comedian Lee Yong-sik wrote on Facebook. “I don't want to go picketing in front of the broadcasting station like I did when People Looking for a Laugh came to an end. I hope it's fake news.”

With “Gag Concert” removed from KBS on-air programs, tvN's “Comedy Big League” and Comedy TV's “Smile King” are the two remaining sketch comedy shows.