Educational entertainment shows receiving rave reviews

A scene from “Problematic Men.” / Courtesy of tvN

By Park Jin-hai

Edutainment shows that feature both fun and education at the same time are enjoying strong support from viewers, who expect more than just slapstick fun.

At the start of the New Year, two such talk shows on cable network tvN, “Problematic Men” and “No Way I’m an Adult,” have renewed their viewership to post 4 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively. This rating is as high as any other entertainment show on major national broadcasters.

MBC’s flagship entertainment show “Infinite Challenge” and KBS “2 Days 1 Night” have also aired series of episodes, focusing on the theme of history, and received positive reviews.

“In the past, people sought fun-for-fun in entertainment shows. But, nowadays people tend to prefer shows that are both meaningful and fun,” said No Way I’m an Adult’s producer Jeong Min-sik, to a local media outlet. “Unlike other entertainment shows, we offer fun in various genres, ranging from history, education to humanities. Older viewers give us great responses.”

“No Way I’m an Adult” debuted in 2015, and has held an average 1 to 2 percent viewership in 2016. But this year its latest show, featuring a popular Korean history lecturer Sul Min-seok, has enjoyed a 7 percent jump in viewership.

“People have great interest in history and since it is the year’s beginning, it also catered to their needs to find something wholesome and family-friendly,” added Jeong.

tvN’s popular puzzle-solving show “Problematic Men,” debuted in 2015, has also seen its viewership double this year. Its latest show which aired on Sunday night climbed to 4 percent in viewer ratings, from its average 2 percent.

“Infinite Challenge” recently aired “History X Hip Hop Project” episode, where its hosts composed history-themed songs and had a competition, after listening to the lectures of Sul. One of the songs sung by Kwanghee and Gaeko, a tribute to Korean independence fighter and poet Yun Dong-ju, made it to the top of the charts of Korean music streaming and downloading websites, including Melon and M.net.

“2 Days 1 Night” also aired various special episodes on history, tracking down the last three days of Ahn Jung-geun in China or finding the meanings of Korean hangeul letters.

Those educational entertainment shows, however, seem to have shortcomings as they are accused of taking history too lightly and evoking patriotism, experts say.

“No Way I’m an Adult” aired an episode where a popular lecturer Choi Jin-ki spoke about the Joseon era paintings, but they showed the wrong paintings. The show gave an official apology for not having thorough verification processes and deleted its video on-demand.

After that incident, “Infinite Challenge” said it acknowledges its own limitations but has more positive aspects. “If viewers sit down and think about history while watching the program, that itself is worth it,” said a member of the program’s production team.