Same faces on similar shows bog down TV

Entertainer Kim Gu-ra on “Ssulzun” / Courtesy of JTBC

By Park Jin-hai

Lee Sang-min, former leader of K-pop band Roo’ra, is being criticized for his too-frequent and sometimes overlapping appearances on similar TV shows.

The 44-year-old entertainer recently bagged a hosting position on MBC’s “Section TV Entertainment News.” Because he already hosts a similar entertainment news show on cable Channel A, viewers raise the issue that his appearance on similar shows could make the programs too similar and viewers would be exposed to the same kind of commentary over and over.

Counting the newly launched show “Heart Signal” on Channel A, Lee is now part of the regular casts of 10 entertainment shows, including “Mom's Diary -- My Ugly Duckling” on SBS, JTBC's “Knowing Bros” and MBC’s “Thinking About Oppa.” Adding the shows where he appears as a guest, the number gets even bigger.

The once successful singer and record producer revealed he is 7 billion won in debt. However, he established a unique character and has been nicknamed the “icon of bankruptcy” by openly talking about his bankruptcy on his shows.

“If you turn on the TV, Lee has become one of the faces you are most likely to see on entertainment shows on a daily basis,” culture critic Jung Duk-hyun said. “Although he earned the hearts of many by revealing his current status, it seems that his image has been consumed too much and too fast. Seeing him on almost every channel could make viewers get tired of watching him and this could backfire.”

However, it is not confined to Lee. Viewers can find similar male celebrities regularly cast on entertainment shows, including comedians Shin Dong-yeop and Kim Gu-ra appearing on increasingly common variety shows on major TV broadcasters and cables.

“Those same people appear over and over. Although there is no denying they make the best show hosts, the main reason for the overlapping cast is rather because there are so many shows but only a limited pool of people available for such jobs,” a TV variety show producer said. “It is why different shows tend to have similar tones. With the same circle of entertainment crew, similar tones are portrayed, no matter how hard they tried to get rid of it. So if producers would really like to make a brand new show, they need to hire new faces, such as actors or ordinary people.”

Another insider explains the limited pool is the reason why the industry is gauging the possibility of a future comeback of entertainer Shin Jung-hwan, who was caught in a gambling scandal and left the local entertainment industry. “Due to a shallow talent pool, we tend to look back (to him). We should try to find new faces and we actually do. But because ready-to-use people are hard to find, we tend to hire the same people over and over,” the producer said.