INTERVIEW Star producer finds new side of Karina with ‘Agents of Mystery’

Netflix’s new original show “Agents of Mystery” stars Karina. Courtesy of Netflix

Netflix's latest unscripted original, "Agents of Mystery," generated excitement with the inclusion of K-pop star Karina from aespa, marking her debut in a variety show.

Producer Jeong Jong-yeon / Courtesy of Netflix

The show’s producer Jeong Jong-yeon, known for creating hit game variety shows, “The Devil’s Plan” and “The Great Escape,” shared satisfaction in finding a new side of the singer away from the glitz and glamor of a K-pop star persona.

“Everyone was curious about how Karina is in real life and this was a chance to see that … because she hasn’t really appeared in a variety show until now,” the producer said during an interview with The Korea Times at a café in Jongno District, Seoul, Thursday.

“She’s an iconic figure among K-pop girl groups and I had this image of her as a girly girl because she’s an idol, but she was actually wilder than I expected. She tries to be funny more than you’d think and as a leader and oldest member of aespa, she has a sense of responsibility and feels like she has to take charge and get things done … So I thought she would fit well, and I think she's done a great job (in the show).”

The six-part mystery reality show, which was released on June 18, brings together six celebrities, comedians Lee Yong-jin and Lee Eun-ji, singers Karina, Lee Hye-ri and John Park and actor Kim Do-hoon, as agents to solve paranormal mysteries and complete a given mission in six hours.

The show followed the agents as they solved two paranormal incidents: rescuing three missing women from a cult that could open the gate to hell, and retrieving data from a submarine infested with deadly sea creatures.

The producer noted that he wanted to lower the overall age of the cast members to resonate with younger viewers.

“The main age range of the viewers for my shows (like ‘The Great Escape’) was pretty young, not just in their 20s but also teenagers too. So I thought it was important to cater to such an age group. I still love older TV personalities, but I felt we should also focus on younger people,” he said.

“Seeing the outcome, I do feel that it lost much of the old variety show's vibe. Not that the old one was bad, but I think it developed into a more accessible and natural format for the younger audience.”

Netflix game show “Agents of Mystery” was released on June 18. Courtesy of Netflix

Due to its familiar format, many viewers have drawn comparisons between the show and the producer's previous room-escaping show, "The Great Escape." Some critics have noted that the show lacks the excitement of "The Great Escape," which gained popularity for its intricately crafted puzzle-solving and dynamic plot settings.

The producer expressed that although he doesn’t completely agree with such a response, he tried to avoid creating an R-rated show to make it accessible to more viewers.

“'The Great Escape’ had both intense and mild episodes. I just had a general direction for the story and didn't have a specific intention to make this show gentler than my previous work. (It’s because) 'The Great Escape' fans tend to remember the episodes that left a strong impression on them … It’s just that if a show is R-rated, it would limit the audience so we had a lot of discussions with Netflix on that issue,” he said.

The show rather had short episode counts, only comprising two missions. The producer noted he intended to make fewer episodes to shorten the gap between each season.

“(Regarding comments about short episode counts) I share that regret as well. I aimed for shorter but more frequent content. In the past, I attempted six missions, which proved extremely challenging. This influenced our decision to reduce the number per season,” he said, adding Netflix has yet to decide on greenlighting its second season.